Meyers Leonard may be getting ready to have a rough day...

Man that was the strongest of K's.

So how exactly did this get out was he playing against multiple people?

 

It indicates that he is neck deep in a racist community of some sort.

 

Or at the very least, that he's comfortable using the word in certain situations, doesn't see an issue with it, and expects no repercussions when he's among certain people.

 

certain people = people who regularly spews racist slurs?

 

Pretty much.

I'm waiting to see if his official apology includes a twist from the official racist playbook: "It can be confusing because that's what Jews call themselves, isn't it? Jewish rappers say it all the time! Why can they say it and I can't?"

 

I saw Meyers play in high school.

He was someone that everyone, including Pat Riley glowed about as a person.

His dad died when he was 4-5 years old and his mother was bed ridden shortly thereafter. It was so bad that Meyers went and lived with another family in the area.

He grew up in an absolute **** hole in Southern Illinois (which is one of the worst parts of the USA). That area is basically 99% white and it is a small town that is mostly known for having a prison. Southern Illinois is a very conservative and racially intolerant area.

I believe his wife is from somewhere around there too. So I am sure he was exposed to racism growing up. Even if his family wasn't intolerant, that area very much is..... it reminds me a lot of the fake city where Roseanne took place. All poor to working class white people in a small town where very few strangers come to visit. A date in Robinson Illinois is Long John Silvers followed by hanging out at the 24/7 Walmart and shot gunning beer in the back of a 95 F-250 and if you are lucky, some meth and then stop at the town Walgreens for some rubbers on the way home with your girl.

 

He probably didnt know the term was antisemitic. I remember at 18 telling someone to jew him down to get a better price. Never said that again. I should've known better but I didnt.

 

I've never played these video games. So, was he playing the role of a Nazi soldier or something? Is that even a thing in these games?

 

Honestly, I hope it's a moment of awakening for him, and that he uses it for some self-reflection and inspects the beliefs that made it so easy for him to use the word. He's still a young man.

I'm not too hopeful, though. We've seen this kind of thing often in the past, and usually the biggest change is that they become more careful about who they use the word around. Maybe he'll be different.

 

Lol, really? What would he think the term is then? Is he around a bunch of Jewish people calling themselves that for fun so he thought it was cool? Stop...

 

IB4 the “that’s not who I am and isn’t how I was raised” apology from Myers

 

This is the town he grew up in.... it is also a Sundown Town..... which means that the locals in Robinson made it clear that black people were not to be in town or driving through after the sun goes down. It also had an active Klan in my life time.

 

I visited their refinery many times. It felt like a flashback to 90s everytime I went.

Not defending him but people are dumb.

 

Nah, he is nearly a 30 year old man that has lived in Champaign Illinois, Portland Oregon and Miami Florida. He has been living in larger cities for nearly a decade. He knew the term was offensive. Maybe he just wanted a slur to say and happened to pick that one..... but he grew up in Robinson, trust me he knew the term and that it was a slur.

Unfortunately for him, he said it in front of a recorded audience .... he plays in a time and a sport where they are not going to be so forgiving to him.... and his employer is about the last person he wants to use a Jewish slur against. People around him will feel different about him.

He should already be ahead and have issued an apology and be on a plane to speak to the owner of the Heat and just be honest about it and agree to take sensitivity training.

He just made a mistake, and is a little to easy letting slurs fly out of his mouth.

 

Yup, I actually do not mind the trip up there every once in awhile but I would not want to live there. It really is like a time warp which is interesting for sure. Still, that town has a lot of poverty. Most people work, but they are doing dangerous and low paying jobs. They can buy a home up there for $40,000 and food is cheap.... but it is impossible for them to save enough money to move out.... so you mostly have either single people that are there for work, or you have old people that are stuck there to die.

 

It's so weird, too.

In that clip, he pauses for about half a second before saying the k-word. As if he contemplated saying it or not, but decided to say it. Definitely can't argue "heat of the moment" even if he tried.

 

he's playing call of duty, which is an extremely toxic community.

 

He may have been thinking of a slur to say.

He grew up when slurs were still fairly common, but he should no better, especially live streaming it. He is a public figure, if he says something nasty, it will come to light. Do I think he hates Jews? Probably not, but he still said it and I cannot blame people for assuming he does.

 

Honestly, gamers should go back to insulting opponents' mothers, like the good ol' days.