LeBron James talks like a racist

[William Parcher]

"In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality," LeBron James said. "And it's like, 'This is my team. You do what the **** I tell y'all to do. Or we get rid of y'all.'"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...white-men-with-slave-mentality-toward-players

To me this sounds like a racist statement. Does this represent acceptable everyday racism against white people? I don't know how society will react to what James just said, but I can imagine that if a white person said a comparable thing about black people there would be widespread outrage at the discovery of yet another white racist. I can also imagine serious consequences if something like that happened.

Racism should not be acceptable coming from anyone regardless of their race or who they are and that includes LeBron James. I post this here rather than the Sports Forum because this is a Social Issue.

Edited by Agatha: 

Edited quote for rule 10. Please be careful when copying and pasting from other sources that you do not c&p any rule breaches

 

[Pterodactyl]

White men can be acceptably vilified by anyone.

You know this, man.

 

[Whip]

I'm trying to figure out how the NBA is different? Or are all their teams owned by old black men?

 

[theprestige]

I'm more intrigued by James' idea that having a job is like being a slave.

 

[3point14]

Which teams aren't owned by rich white men?

Green Bay and...?

I really have no idea.

 

[Thermal]

I'm more intrigued by James' idea that having a job is like being a slave.

And an obscenely well paying job to boot. It's not exactly slavery for your boss to expect you to deliver.

The good Mr James does not seem to appreciate the subtle difference between slavery and being paid millions of dollars a year for part-time work doing what you love

 

[Porpoise of Life]

Come on, he's right! Slaves were told to do as their owners commanded, or they'd be fired and told to look for gainful employment elsewhere... right?

On the other hand... Trying to spin this entitled millionaire's griping as evil racism that should have consequences smacks of "look, look, black people do it too" and "if you think this shouldn't have consequences, then why complain about racist white people?"

So congrats, childishness all around!

 

[Thermal]

There's also that weird idea that POC can't be racist because they are not 'in power'. Meaning you have carte blanche to be hateful to whitey. Cause that makes sense.

 

[Whip]

And an obscenely well paying job to boot. It's not exactly slavery for your boss to expect you to deliver.

The good Mr James does not seem to appreciate the subtle difference between slavery and being paid millions of dollars a year for part-time work doing what you love

not only that but blacks breaking the color barrier in sports long ago.

 

[baron]

Those poor black slaves. Some are only on $25m a year.

 

[Giordano]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...white-men-with-slave-mentality-toward-players

To me this sounds like a racist statement. Does this represent acceptable everyday racism against white people? I don't know how society will react to what James just said, but I can imagine that if a white person said a comparable thing about black people there would be widespread outrage at the discovery of yet another white racist. I can also imagine serious consequences if something like that happened.

Racism should not be acceptable coming from anyone regardless of their race or who they are and that includes LeBron James. I post this here rather than the Sports Forum because this is a Social Issue.

Separate from what I view as hyperbole in his remarks, I do not see this as racism at all. If one is arguing that they are the victim of racism it is impossible to not mention the race of the people you view as victimizing you for that reason.

The conservative meme is that only minorities and liberals are racist because they are the ones who talk about race... Amusing concept!

 

[LSSBB]

I'm more intrigued by James' idea that having a job is like being a slave.

This. Especially a particularly lucrative job.

 

[Kings Full]

I'm more intrigued by James' idea that having a job is like being a slave.

Right, as everyone knows the owner of the local Jimmy Johns is willing to let his employees do as they please and always treats them with the utmost courtesy and respect.

It must be so hard on LeBron!

 

[Mumbles]

Well, he's completely correct, so...what's the problem?

 

[Thermal]

In a hardcore communist sense, maybe.

Except again for those millions and fame and assorted perks of being a professional athlete. Missed all that as part of a slave's lot in school, I guess

 

[lionking]

Well, he's completely correct, so...what's the problem?

Well a post like this took a while.

Leaving aside the “slave”:hyperbole (some posting in this thread revel in hyperbole) LeBron is correct and the comment is not racist.

