CBS moved quickly to fire the individual for the remarks. She had been with the company for only one year.
Looking for a quick way to get yourself fired? Disrespecting the victims of a mass-shooting certainly works. Just ask Hayley Geftman-Gold. She lost her cushy Senior VP job over remarks that she was “not even sympathetic” towards the victims of the Las Vegas shootings. Why? Because country music fans are “Republican gun toters.”
Specifically, Hayley Geftman-Gold wrote:
“If they wouldn’t do anything when children were murdered I have no hope that Repugs will ever do the right thing, I’m actually not even sympathetic bc country music fans often are Republican gun toters.”
There’s a lot to unpack in this comment. The “wouldn’t do anything” remark probably stems from the Sandy Hook mass murder. In the attack 27 people, including 20 young children, were shot by a perpetrator that I refuse to name. The lack of effort to reform gun laws in the wake of the incident probably inspired the “ever do the right thing” bit.
Ironically, Geftman-Gold was apparently the “vice president and senior counsel for strategic transactions.” How a senior strategy counsel could allow herself to make such an obvious “strategic” misstep is beyond me.
CBS had their own remarks:
“This individual, who was with us for approximately one year, violated the standards of our company and is no longer an employee of CBS. Her views as expressed on social media are deeply unacceptable to all of us at CBS. Our hearts go out to the victims in Las Vegas and their families.”
Country Music Fans More Likely to be Republican
The shocking comments came only hours after the tragic Las Vegas shooting. 59 people have died so far, and with over 500 injured, the toll may climb. An old Gallup study from 2004 found that country music fans do indeed tend to be Republican.
Of course, music and voting preferences could never justify the comments made by Geftman-Gold. We need to come together when such tragedies occur.
30% of people who favored then-President George W. Bush identified country music as their favorite music. This compares to 15% for his opponent John Kerry. Country music is generally a favorite among rural voters, who in turn are more likely to be conservative and Republican.
Of course, music and voting preferences could never justify the comments made by Geftman-Gold. We need to come together when such tragedies occur.
Reforming Gun Laws May Not Stop Attacks
I’m not against considering reforms to gun laws to make it harder for terrorists and mass-murders to acquire high-capacity weapons. The Las Vegas shooter (who I refuse to name) had assembled a massive stockpile of ammunition and guns. He had 42 guns, 23 of which were found in his hotel room.
Of course, people also have reasons to fear that their Second Amendment rights could be trampled. There seems to be no foolproof way to keep weapons out of the hands of terrorists and mass murders that would not infringe upon our Second Amendment rights.
Regardless, reforming gun laws will not prevent determined parties from wreaking havoc. Terrorists and other determined parties have already shown that they can simply utilize other weapons, including vehicles. Consider Europe, which has recently been hit by a string of rogue vehicle attacks and they already have tighter gun control laws.
