This short article is a direct account of a violation of my Free Speech as an American. On one hand, I don't want to leave anything out of this story because it is, after all, about Free Speech. On the other hand, the funny t-shirt I was wearing during this particular event was pretty offensive and I don't really want to drive readers away with any foul or offensive language. For the purposes of this article, just take it from me that the funny t-shirt that I was wearing was both very funny and very offensive.
The day all of this happened was actually a pretty good day. I had gone to Memphis to visit my girlfriend at the time, and our time together had been really fun up to this point in the story. We toured around Memphis and did lots of sightseeing. There were people in town that I knew, and many of them were meeting up at a local greasy-spoon restaurant. The plan was to stop by this diner, have a cup of coffee, and then reconvene at a later time for some adult beverages.
It takes quite a bit to make me feel offended or uncomfortable. In fact, I take a bit of pleasure when people are taken aback by something I say, or in this case, something I'm wearing. The point is that I am incredibly jaded as far as these things go, so sometimes I don't realize exactly how offensive I'm being. I suppose that the funny t-shirt that I was wearing was pretty severe when I went into that little coffee shop. I just had no idea how severe until that police officer laid eyes on me.
I did all of my immediate duties as a friend greeting other friends when we initially went into the place, but nature was calling me pretty bad. I took my leave of my friends and went to the bathroom, taking care of my need and washing my hands in a fairly timely manner. When my hands were washed, I turned around and saw someone standing directly behind me. It was a police officer, and he let me know very quickly that I had to turn my funny t-shirt inside out or something very bad would happen.
He never verbally said it, but I'm fairly certain that he wasn't planning on writing me a ticket or taking me to jail. He was planning on hitting me, or worse. I had offended him so badly that he wanted to do me harm. I am a large man and I have never backed down from opposition lightly. I knew this problem has escalated and that I was about to cause all kinds of woe for my girlfriend who was waiting right outside. For her sake, I held my tongue and did as I was told. I am saddened and embarrassed that I didn't stand up for myself, but it is what it is. I will always remember how I felt that day.
The day all of this happened was actually a pretty good day. I had gone to Memphis to visit my girlfriend at the time, and our time together had been really fun up to this point in the story. We toured around Memphis and did lots of sightseeing. There were people in town that I knew, and many of them were meeting up at a local greasy-spoon restaurant. The plan was to stop by this diner, have a cup of coffee, and then reconvene at a later time for some adult beverages.
It takes quite a bit to make me feel offended or uncomfortable. In fact, I take a bit of pleasure when people are taken aback by something I say, or in this case, something I'm wearing. The point is that I am incredibly jaded as far as these things go, so sometimes I don't realize exactly how offensive I'm being. I suppose that the funny t-shirt that I was wearing was pretty severe when I went into that little coffee shop. I just had no idea how severe until that police officer laid eyes on me.
I did all of my immediate duties as a friend greeting other friends when we initially went into the place, but nature was calling me pretty bad. I took my leave of my friends and went to the bathroom, taking care of my need and washing my hands in a fairly timely manner. When my hands were washed, I turned around and saw someone standing directly behind me. It was a police officer, and he let me know very quickly that I had to turn my funny t-shirt inside out or something very bad would happen.
He never verbally said it, but I'm fairly certain that he wasn't planning on writing me a ticket or taking me to jail. He was planning on hitting me, or worse. I had offended him so badly that he wanted to do me harm. I am a large man and I have never backed down from opposition lightly. I knew this problem has escalated and that I was about to cause all kinds of woe for my girlfriend who was waiting right outside. For her sake, I held my tongue and did as I was told. I am saddened and embarrassed that I didn't stand up for myself, but it is what it is. I will always remember how I felt that day.
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