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An attempt by a jeweler from Sturbridge, Massachusetts, to hunt down the controversy over the NFL national anthem has turned against him, to a large extent.
Scott A. Garieri, owner of Garieri Jewelry in Sturbridge, recently set up a billboard showing a man talking to a woman on a football pitch. The billboard also includes the following message: "If you are going to have a knee this season, please have a ring in your hand!
See the billboard for yourself in the following Facebook post from Boston 25 News:
Joke safe, right?
Good…
"People said they were going to urinate on our property, throwing up on our shop windows, and we were told to kill myself," said Garieri daughter, Alexandria L. O'Brien, at Worcester Telegram on Wednesday. . "I will not kill myself. I can assure you. And the display panel does not go down.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But when you tell someone to go kill themselves, you have absolutely crossed the line.
O'Brien told The Telegram that the social media reaction began when Pastor Laura E. Everett, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, shared a photo of the billboard on her Facebook page. Pastor Everett wrote the post by writing, "If we've forgotten racism in New England … it's amazing to overthrow the NFL (Black Lives Matter) protests and turn them into a racist marketing opportunity.
Garieri, who along with his daughter is a self-proclaimed supporter of US President Donald Trump, disagrees with Pastor Everett's assessment.
"It's promoting love. He encourages participation, "he told the telegram. "Over the past 200 years, people have knelt down to get involved. With this billboard, we combined two things: kneeling and kneeling in football games.
"… I support him 100%. It has never been done racist connotation. We played words and we put a little on it.
Just like Trump, Garieri is not a fan of NFL players kneeling in the game of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
"They do not respect the national anthem," he said. "We have veterans who have fought and gave their lives so that these people have the right to cry about my billboard. When you do not respect the national anthem, you do not respect the country, and I want it.
"There are other ways to fight racial inequality. For me, that's not the way to do it.
Hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But it's important to remember that NFL players do not protest against the flag or the anthem – they protest what they see as racial injustice in the United States.
(Reminder: Rosa Parks did not protest a bus.)
Be that as it may, no matter what side of the debate gets more and more tired, there is no reason to send violent threats to anyone, especially a joke. In addition, this is undoubtedly a more serious offense than an ironic marketing trick.
Remember when this controversy was about life support a year ago? These were the days.
Thumbnail via Brad Mills / USA TODAY HUI Sports Images
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