Orioles' Adam Jones was right to call out racist taunts at Fenway Park | John Smallwood

I support the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

I even support the rights of those ignorant Fenway Park fans, who, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said, hurled racial taunts him at during Monday night's game against the Boston Red Sox.

I also believe that Jones had every right to raise this important topic of conversation.

I think it was also important that Jones said this was not the first time he had been called the "N-word" by fans in Boston.

I think it was great that other fans identified the offending individuals so security could remove them from Fenway, especially the one who threw a bag of peanuts at Jones.

I believe in freedom of speech and expression, but I do not believe that people are automatically free from the consequences that can arise from that speech and expression.

If certain people want to sink to the level of hurling racial, sexual, religious or ethnic epithets at people, then others have the right to call them out about it.

People have the right to identify, criticize, shame and embarrass them for their anti-social behavior. Freedom of speech, as pertaining to the U.S. Constitution, is a protection against the United States Congress instituting a law that prohibits it.

It is not, as too many people interpret it to be, a "get out of jail free" card allowing someone to say whatever they want without potentially being criticized and/or being held accountable.

In the 21st century, I think most people have decided that it is no longer acceptable to hurl degrading slurs at people and not get called out for it. People can still do so if they choose, but they are likely going to be punished in some manner for doing so.

In the case at Fenway on Monday, the punishment was the denial of the privilege to remain at a Major League Baseball game.

"Very unfortunate," Jones said of the venomous words. "I heard there were 59 or 60 ejections tonight in the ballpark. … It's unfortunate that people need to resort to those types of epithets to degrade another human being.

"Let people be who they are. Let them show their true colors."

And whenever possible, let it be pointed out each time it happens.

I know some will complain that this is not a sports story even though it happened during an MLB game. Realistically, it would have been easy to just brush aside. Experience tells me it's not the kind of story a lot of people want to read, and it will likely garner me many negative comments for addressing it.

So what?

Ignoring discrimination only encourages more discrimination.

It needs to be pointed out when it happens so that we remain vigilant and never forget that it is always waiting to show its ugly head.

If someone wants to use the hateful words of discrimination, I support their First Amendment right to do so. But don't, however, expect me to forfeit my First Amendment right to call them out when they do.