Here’s an article about the recent firing of Univ. of Southern California football coach, Steve Sarkisian, who is filing a lawsuit against the school because he has a disability: alcoholism.
His attorney’s logic is correct: if alcoholism is a disability because it is a disease according to our culture, then he was fired unjustly due to his disease and disability and should not have lost his job. You know, USC may lose $30 million due to a cultural norm that is unproven scientifically. “Alcoholism is a recognized disability under California law” states Alan Loewinsohn, Sarkisian’s lawyer.
Sarkisian was experiencing the so-called “symptoms of his disease” and was inebriated on the job so USC may be in trouble in terms of winning this lawsuit. And guess what? Other employers, especially in California, better take notice of this ruling because they will face similar situations in days ahead.
What a turn of events this is! The culture thinks it is helping one group of people (“alcoholics”) but is actually hurting another group (and a much larger group) of people – innocent, sober students and persons in our society who abide by the law and don’t get inebriated on the job. So the cost of tuition goes up at USC if they have to settle this lawsuit and other employers will suffer the same fate. Meanwhile, a drunk school bus driver who gets fired for driving on the job but has a “disability” of alcoholism will be able to sue the school for firing him. How tragic!
I am glad the Bible is our absolute standard for truth and sets the captive free. Maybe if our culture embraced biblical truth more (that drunkenness is a sin according to Prov. 31:34-6; Prov. 23:29-35; Eph. 5:18-21 and one is responsible for it) innocent persons would not be harmed and guilty persons would receive their just due.
-Mark (outraged at the audacity of our culture to make man-made diseases out of behavioral choices)