In the wake of firefighter Brian Beckmann’s hateful comments regarding Trayvon Martin, Jake DiMare hopes we can separate out the hero from the heroism.
Take note: Being a firefighter doesn’t necessarily mean you are particularly intelligent or enlightened.
Just when I thought we’d get a few days without the tragic Trayvon Martin story dominating headlines in the national news, Brian Beckmann, an otherwise insignificant firefighter in the Miami-Dade Fire Department, allegedly threw gasoline on the flame war of hateful rhetoric with this ridiculous tirade:
“Listening to Prosecutor Corey blow herself and her staff for five minutes before pre-passing judgment on George Zimmerman. The state seeks reelection again, truth aside. I and my coworkers could rewrite the book on whether our urban youths are victims of racist profiling or products of their failed, shitbag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents, but like Mrs. Corey, we speak only the truth. They’re just misunderstood little church going angels and the ghetto hoodie look doesn’t have anything to do with why people wonder if they’re about to get jacked by a thug.”
Sigh. Mr. Beckmann is clearly not looking to make friends with progressive, deep thinkers. Nevertheless, here are my thoughts on this matter: Frankly, why is news when someone who was probably raised by shit-bag, ignorant, pathetic, bigoted excuses for parents spouts some hateful nonsense on his private Facebook page?
My only conclusion is it must be because Brian Beckmann is a fireman and if there is one thing America loves, it’s firemen. Ask anyone what they think of when they think of a real hero and firemen are at the top of the list. Heroes are not supposed to be hateful or bigoted. They are supposed to be kind, understanding and respectful. They are supposed to walk out of a Norman Rockwell painting and save your kitten from a tree… Not blame the victim’s parents in a murder case.
Well guess what America, next time you dial 911…Superman isn’t going to walk through that door. A human being is. It’s time we reexamine the myths surrounding cops, fireman and paramedics and realize they are just people like you and me. Some of them are good men and women, and some of them are not. Don’t be surprised when they occasionally turn out to be complete assholes…Once in a while.
What do you think? Do we over-emphasize the perfection of our heroes?
Photo courtesy of Loco Steve
About Jake DiMare
Jake,
When you write a sentence like: ” Frankly, why is news when someone who was probably raised by shit-bag, ignorant, pathetic, bigoted excuses for parents spouts some hateful nonsense on his private Facebook page?”
Are you hoping we’ll miss that it’s just a prolonged ad hominem attack, or did you not notice in the first place?
Or should anger just win out, and we should all be ruled by our emotions and sling insults all the time without trying to gain understanding and insights into our opponents?
More importantly, can you respond to this comment without additional ad hominems? I guess we’ll find out!
Mike, Perhaps you skipped over Mr. Beckmann’s quote. I was borrowing language directly from his horribly insensitive, bigoted, and coincidentally, incorrect characterization of Trayvon’s parents as a device -to make my point. However, in my case you also may have failed to notice I used the word ‘probably’ to ensure the readers are aware I am just speculating Mr. Beckmann was raised by morons.
Have a great day!
-Jake
Reminds me a little of American History X
HEY! who are you calling an ass hole? i (more often than not) resemble that remark!
In all seriousness, in this day and age of google hyper-seaches and twitter key-phrases (etc), it’s more than the celebrities & high profile newsworthy folks that should be mindful about what they post on the internetz. Every month, at my monthly union mtg., our local President reminds us to be careful about we post to Facebook & Twitter. (for the sake of disclosure, i’m a Boston Firefighter.)
Yes, FF’s are human. No, we don’t particularly enjoy the new-PC world in which we find ourselves be scrutinized under, but like all other conditions on the fire ground or otherwise, we’ll adapt.
my $0.02
Yes, firefighters should be compassionate and courageous heroes. However, firefighting is much like being a police officer or soldier: it attracts a certain “type.” Namely, the macho, uber-jock type with something to prove and a huge chip on his shoulder.
Unsurprisingly, many of those folks are also clueless and bigoted morons with enormous egos.
How interesting that even in this discussion criticizing stereotyping by those who should be better, we ourselves are still utterly incapable of the same. No doubt, a fair few of us are bigoted morons, but if the media is any indication, we do not rise to the proportion in the general population. The truth is this, the only thing Americans love more than a hero is a fallen hero to despise. Firefighters, cops, and paramedics are ordinary people cast into extraordinary circumstances and ordinary people, on occasion, say stupid, thoughtless things. ALL ordinary people.
Corey Booker is a hero. Period.
Elsewhere, it’s been argued that the reason these comments are significant is because they’re coming from someone who’s entrusted to serve the public. As journalist Bob Norman wrote on his blog (http://www.local10.com/news/blogs/bob-norman/Heel-of-the-week-Capt-Brian-Beckmann/-/3223354/10919728/-/wjid37z/-):
“You’ve got a high-ranking position in a taxpayer-financed fire department that serves all people in life and death situations, including those people in the inner city that you apparently detest. How can the public trust you now?”
If it hasn’t started already, there’s bound to be a little disillusionment towards firefighters as the glow of 9/11 dies down a little bit. That was a euphoric heroification that is really hard to sustain over the long term. Maybe now there will be a little more traction to the stories of some of the NYC firefighters on 9/11 doing a little looting of the stores nearby. Not a popular story at the time, but a part of the larger history of that day.
The firefighter has become the new, more socially acceptable war hero. He doesn’t kill people, he saves their lives, but he still wears a uniform and has ranks and is organized into battalions and dresses like he’s going to war. At the funerals of his peers, he lines up in rank and file and salutes just like a soldier.
To me, the fact that firefighters are actually human beings, just as flawed as anyone else, suggests even greater heroism when they do something heroic. They aren’t superhuman. That’s what makes it even more remarkable when they run into a burning building while everyone else is running out of it. It would not surprise me if Beckmann would risk his life to save a black kid AND talk trash about them on the same day.