Out of bounds
A student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst named Rene Gonzalez wrote an article in the school paper criticizing Pat Tillman's service in Afghanistan. In short, this kid said that Tillman got what he deserved because he chose to join the Army and serve his country instead of playing pro football for a multi-million dollar salary.
Where does this kid get off saying this? Since when was serving your country something to be ashamed of? I feel that Pat Tillman is a role model to young people because he chose to walk away from fame, fortune and the trappings of it all to be a soldier. Tillman didn't want publicity when he left the NFL, because he didn't do it for the publicity. He did it to serve his country in a time of war, and ultimately died for his country. That makes him a hero in my book.
There are so few real heroes, so few people for youngsters to look up to. Instead of looking up to guys like Tillman, they look up to people like Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, Ludacris, Tupac, et al. You don't see any of them (save for Tupac because he's deceased) giving up their cars, their women, their "bling-bling", their celebrity to join the armed forces (okay, maybe Rodman is a little old for that, but still...), do you?
Yes, I know that last paragraph may piss off a few people, but I don't care. Maybe that's what the student at UMass thought when he wrote his article, that he didn't care what people thought of his chastisement of Pat Tillman. He had the right to express his opinion, but that doesn't mean that I or anyone else has to agree with what he says. I feel his story was out of bounds. Tillman is no longer here to defend himself and his decisions, so others are doing it in his memory.
Including me.
UPDATE: Rene Gonzalez has since apologized to Tillman's family for his insensitive article.
MorelaterZ--
Where does this kid get off saying this? Since when was serving your country something to be ashamed of? I feel that Pat Tillman is a role model to young people because he chose to walk away from fame, fortune and the trappings of it all to be a soldier. Tillman didn't want publicity when he left the NFL, because he didn't do it for the publicity. He did it to serve his country in a time of war, and ultimately died for his country. That makes him a hero in my book.
There are so few real heroes, so few people for youngsters to look up to. Instead of looking up to guys like Tillman, they look up to people like Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, Ludacris, Tupac, et al. You don't see any of them (save for Tupac because he's deceased) giving up their cars, their women, their "bling-bling", their celebrity to join the armed forces (okay, maybe Rodman is a little old for that, but still...), do you?
Yes, I know that last paragraph may piss off a few people, but I don't care. Maybe that's what the student at UMass thought when he wrote his article, that he didn't care what people thought of his chastisement of Pat Tillman. He had the right to express his opinion, but that doesn't mean that I or anyone else has to agree with what he says. I feel his story was out of bounds. Tillman is no longer here to defend himself and his decisions, so others are doing it in his memory.
Including me.
UPDATE: Rene Gonzalez has since apologized to Tillman's family for his insensitive article.
MorelaterZ--
My name is Stef, and I approve this post. Posted @ 11:04 PM
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