Here is a teaching moment for all of America and all of the world. Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan took to tweeter to take a University of Utah fan to task for a hateful tweet.
"We strongly condemn the behavior of the individual who directed such hatred toward an Arizona State student-athlete," Harlan tweeted. "There is no place for such behavior from anybody who represents Utah Athletics directly or indirectly."
And, what did the Utah fan say in his own tweet? He said the ASU player should die for having targeted Utah running back Zack Moss. The ASU player, defensive back Evan Fields hit Moss head-on, spearing him with his helmet.
For that, the Utah fan tweeted that Fields should die for being so worthless. He used profanity in his message. Die? Worthless? Regardless whether Fields intentionally speared Moss with his helmet, the fan's calling him worthless and suggesting he should die for what he did is inappropriate.
Out of line.
In our society, though, many would say that if Fields did target Moss, if he did spear him, he deserved to be called on it, and suggesting Fields was worthless and should die for targeting was not out of line.
The U. fan was but teaching Fields to behave, they would say.
So, it was wonderful for Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan to step in and make it clear that the fan's tweet was out of line. Hate is hate and hate is wrong. A profanity-laced tweet suggesting Fields should die for the targeting goes beyond calling for Fields to mend his ways. It is filled with hate.
I will take this further. There are times when this same type of attitude does lead to killing. One person judges another person as worthless and pulls a trigger to end their life. We, as a society, teach each other that when someone doesn't meet our standards, their life should be cut short.
We shouldn't be so quick to call for another person's death, nor to judge them as worthless.
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