A lawsuit has been filed in New Jersey after three teenagers refused to stand during the playing of God Bless America at a minor league baseball park. There is some debate as to whether the teens refused to stand deliberately as some protest against the US or if they simply didn’t think about it one way or the other. There is also some dispute as to the exact details of the confrontation with the stadium owner, but it is clear that the boys were thrown out of the park.
They have now sued for ‘unspecified damages’ relating to the incident. Personally I find their behavior, whether deliberate or simply a sign of normal teenage laziness, to be insulting and stupid. In short they were a bunch of jerks for not recognizing that you should, if only out of pure politeness, stand during the performance of the song.
However at the same time I think the stadium owner behaved wrongly as well. These may be jerks but in this country you have the right to be a jerk. Yes it is private property but that does not mean that he can do anything he wants, and free speech rights to apply to everyone. As a wise man once said, popular speech does not need protecting, it is unpopular speech that needs to be defended.
Having said that, if these boys (and the attorney father) truly want to make this a free speech argument then they should only demand repayment for the cost of the tickets, their travel time and perhaps a small amount for the any embarrassment that they experienced. If they demand huge damages then this is simply a matter of another abuse of the law.