 

[Giordano]

I feel the need to point out that professional sports in the USA are hardly an example of a free market economy. If after years of training, effort, and screening one has reached the rarified levels required to play professional basketball in the USA, there is only one "game in town;" the NBA. One then has no other choice but to be hired by, and live by the rules defined by the owners of the NBA. It is not the same as being a software developer who, if unhappy with Microsoft, can look for a job with Google. If you want to play professional basketball in the USA it is the NBA or nothing. The "other choice" is a totally different career, a job completely different from the one you trained for and aspired to since you were a child.

Sure, superficially it is hard to feel sorry for the $25 million a year successes. But there are an enormous number of players seeking this career who are discarded for every one of these successes. Players who stall out in high school, college, or in the NBA itself and are left at loose ends and without significant financial resources. What is the ratio? A hundred to one? A thousand to one? And even the very few multi-million dollar successes often have their careers ended instantly with a single injury, or end up with severe chronic pain thats haunts them for decades after their retirements.

NBA players are certainly not slaves and the comparison is outrageous. But nor is being a professional basketball player as free or as secure as being a software developer. The NBA is a monopoly and not just another job.

 

[William Parcher]

Separate from what I view as hyperbole in his remarks, I do not see this as racism at all. If one is arguing that they are the victim of racism it is impossible to not mention the race of the people you view as victimizing you for that reason.

The hyperbole reveals what seems to be racism. James could have said the same thing differently...

"In the NFL they got a bunch of owners," LeBron James said. "And their mentality is like, 'This is my team. You do what the **** I tell y'all to do. Or we get rid of y'all.'"

That would state his gripe. But instead he targets the owners as being white and having slave-owner mentality.

Is hyperbole really an escape from what appears to be racism? "Oh, that guy isn't really racist he's just running off his mouth." Think about the consequences that people have faced when their public hyperbole includes references to another race. How many have we seen knocked out of their position in life because they said the wrong thing about another race? Plenty!

Edited by Agatha: 

Edited for rule 10

 

[Thermal]

I feel the need to point out that professional sports in the USA are hardly an example of a free market economy. If after years of training, effort, and screening one has reached the rarified levels required to play professional basketball in the USA, there is only one "game in town;" the NBA. One then has no other choice but to be hired by, and live by the rules defined by the owners of the NBA. It is not the same as being a software developer who, if unhappy with Microsoft, can look for a job with Google. If you want to play professional basketball in the USA it is the NBA or nothing. The "other choice" is a totally different career, a job completely different from the one you trained for and aspired to since you were a child.

Sure, superficially it is hard to feel sorry for the $25 million a year successes. But there are an enormous number of players seeking this career who are discarded for every one of these successes. Players who stall out in high school, college, or in the NBA itself and are left at loose ends and without significant financial resources. What is the ratio? A hundred to one? A thousand to one? And even the very few multi-million dollar successes often have their careers ended instantly with a single injury, or end up with severe chronic pain thats haunts them for decades after their retirements.

NBA players are certainly not slaves and the comparison is outrageous. But nor is being a professional basketball player as free or as secure as being a software developer. The NBA is a monopoly and not just another job.

The same could be said for a Hollywood actor. Being at the top of one's proffesion is hardly slavish.

I'm having a hard time thinking of something less slavish. What is the involuntary and uncompensated servitude angle again?

 

[Giordano]

The hyperbole reveals what seems to be racism. James could have said the same thing differently...

"In the NFL they got a bunch of owners," LeBron James said. "And their mentality is like, 'This is my team. You do what the **** I tell y'all to do. Or we get rid of y'all.'"

That would state his gripe. But instead he targets the owners as being white and having slave-owner mentality.

Is hyperbole really an escape from what appears to be racism? "Oh, that guy isn't really racist he's just running off his mouth." Think about the consequences that people have faced when their public hyperbole includes references to another race. How many have we seen knocked out of their position in life because they said the wrong thing about another race? Plenty!

There is no question that he is accusing the owners of racism and/or running a system based on racism. His gripe includes his view that the owners run their organization from a racist mentality. I don't know whether he is right or wrong (he lives that career and is immersed in how the NBA runs every day, whereas I know almost nothing about it). If he is right then his statement is not hyperbole; if he wrong than his choice of words is over the top. But this is how he sees it, and for the reason I stated, he is not being racist.