Firefighters deserve second chance (firefighters) 3.29.02

Early this month, two Council Bluffs firefighters were fired for crossing the line of good taste while playing practical jokes on each other at the firehouse.
As reported by the Nonpareil's Courtney Brummer (our version of Lois Lane), firefighters David Pryor and Michael Haase were fired for making a sign that "depicted a sexual invitation" and placing that sign on a co-workers personal vehicle.
The sign was brought inside the firehouse after it was noticed by another firefighter and apparently no one involved was particularly offended. But the [explitive deleted] hit the fan.
It would be difficult for the public to weigh in on this issue without knowing exactly what the sign said and this is an issue the public may want to sound off about.
You are dying to know what the sign said as much as I am dying to tell you. Many publications will quote vulgarity when it is pertinent, but it is the position of the Nonpareil and other socially-responsible newspapers that bad words should not appear in print because there are still a couple of people in the world who still get the vapors when they see cussin' in print. I got over the shock at Kirn where I pretty much heard everything by 10:30 the first morning of seventh grade.
No one who reads the Nonpareil is familiar with vulgarity, so it would be pointless to reprint them anyway.
For the sake of being informed, let's see how close I can come to conveying the essential message without sending anyone into shock. Turn away if you are sensitive to highly edited phrases, but if you are going to read, please sit down first.
The sign in question said "I want to [verb] a black man's [noun]." Take a second to recover, then come back.
Now, we all know we live in a country hell bent on severe punishment. We like to electrocute schizophrenics, try 15-year olds as adults and report our neighbors to the FBI for flying Italian flags. We like our justice hard and fast. It keeps ne'er-do-wells in line or so we think.
Such is the case here.
Frankly, I don't think the verb and noun portions of this sign are all that offensive. It's vulgar sure, but that is not really a firing offense in and of itself, surely. On the first offense?
Calling what men do willingly "sexual harassment" is a bit strong.
The problem to me is no one seems to have had a problem with the "black man's" part, just the sexual connotation.
Most of the defense for these guys focuses on the need to blow off steam. Granted, go blow off steam, but not at the expense of putting casual hateful stereotypes out on display. I don't believe these guys are racists, but comments like this are hurtful.
With that said, I don't think Pryor and Haase should have been fired. They should get their jobs back. If these guys are decent firefighters and their only offense was this kind of behavior, then they should be punished some other way.
Firefighting is a tough job. There is a lot of down time and when the call comes in, chances are there is going to be some real ugliness on the scene. Most of us don't like to go to funerals where death is wearing makeup and a good suit. Few of us could look at death on the scene in all its brutal reality and keep it together.
Fear of fire is elemental and primal yet firefighters face those fears to save lives.
Do they get high-spirited when they get back to the firehouse? I hope so, for their sakes and ours. The last thing we need are firefighters so stressed out they can't do their jobs or, worse still, quit.
I hate to resort to cliches like "boys will be boys." That is far too often used to excuse behavior that should not be.
Two things I know are true is guys make each other miserable for fun. Pranks and put-downs are the light and healthy side of this expression. It is how we determine amongst ourselves who has the bigger [metaphor].
My best friends and I routinely refer to each other by epithets once commonly reserved for only the most hated in society. It's how we say, "hey, if I really hated you, I wouldn't even talk to you, [expletive deleted]."
If I can get away with putting a sign on my buddy's car with his cell phone number that says "Call me for free [sexual invitation]," that's just hilarious.
With that said, keep Pryor and Haase around, but let's maybe have them understand that there are lines that should not be crossed and one of those lines is writing "black man's [noun]" on a sign that will be seen by the public. Black members of the public. Little old ladies. Kids who haven't started seventh grade at Kirn yet. Clergy.
We like to trash on political correctness these days. Some people equate disdain for PC speech with saying whatever hateful, bigoted thing they can think of. If you think insulting entire races of people makes you an enlightened thinker, you've missed the point.
Where I come from, it is still considered rude to use bad language that insults entire groups. Because it is wrong, sure, but also because what comes around goes around.
Pryor and Haase probably weren't trying to hurt anyone with their joke so I say keep them around so long as they understand how they crossed the line. Maybe they could explain it to a local meeting of the NAACP or talk to high school kids about playing nice.
Let them explain why "black man's [noun]" makes the joke funnier in their minds. That would not only be a learning experience for Pryor and Haase, but it would also make them the butt of their own prank and isn't that the best joke of all?
- Greg Jerrett is a Nonpareil staff writer. His column runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He may be contacted at 328-1811, Ext. 279, or by e-mail at gjerrett@nonpareilonline.com.