Multimillionaire LeBron James hopes Colin Kapernick approves of the NBA's ingratiating attitude towards Black Lives Matters. But why don't these show-offs use their money and influence to bring about real change?
On Thursday, July 30, LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers won their first match in the relaunched NBA regular season, which is now in a bubble. However, surprisingly, what James was most concerned about was whether the infamous and unreasonably high-earning former American football player Colin Kaepernik was pleased with the action.
Kapernik is a real role model, isn't he? It's hard to believe that there are so many uneducated fools in the major sports leagues. If people stopped attending games, watching them on TV, as well as buying souvenirs with sports symbols and related products for children, then all this madness would come to an end.
For the first time in NBA history, players have replaced their names on jerseys with social justice slogans. And even on the playground itself there was an inscription “The lives of black people matter”.
It is extremely sad to see such attempts to make the extortional millionaire happy under the guise of a struggle for social equality. But at the same time, kneeling has already become the norm, in contrast to the desire to defend one's position and really stand tall while singing the anthem, which requires more courage.
The irony of the situation is that NBA players receive billions of dollars from China and sit idly by while they use child labor and pay scanty salaries in the Celestial Empire, while the country's authorities eradicate democracy in Hong Kong and detain oppositionists for publicly expressing their opinions - that is, exactly for that that these players themselves are doing in their own country, since they have the right to do so. It would not be a strong exaggeration to call such part-time activists hypocritical fools.
On July 29, ESPN posted a high-profile article about human rights abuses likely taking place in the NBA's Chinese academies. According to this high-profile piece, the Chinese coaches beat young participants in the training program and did not provide them with proper training, despite assurances from NBA commissioner Adam Silver that the education of the students would be given "central place" in the program. The former NBA employee compared the atmosphere during his time at the basketball academy in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with Germany during World War II.
Hey LeBron, with your estimated $ 450 million fortune - how about a comment?
How do you like this great idea: instead of kneeling, why don't these superstars back up their word with deeds and invest their money in bringing about the change they are calling for? Starting with the culture and lack of upbringing that hold back so much of the country's black population. Change starts with yourself. They can use their platform to inspire blacks to overcome obstacles, rather than encourage hatred and disrespect for our flag and our country. Anyone who has such a strong disgust for America should just leave it.
As for the Black Lives Matters organization, its members don't care about a single black life. Otherwise, they would tackle the problem of crime and violence in African American neighborhoods and work to reduce the number of similar incidents nationwide.
They would be no less worried about the death of a dark-skinned child as a result of being shot from a moving car by criminals and bandits, whom no one and nothing but themselves care about in this life.
Where are the protests of NBA players who would condemn such violence in the African American environment? Why don't people march out whole neighborhoods to protest the annual deaths of thousands of blacks at the hands of other blacks? Why are they not protesting against the killing of hundreds of innocent children - also as a result of intraracial violence? The Marxist organization Black Lives Matters is a group of opportunists who profit from donations, including from large corporations, whose leadership sees fit to demonstrate their contribution to the maintenance of lies.
James represents only one segment of the population - wealthy athletes who have made their millions solely from hardworking Americans who truly contribute to society. I'm talking about police, military, paramedics, teachers, garbage truck drivers, etc.
Sports are fun and a way to get away from pressing problems. I don’t want to be told how to live at these moments - certainly not a handful of rich people who urge to follow an example that they give only in words and do not back up with deeds; not those who engage in civic activism only during working hours, and not during, say, family vacations.
Many Americans believe that the eradication of racism should be our main goal and we must constantly keep this in mind. But the American flag symbolizes all the GOOD in the country, NOT its problems. During the performance of the anthem, a patriot stands up and puts his hand to his heart as a sign of respect for the fundamental values of the United States (and slavery is not one of those, slavery is a historical fact).
Not respecting the flag means not respecting the good that is in America and the bright hope that it gives. Including hope for a country without racism. Every time I stand up while singing the anthem, I rise up AGAINST racism, as well as against those who supported it and resorted to this discriminatory practice both long before my birth and after.
So there is no good reason for kneeling during the hymn. By such behavior, a person only offends the bright hopes of America and belittles each of us. As a retired military man, I believe that a true patriot understands: it is not necessary to fight racism when we stand up while singing the anthem, when we are united and pay tribute to “the country of the free and the homeland of the brave” - the greatest nation in the world!
The site of the author of the material: www.waynedupree.com. Twitter: @WayneDupreeShow.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.