Nobody is criticizing Kobe. He's doing something so great that none of us would even approach it. We were just commenting on the fact that it was both insensitive and ironic to plea for help while wearing a diamond earring--a product that symbolizes the struggle and exploitation of the African people. The diamond distracts from the cause and it doesn't give credence to his message the way it should. Kudos to Kobe for doing great work.
It's obvious that Kobe really doesn't know anything about Africa in general or Darfur in particular other than what he's been told. If he did, he wouldn't have that conflict diamond on his ear. He was probably advised by his agent or an associate or something that doing this commerical would be a good idea. So it isn't Kobe's faul. He's just ignorant, but his message certainly lacks credibility. Not that they're experts or anything, but other celebrities like Angelina Jolie and T-Mac have at least gone to the area. Luol Deng and to a lesser extent Manute Bol probably have the most credibility on this subject as far as athletes and entertainers are concerned. Even though these people's hearts are in the right places, they're probably doing more harm than good in relation to the situation in Darfur. In this case it would be best to leave this to professional diplomats and negotiaters to resolve.
wow, i'm actually starting to like kobe anyway, i'm a member of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition; we're selling some sweet shirts for $12. proceeds go to the aid of the refugees in the over-crowded darfur camps. i live in cypress, so if you guys are interested, we could meet up at a rockets game or something.. contact me at ilksfm@yahoo.com or myspace.com/paultherad
the funny thing is I used to hate Kobe, until he tried to help Tmac get the mvp at the a/s game. that was the day that I started to dislike Lebron. (then I got Lebron on my fantasy team. now I like him again. )
I am amazed no one told him of this before the filming of piece started. What were they thinking? It sadly detracts from the great message.
Ya. T-Mac doesn't ever do anything wrong. Except when he does or says anything basketball related. Maybe Kobe could have left out the earring for the ad, but it's all good. Everyone who follows him (whether they like him or not) say Kobe is nicer than the media makes him look. He's doing the right thing. Rocketman95 even gave the roll-eyes face...I think you need to have a brokenass sarcasm meter not to catch that. Or maybe he's playing the fool with reverse psychology!
So what? The Pope sports more bling than Kobe. What's the worth of the cross on his chest? Does that mean he's a fraud? So what if Kobe has a huge diamond on his ear? Just because he's advocating for some right cause does not mean he has to give up his fortune for it.
it means that Kobe is jumping on a bandwagon on an issue he know nothing. it means that, as far as the Kafur issue, Kobe has no creditabilty
So you'd rather have him just stayed home instead of trying to "bandwagon" awareness for a terrible situation. Brilliant post.
How do you know he knows nothing? If by him jumping on the bandwagon is pulling more support for the cause, don't you think it's a GOOD thing he's doing? Most celebrities must be bandwagoners also. In Kobe's case, he's still rich and famous and liked by many people even if he's not doing this commercial.
how do you know he knows the issue. if he knows the issue, he would not be patronizing the blood-diamond. how do you know it is pulling more support. The cause should have chosen someone w creditbilty, not one who had raped a woman and who patronizes blood diamond. how do you know that Kobe is well-liked. when you mention Kobe Bryant, people invariably associate him with the Eagle rape case.
Kobe Bryant, outside the Basketball arean, has a dubious reputation. Having a rapist and a patron of blood diamond to be the spokeman clouds the message, it adds ambiguity to the message. you need to see outside the box, get the whole picture
how so, elaborate ! Kobe did it the capitalist way, he paid off millions to the rape victim to drop the charges.
Kobe is in for discussion talk for MVP and getting paid millions. He is already FAMOUS and RICH. How much do you think these non-profit people fighting for Darfur can pay him?! Are you positive he's not liked by many? Are you positive he paid to win the case? Were you involved in that trial? It's just a conspiracy theory you have. You can say the same for me, but the fact is he's INNOCENT. Sure he might have raped her. But also, sure she might have planned the whole thing to DIG his gold. You dig? If he's not credible because he's a celebrity than I guess most celebrities are not credible either because most have little knowledge of the Darfur crisis. I doubt many people know where Darfur is either. I remember reading somewhere about these advocates for this crisis who accused of the President of not giving a dam about the situation.
Like I said earlier, the Pope's cross is also huge. No mean to attack the Pope, but the point is not to judge a person by his appearance. How do you know Kobe doesn't give to this cause also? I know for a fact athletes usually do charity work. But wait, he wears a huge diamond ring.
