Tim Hardaway has been getting unwanted attention after saying he hates gay people and they shouldn't exist. That was some harsh statements. Everybody is pissed at Tim when we all know lots of NBA players feel like he does. Speaking for myself, I don't prejudge anyone based on race, relation or sexual orientation. It's much better to get to know somebody and then not like them. Plus, I am a Katrina survivor that hasn't gotten over it yet so the anger I feel is crisp and precise. I know who I hate and why I hate them so I am not down with Tim and his blanket statements.
What I really don't understand is why we can't have a discussion in America about issues without someone getting labeled. It's like the politically correct police pick the side that makes you civilized and anyone that goes against suffers the consequences. You know even if Tim would have thought before he spoke and cleaned it up he still would have been punished. Call me crazy but if I was the first openly gay male professional athlete in a team sport I would want to know where everyone stood honestly. I need that info for two reasons. The first one is that maybe this person is uninformed and I can open his mind up to who I am. The second reason is that if he is one of those over the top ignorant people like Tim was sounding I may have to watch my back in the locker room. In 1947 when Branch Rickey was looking for a brother to break the color line in baseball, he chose Jackie Robinson primarily because he knew Jackie had enough intelligence to understand the bigger purpose take a lot of crap from people that didn't understand. Imagine that if it was like it is now back then and everyone would have been scared to say they didn't want to play with that nigger. He would have got some brother with no tolerance for bullshit and sent him out there. Inevitably he would have whipped someones ass and messed it up for everybody. No one in this country can honestly say how they feel anymore if the mainstream is against them.
1 comment:
I agree with what you are saying in the sense that no one can speak their minds/give their opinion without being attacked by the media. I don't know exactly what Tim Hardaway said, I haven't read anything about it, nor have I seen the newsclip of when he released his opinion of homosexuals. I have only heard a lot of talk about it. My opinion of his comment is limited to this. Here is an adult expressing hatred for people he doesn't know. Its no different than hearing a white person say they hate black people or black people saying they hate white people. Its no different then someone calling a person stupid because they choose to practice a faith/religion different from theirs. Unfortunately, there are people who are easily impressed by people such as Tim Hardaway, and those people are children. Children typically take on the opinions and views of people they look up to, and are not always able to dicipher between what is rational and what is irrational. We as adults need to start thinking about what we say and do before we say and do it. It is also disturbing to see an adult in the entertainment/business industry who doesn't know when or how to exercise the old adage "never bite the hand that feeds you." I am sure with all of his promotions there is someone behind the scenes who is a homosexual. I am sure there is someone who has respect for him not only as an athelete, but also as a human being who may be a homosexual. And I hope the day never comes when he needs help in a dire time of need, and the only person who can or may be able to help him is someone who is a homosexual. Reason being, that person just might remember that senseless comment and make an irrational decision not help him.
Shan
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