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

I agree that you shouldn't use words that are meant to be insulting without knowing what they mean, but it's definitely something I've done, so I can't really throw stones (though I don't think I've done it much since I was a good bit younger).

 

The darker your skin, the more leeway you get when it comes to racism and bigotry, I thought that was pretty much understood. I mean, compare what happens to Meyers Leonard for saying a single slur to what happened to DeSean Jackson when he posted support for antisemitic rhetoric literally attributed to Adolf Hitler... rhetoric he immediately doubled down on when pressed about it. Talent and a form of bigotry that works in his favor are the only things saving his career. Meyers Leonard has neither advantage.

 

what if the handle of the guy who sniped him was actually "K*ke-B!tch-69"...

 

First of all we don’t know what will ultimately happen with Leonard. I suspect he will continue playing professional basketball somewhere. Secondly, DeSean Jackson didn’t get away with anything. He was immediately called out for his comments. Jackson apologized and then went on to meet with various Jewish leaders in order to educate himself. His reputation has been permanently tarnished. So, he did pay a price for his comments, and he will probably continue to pay a price for years to come.

 

So because its something you have done makes it right?

 

He was not suspended from his team and it will not prevent him from signing with a team this off-season. He was forced to do PR work, but that's really nothing.

Are you really suggesting there isn't a double standard?

I'm not endorsing one, just pointing out it exists. It's like how an attractive female teacher that is a pedophile is very likely to get away with raping her 12 year old students while if it were a man, they'd lynch him for it.

I'm not saying anything about the moral status of these double standards, just that they exist. I really don't think people can argue these double standards don't exist.

 

You mean America?

 

People say a lot of things that aren't "right" when they are trying to be funny, which is what douchey Meyers was trying to be. It's a part of comedy and the guy is paid to entertain his audience as a live streamer. When the joke falls flat, sometimes you are left holding the bag. Should he lose his profession over it?

Perhaps, but I am extremely wary of this 1984 dystopia we are leaning towards. Half a step away from thoughtcrime...

 

First time I heard that word was in 1993 Michael Douglas film "Falling Down" when he goes into a random Neo-Nazi survivalist store. The owner/clerk mistakens Douglas's character to be sympathetic towards his ideology. So after scaring of a Gay couple out of the store he takes Michael to his back room inventory and showcases him a collection of Nazi periphenelia including empty zyclone gas canister and says "Can you imagine how many "k-kes" this took out?"

 

I'm not sure, I don't really think 2000's kids have enough clout to dictate the national conversation.

I don't think his words (Leonard) were acceptable for public broadcasting as a professional athlete (and maybe gamer?) so the outrage isn't completely unwarranted. It's just at the same, feels silly because everybody says dumb **** to their friends playing games, it's like a classic joke that you get violently cursed out by 12 year olds playing COD.

It's whatever... like we've talked about before, these things, social media and social change of what's acceptable in our society, it will balance itself out over time.

 

The first part is actually accurate.
______

The word kike was born on Ellis Island when there were Jewish migrants who were also illiterate (or could not use Latin alphabet letters). When asked to sign the entry-forms with the customary "X", the Jewish immigrants would refuse, because they associated an X with the cross of Christianity. Instead, they drew a circle as the signature on the entry-forms. The Yiddish word for "circle" is kikel (pronounced KY - kel), and for "little circle", kikeleh. Before long the immigration inspectors were calling anyone who signed with an 'O' instead of an 'X' a kikel or kikeleh or kikee or, finally and succinctly, kike."[4]

 

Lol no, brometheus. At least the conversation before you build strawmen.

 

The thing is, it's not just his job. He represents many things. He's a member of the Miami Heat. He's a member of the NBA. He's a benchwarmer, yes, but he's still a professional athlete that I'm sure some amount of people look up to or model themselves after.

It's not just his profession. Will Miami let him back into the fold, even though people are going to crap on them for doing so? Ditto for any other NBA team if Leonard gets waived. "He's not even that good, so is it worth it signing this dude for the PR nightmare?"

You've already seen small gaming companies cut ties with the guy, along with a pretty big e-sports group (FaZe clan). Won't be surprised if Miami / the NBA follows suit.

 

Can you name more athletes that have gotten away from a situation like this, virtually scot-free?

I guess, in your opinion, Jackson wasn't reprimanded harshly. Does that mean Leonard will be? And if so, it's solely because he's white?

Your sample size is too small, I think. Not that it should matter, but it's also different sports and both players are different in their 'worth' to their respective teams / sports. I suspect that will definitely be a factor.

Regardless, the verdict isn't even handed down yet for Leonard, yet you're acting as if Leonard will be canceled only because he's white.

 

Meyers Leonard's "day job" is a professional basketball player. His employer expects a certain standard of conduct, and this falls outside those expectations. Professional repercussions for publicly embarrassing your employer are not a sign of a 1984 dystopia. He is not going to be prosecuted by the government for what he said.

If I were caught on TV news spouting ethnic slurs, I think there is a good chance I would lose my job. That doesn't mean my right to free speech is being infringed upon, it means my employer is embarrassed by me, and doesn't want me to be associated with them anymore. If I can earn a living separate from that as an insult comedian, so be it. But I can't expect my current employer to want to keep me on while I do that.

 

Definition of sad = my immediate family settled, post-USAF careers, in S. Illinois... the far outskirts of the St. Louis metro area. They fit the profile.
There's a reason they and I aren't close.

 

I was actually born in Southern Illinois, close to the Kentucky border. My parents were from the Chicago area originally, but for some reason decided to try a rural life in S. Illinois.

Within 3 years of my birth, my Mom left my dad and moved to Houston to pursue a real career in a real city. Hard to blame her for that decision, and I am eternally grateful I grew up in Houston rather than in depressed rural Southern Illinois. For all its flaws, Houston is a very diverse city, and I can't imagine what my personality and attitudes would have been like if I had grown up in that environment.

 

Meyer's is stupid, should have just called him a white boy or cracker and no one would have even noticed or cared...

 

He'll still get a contract in any Eastern European country with a team... anti-Semitism is practically served with breakfast every morning.