Racism - you have got to be kidding

[JohnRich 4]

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My comment was not about this thread topic in particular, but rather about your propensity to label everything you don't like as "fascism".

So you hijacked yet another thread to pull it off topic...... color me shocked.

I love irony.

Your message #4:
"Funny how the flag-wavers can't refute contemporary American Fasism"

Your message #18:
"Being rich has nothing to do with being Fascist. Plenty of rich people are not Fascist. They could be classist and not Fascist. That's a very flatline criterion for Fascism that oversimplifies the definition. Primarily Fascism is the government's assignment of legislation to the corporations"

You should pay attention to what rehmwa is telling you. His thoughts about the way your message delivery is seen negatively by others is good advice.

[waltappel 1]

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What world are you living in, exactly?

From a review of Jeff Benedict's book, "Out Of Bounds: Inside The NBA's Culture Of Rape, Violence And Crime""

"On the court, they dazzle us with their spectacular physical feats. They generate millions of dollars of revenue for the NBA and their teams. But underneath all the glitz is a seamy underbelly, a rash of lawlessness that is gripping the NBA. Based on a first-of-its-kind investigation into the criminal histories of 177 NBA players from the 2001-2002 season, Out of Bounds shows that an alarming four out of every ten NBA players have a police record involving a serious crime. They are All-Stars and they are journeymen, involved in crimes ranging from armed robbery to domestic violence to gun possession to rape."

In my mind, the more appropriate question is what world are WE living in. As a society we overlook some absolutely loathesome behaviors so we can continue to be entertained.

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Phoenix dumped Jason Kidd for far less an offense, and he gained nothing for it. Sorry, that's bullshit. Athletes get away with DUI all the time in a jury trial, but wife beating, get serious.

From http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/p/parks/03/parks050803.htm

"In January of 2001, Jason Kidd was arrested when he “smacked” Joumana. According to the police report, Mrs. Kidd wanted to go to the gym and asked Jason to feed their son TJ. Jason took a French fry from TJ’s plate and was then reminded by Joumana not to eat TJ’s food because “there wasn’t very much”.

A multi-millionaire basketball player and not enough food to feed his son, but enough to send his woman to the gym. Okay….

Then, Kidd turns and spits a fry into Joumana’s face. While holding a container of yogurt in his hand, he strikes Joumana in the face. Again, that was according to the police report. Anyway, she runs into the bedroom, he kicks in the door… yadda yadda yadda. Now how one holds a container of yogurt while beating his wife and why it was relevant to the police report is beyond me.

"Don't worry about me," she said, "this is minor compared to what I usually go through."

Remember that quote when you see the repeated video clip of Jason saying that Bob Ryan should apologize.

So Jason was arrested but not prosecuted after he agreed to tolerate domestic violence and anger management counseling for six months and he paid a whopping $200 fine."

It's not clear to me that Jason Kidd's offense was far less an offense than wife beating. I don't know the whys of the situation, but Jason Kidd was traded and is considered quite the hero.

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As to your suggestion that athletes should be paid a market salary...they are. Shaq gets paid more than a fireman because he's much harder to replace, and people want to watch him play. Few fireman have as legitimate a claim to 'superman.'

I have not suggested that they should or are or are not paid a market salary. What I am saying is that consumers' priorities are very warped when they value the services of entertainers far more than people who make positive contributions to society.

The issue of replacing Shaq in my life is moot. He has no place in my life. What I question is why he has such an important place in the lives of so many people that have never even met him. He is an entertainer and that's all. To me, that is not deserving of some sort of god-like status. Firemen, on the other hand rate pretty high in my opinion, and for obvious reasons.

Given the choice of paying a bunch of money and spending the time to go to an NBA game or going to a fund raiser for a volunteer fire department, I would choose the fundraiser. There are a bunch of people that would make the opposite choice. IMO, that is just plain warped.

Walt

[kelpdiver 2]

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[It's not clear to me that Jason Kidd's offense was far less an offense than wife beating. I don't know the whys of the situation, but Jason Kidd was traded and is considered quite the hero.

Your phrase was 'beat the hell out of,' and nothing about the Kidd incidents appear to meet that definition.

What is clear is that the Suns owner was not happy having such a player on his team, despite his All Star status, and he quickly shopped him off to the Nets, and for the next couple years this act sullied his reputation. He was never considered a hero for it - I dare you to find any evidence of such.

In the greater sense, athletes get more slack then they should. Rich people in general can afford 'better' justice. But in a thread over the question of racism deciding the MVP, your posting that black players are considered heros for beating their wives is a bit ironic.

I'm reminded of Barkley's declaration - I am not a role model. I don't watch Kidd because I think he's a great person - I was on campus before he arrived and after he left. He was no student athlete and made many questionable choices. I watch him because few people play PG like he does. There's little point in my mind to watch mediocre basketball - I can play that myself. I watch spectator events when they offer a higher level of performance.

For those bothered by corruption or immoral players, but still want to watch events, you can the option of college or high schools. Far less evil, and they can use the money (esp the high schools). Vote with your pocket.