Sweetwater Museum Director Should Keep Her Job Even if She Wants Republicans to Die

 

OPINION — We shouldn’t fall into the trap of the “Cancel Culture” invented by woke liberals and fire the museum director in Sweetwater even if she wanted all Republican voters to die.

“I hope every single one of you pieces of sh** that votes republican, dies today,” read her post on Facebook published on election day.

Melonnie Hicks was having a really bad day, she said. “I was really mad at Republicans for voting against health care since my options today are die or go into debt to see the doctor,” she explained the next day in a post.

Hicks is the director at Sweetwater’s Pioneer City County Museum where she performs the mission to preserve the heritage of Nolan County and the City of Sweetwater. There, visitors can see “Judge Ragland’s Garage.” The museum is housed in Judge R.A. Ragland’s mansion that opened there to the public in 1976. Ragland (1858-1938) served two terms as district judge in Sweetwater and before that he was the Nolan County Attorney. He also owned a bank. When his bank failed during the Great Depression, the judge sold all of his land holdings to pay the failed bank’s debts. He died penniless in 1938.

Today, many want Miss Hicks to die penniless, too. They want her fired from the museum for expressing frustration on Facebook about Super Tuesday’s primary election where most of her fellow Nolan County citizens voted for Republicans.

Other than the Facebook post, it appears Hicks is an outstanding museum director. She’s informed and a book author about her charge - the history of Nolan County and Sweetwater. Who else will Nolan County find with as much knowledge of the museum’s mission than Hicks?

Hicks along with Betty Turner researched Sweetwater’s history for their book written in 2014 titled “Images of Sweetwater.

You can read more about the Nolan County’s penniless judge in excepts on Google Books.

I’m a Republican and I don’t in the least bit feel threatened by Hick’s off-the-cuff comment on Facebook wishing that I die. I know Facebook is driven by creating engagement that produces long visits and lots of eyeballs on its advertisements. Facebook evokes strong emotions to keep its users scrolling. The easiest emotion to incite is anger, and Facebook’s algorithm is quite good at turning calm and peaceful people into raging lunatics. Hicks was spending too much time on Facebook and wrote something she regretted. She later explained her frustration and apologized.

Today’s “Cancel Culture” means good people are given just one strike and they are out. Public figures are shamed for Twitter posts made when they were in high school. If you gain recognition or get promoted, someone somewhere is going to “research” your old Tweets and, if public, your Facebook posts, too. Meanwhile, everyone is a victim today, even, as reaction to Hick’s post presents, Republicans are victims.

Give Miss Hicks a break. She is a valuable contributor to the preservation of history in Nolan County. One strike doesn’t mean you’re out.

I pray the museum board discards the demands of the “Cancel Culture” and Hicks keeps her job. The museum's directors meet in Sweetwater at 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, to decide Hicks' fate.

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Joe, as usual you penned a well-written piece, but I must respectfully disagree with you regarding the emotional antics of Ms. Hicks. I am also a Republican and certainly do not want my free speech rights infringed upon, but Ms. Hicks is in a different position. She is a quasi public figure who has the forum to sway public thought/input based on her museum position. To refer to the majority of Nolan County/Big Country citizens as POS who need to die crossed a line.

You know, I often hear Dems/Libs refer to Trump or Republicans as Nazis or fascists. In truth, it is exactly the opposite. The hatred, vitriol and cancel culture you refer to is the trademark of the current Democrat party. Look no further than the Bernie Bros and their fascist tactics for proof. The majority of Nolan County/Big Country voters supported Trump/Republicans in 2016 and will do so again in 2020, so Ms. Hicks is in for four more years of agony.

Alas, Ms. Hicks is obviously a miserable, hate-filled human being who lacks the ability to control her emotions. Someone of her ilk should not be in a position of authority. The least I expect is a public apology, but I would prefer she be canned. The outbursts of petulant children should have consequences.

If she posted that obviously hate filled comment while she was at home or otherwise not at work, I don't think she should be fired. Colin Kapernik, wearing a team uniform, on the football field, made his protestant stand on company time and was justly terminated, IMHO.
We, as a culture, need to stop the knee-jerk overreaction to the stated or printed word. Like rectums, we all have an opinion and each of us is entitled to express them, on our own time, and as long as they threaten no one.
As far as her position of authority, as a small town museum curator, she has virtually none.
Recently, in the presence of about 5 people who were talking presidential politics, I stated that I did not believe that middle America, meaning conservative Christians, were ready to vote for an openly gay President. Their reaction was as if I had just shot their dog, stunned disbelief. We've got to get re-learn how to agree to disagree.

Pfft, Fri, 03/06/2020 - 09:21

Democrats have been spewing this hateful rhetoric with impunity for long enough. If she were such a great director, she'd have given some forethought to her public comments. She deserves everything that happens to her. No sympathy.

Enough coddling these unhinged people in power whether Schumer threatening the Supreme Court justices he disagrees with or this demented woman on a rant. There's no excuse for keeping her in any responsible position. If she's mentally ill or using drugs the op ed writer can take up a collection and send her to rehab.

This woman is not a child or a teenager she is supposedly an adult. A grown up “mature“ person with a job and responsibilities who wished death on those who voted differently than what she would choose. Does that sound mature or even sane & rational? No, it does not. She needs to be removed from her position at the museum and I would highly recommend psychiatric services for her.

Joe, The cancel culture is an abomination. It is an abomination because it is a tool of the left to make their hate real as they try and deprive people of position and livelihood who simply support some candidate or position that is not in keeping with the politically correct position of the left.

This is different.. This woman, in a position of trust and honor and responsibility , has wished death on roughly half the country. She wrote and published it. She did not wish those who she disagrees with to be fired or removed from their jobs, She wished them DEAD! She did this out of a true sense of hatred, not out of a simple political disagreement as is typical of the so called "cancel culture" If she is unable to control her hatred, and obviously she could not. She wrote and pressed "Post" then without any consideration of her academic or previous history of success, she cannot continue to serve having expressed a desire for the death of those who will want to visit the facility. She has set her own course and future as one incompatible with her position.

I dislike Cancel Culture, too. However, an ill-thought joke issued years ago is one thing. A quasi-public figure calling half the country a filthy name just a few days ago while simultaneously wishing they would die is a different matter.

If your job includes anything to do with public relations, don’t be surprised if you can’t get away with wishing death on approximately half of your fellow citizens.

I wish the lady health and happiness as she moves on. I won’t, however, blame anyone other than her for her loss of this particular position.

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