On Thursday evening, a video of ESPN reporter Britt McHenry was published online in which she is heard saying crude and disrespectful comments to an employee of a towing company. McHenry was suspended from ESPN for her actions. Such an incident proves that no matter how good of a job you have, nothing matters more than being a decent human being.
I do see the reason behind her rage, as neither anyone else nor I would be amused to see his or her car towed, irrespective of whose fault it is. However, to comment on someone’s educational level or looks is not at all appropriate.
She commented on the attendant’s appearance with, “Maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh?” and “Lose some weight baby girl.”
Personally, if I were in place of the attendant who got ranted at, I would probably lose my cool. However, the attendant, as is shown in the video, remained professional and kept her calm.
On Apr. 16, McHenry took to Twitter to apologize for her actions. She tweeted, “In an intense and stressful moment, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me and said some insulting and regrettable things. As frustrated as I was, I should always choose to be respectful and take the high road. I am so sorry for my actions and will learn from this mistake.”
Her anger however, is not reason enough for her actions. The only excuse that McHenry could use is to say that she didn’t think before she spoke, and was probably clueless as to how the world would react to it.
One of the most talked about things that she said was, “Cause I’m on television and you’re in a f***ing trailer, honey.”
With as much love as I have for my own profession, I have the respect for others who stick by their profession as well. Being happy and proud of your job and position is a great thing, but to think that your job or designation makes you better than everyone else is despicable. I myself had no idea who McHenry was until the story of the video surfaced.
Taking pride in who and what you are is a good thing and I believe everyone should do that; but, to demean someone else about his or her work, life or choices is simply inhumane.
