One Event, Two Perspectives

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article176389926.html
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/dear-athletes-stick-sports
The content of the above links demonstrate the opposing opinions allowed to flourish (or fester, depending on your opinion) in our society as a result of the free speech that has been an American ideal from its beginning.  Both articles address the issue of athletes kneeling during the national anthem, though one strongly opposes it and one supports it.  While commenting on the same issue, both articles take sides that directly oppose each other, therefore perpetuating the American value of freedom in all that one does.
The first article, "Dear Sports: Stick to Sports" by Armando Salguero conveys the author's opinion that athletes should not express their political opinions, no matter what they are, simply because he doesn't want to hear it.  He feels that the comfort of viewers should be prioritized over the voices and needs of the players from which they derive their entertainment; he writes that when he tries to unwind from the stresses of his day-to-day life by watching sports, he doesn't want to be stresses further by the social messages conveyed by the players.  He describes how entertainment and profit should be more important in America than having the ability to freely express one's thoughts and opinions; he states that because Jennifer Lawrence, a successful actress, addressed her political opinions against Trump in a speech, "She is the subject of an alt-right boycott...if you want to run a successful business, don't alienate any of your customers."  In this quote, Salguero uses a negative connotation of the word "alienate" in order to prove his point that any person in the entertainment business, whether an athlete or an actress, should not express their political opinions publicly for fear of isolating their fan base, again prioritizing the feelings of viewers should be prioritized over those of someone with a platform.  He looks at athletes who uses such platforms to promote their own views or causes that they feel are important with a critical eye, not necessarily disagreeing with their expressed viewpoints but with their decision to use their platform in such a way.  Though Salguero opposes entertainers such as Jennifer Lawrence for “alienating” their fans by disagreeing with them, he does the same to those who read his article and disagree with his viewpoint; though feels that people should not express their political views except when people want them to, he expresses his own despite the fact that his readers would have opposing viewpoints.  In short, Salguero writes in his article that  entertainers, mainly sports players, should not give their political opinion because no one asked to hear it.

The second article, “Dear Athletes, Please Don’t ‘Stick to Sports’” by Madison Green conveys an opinion that directly opposes that of Armando Salguero; she believes that athletes should be able to express their political opinion using their platform.  Simply by reading the titles of both articles readers are able to understand each side’s opinion, as well as see the direct conflict between both sides.  In her article, Green notes that “being athletically gifted doesn’t nullify your right to free speech.”  By this, she means that because athletes are successful due to their athletic abilities, they should have as much of a right to speak freely and without consequence as much as someone without such large and influential platforms.  In a broader sense, this quote conveys that being being famous, popular, or simply gifted should not reduce the rights given to American citizens at birth, whether people are open and receptive to their messages or not.  Much like Salguero, Green does not care about whether the opinion expressed is from the left or the right, but unlike him, she supports and agrees completely with the athletes’ choice to use their platform to promote their beliefs.  She also puts the situation at hand in perspective by writing that if athletes did nothing but play sports, charities would not receive as much funding or support from the athletes and the fans influenced by them, and many children would grow up unaware of their ability to exercise their right to free speech.

Both articles address the issue of athletes choosing to kneel during the national anthem, but the two take opposing sides on the issue.  While Salguero disagrees with the athletes’ decision to express their political views on the field, Green supports their use of their large platforms to inform the general public and to exercise their right to free speech.

My Relationship With the Media

     I have an unhealthy relationship with the media. It displays all the “red flags” that signify that I should end it; it constantly needs to know where I am, what I’m doing, and who I’m with; it seems to be obsessed with me, constantly alerting me whenever something remotely interesting happens; and it has a significant amount of control over my life, dictating whether or not I will be able to finish an assignment on time and telling me whether whatever I post is socially acceptable. The smart thing to do in this situation is to end this relationship, but I face a dilemma: I am just as obsessed with the media as the media is obsessed with me. I feel that its constant surveillance of my activities is necessary for me to connect with my friends, that its frequent reminders of my dependance upon it help me to stay up to date on the most recent events, and that its control over my life is not as serious as the reality of the situation. I spend multiple hours a day on social media alone, although I never use it to do anything productive. I find that watching videos of cats or obscure movies is more entertaining than writing a research paper, so I allow the media to take up the better hours of my day. On social medias like Instagram and Snapchat, I feel the need to post something but when I do, I always regret it because it may not get enough likes. I do nothing worthwhile online, yet it is there that I spend most of my time. I find that the media is far more interesting than any paper I could write or studying I could be doing, so I choose to stare mindlessly at the screen as someone I do not know cooks food I could not even attempt to make or walks me through a tutorial that I know I will never use or see again as my schoolwork remains unfinished, looming as a constant reminder of my lack of motivation and productivity. I often think about distancing myself from such a draining relationship by deleting my Instagram, but I always end up deciding to keep it in order to see what others post, contributing to their addictions to social media simply by clicking the “like” icon. I have had my Instagram since the seventh grade, forming a relationship with it too strong for me to simply delete and forget. I no longer use it to communicate with others; I use it only to look at accounts of people I will never meet.
     While being in HISP has increased the amount of news articles I read per week, I spend the majority of my online time attempting to think as little as possible rather than educating myself. My relationship with the non-social side of the media is the opposite of that of mine with social media; I do not obsess over current events and the news does nothing to attempt to pull me into reading it. Social media has caused me to pay attention only to what I find the most interesting and entertaining rather than what will benefit me in the long run. This altered way of thinking has affected my overall productivity and my relationships with others as well as myself. My relationship with the media controls my life to a larger extent than I would prefer to admit, and it has become an undeniable component of my personality.