Toronto Blue Jays: Was John Gibbons’ Comment Sexist or PC Gone Mad?
By Paul Taylor
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is under heavy criticism for his ‘dresses’ comment, but was it inappropriate or just a sign of political correctness being out of control?
The end of Tuesday’s game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays highlighted what is both good and bad about social media, i.e. everyone has a platform to express their opinion. By the end of this article, it will be interesting to see if you believe this writer should be held up as an example of the positive or negative aspect of this.
While Jose Bautista‘s slide has led to numerous opinions, we’re going to concentrate on the uproar surrounding John Gibbons comments. More specifically, as the Blue Jays manager told the media after the game: “Maybe we’ll come out and wear dresses tomorrow.”
As you can imagine, the Twitter world and the rest of the social media universe had a field day with Gibbons rant. Reaction ranged from accusing him of sexism to, at the very least, being inappropriate.
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The Great Falls, Montana native was asked about his ‘dresses’ comment on Wednesday, ahead of the series finale against the Rays. Speaking to the Toronto Star and the rest of the media, he said: “It was meant as a little humour.
“My mom, my wife and my daughter found it kind of funny and they know me. I do think the world needs to lighten up a little bit.”
Some would argue bringing female family members into the discussion is the equivalent of someone making a homophobic comment and then saying they have gays friends. However, was the remark really sexist, or just a sign of political correctness gone too far?
A lot of people will tell you opinions like Gibbons’ should be left in the past, and while they’re probably right, the past is part of what has to be taken into account here. The guy is 53-years old, meaning he grew up in an era where such comments were more commonplace.
Again, this is not to necessarily excuse what was said, but it has to be factored in. Look, a lot of us have those senile elderly relatives who make inappropriate comments that would be considered out of place today.
Personally, I found nothing wrong with Gibbons comments, or more to the point, I wasn’t offended. Objectively speaking, I’m willing to admit this is probably at least partly due to the environment I grew up in, with a very blue-collar father.
However, trust me when I tell you, as bad as he may have been, it’s nothing compared to his father and so on. Ultimately, the point is I think this is all part of evolution, learning from previous mistakes and growing as a society. (You could argue there are some areas of life where we’re regressing, but this is a sports website, so we’ll stop right there.)
By all means continue to educate the public about what is and isn’t perceived as acceptable, but consider that people are a product of their environment and the era they grew up in. To condemn someone while ignoring their background and how it used to be, is both short-sighted and naive.
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What do you make of John Gibbons comments? Do you think he was out of line/sexist or is this an example of how people are being too sensitive? Let us know in the comments section below.