International NBA cowtowing to China

[Gunny]

hi Gunny and good morning,

but our government isn't coercing this activity - its China's government that has dictated what is and is not to be said regarding Hong Kong.

No shit. That was the very point I was making.

 

[IGIT]

He actually compared a country with a direct and continuing lineage to the Maoist atrocities and the largest continuing human rights violator to the freest country in the world by talking about AR-15s. This is the mental disease that afflicts the left.

And people say that he doesn’t hate America, he only has a problem with Trump.

hio Bargey, good to see you,

if coach Kerr is staying mum on Hong Kong because he doesn't want to imperil financial dealings with China - he's in the same boat as the President of the United States, who promised Xi the same thing for the same reasons.

i think we should stop holding American coaches of men who play basketball to a different standard than the POTUS.

we should live and let live.

*high fives*

- IGIT

 

[Bargey]

Left, right, whatever, remember this.

It is easy to talk tough when speaking against your local political enemies.

A whole other thing to talk tough against a billion people with money, power, and a world of anger.

All the more reason to stand up for what is right, but most have forgotten what it means to stand up for freedom to begin with.

Try not to forget, and if you want to resist something in your life, do resist real-world-tyranny.

I call it the ‘lazy activism’ of today. People like LeBron James, Steve Kerr, Colin Kaepernick and Greta Thunberg all afflicted thrive in it. It’s the opposite of what people like Malala Yousafzi and Aayan Hirsi Ali do and what they face in activating awareness and advancing the human condition.

 

[IGIT]

No shit. That was the very point I was making.

hi Gunny!

so, what's wrong with a client telling telling a businessman what he will and will not tolerate?

the client is China. and the Chinese don't want to hear from Americans (who want their business) regarding Hong Kong. that's the case whether you're the NBA or you're the President of the United States.

we retain our first amendment rights and can even exercise them when it comes to Hong Kong, but we can't expect to go unpunished if we bite the hands that feeds.

that's life.

- IGIT

 

[Bargey]

hio Bargey, good to see you,

if coach Kerr is staying mum on Hong Kong because he doesn't want to imperil financial dealings with China - he's in the same boat as the President of the United States, who promised Xi the same thing for the same reasons.

i think we should stop holding American coaches of men who play basketball to a different standard than the POTUS.

we should live and let live.

*high fives*

- IGIT

Kerr is a hypocrite. Or maybe he’s a racist that sees people of Oriental descent as unimportant. Which one?

I think multiple US leaders and other world leaders have been far too gutless with China including Trump. Two things to consider with Trump though:
a) Human rights of foreign citizens don’t seem to make it too high up his priority list. He’s always been this way as President with the possible exception of when he responded to the apparent Syrian chemical weapons use. So it might be disappointing but he is consistent.
b) Trump is not doing a softly softly out of his personal interests but if his perceived interests of the USA. Whether you agree with his reasoning or not. Kerr is being cowardly because of his self interest and where he may sit with his employer and generally. He doesn’t want to be in Morey’s position but he was happy to attack Trump to make his elitist SF and LA friends happy along with his little buddy Steph.

 

[IGIT]

for real.
A guy like Silver will alway sell out America for silver and gold.

hiya Brosef,

Mr. Silver isn't selling out Americans, really. if you think about it, the owners of NBA teams are all Americans (with the exception of Mikhail Prokhorov, who is Russian), and the players are mostly Americans. the ballboys, the food vendors at arenas, the cheerleaders, etc...are all Americans.

there's business, lots of it, in China....and Americans want to get paid.

the NBA and Mr. Trump have become joined at the hip (along with every other US business entity that makes money in China - which have all been silent on Hong Kong) on this issue. you can't blame them.

i get that human rights is a thing for some of you, but it comes second to business deals for folks in this country.

that's the way it is, Happy Man!

- IGIT

 

[Gunny]

hi Gunny!

so, what's wrong with a client telling telling a businessman what he will and will not tolerate?

the client is China. and the Chinese don't want to hear from Americans (who want their business) regarding Hong Kong. that's the case whether you're the NBA or you're the President of the United States.

we retain our first amendment rights and can even exercise them when it comes to Hong Kong, but we can't expect to go unpunished if we bite the hands that feeds.

that's life.

- IGIT

I have a problem when the business partner is a hostile foreign government with a state led economy who is using economics as a backdoor means of restricting American’s speech. You apparently don’t. So fine, you be you. Meanwhile I’ll exercise my right to speak out about the issue and hopefully companies like the NBA, Blizzard, etc. will come to see the anger of the American public as a greater economic danger than the CCP.

 

[Gregolian]

I have a problem when the business partner is a hostile foreign government with a state led economy who is using economics as a backdoor means of restricting American’s speech. You apparently don’t. So fine, you be you. Meanwhile I’ll exercise my right to speak out about the issue and hopefully companies like the NBA, Blizzard, etc. will come to see the anger of the American public as a greater economic danger than the CCP.

The NBA kicking out fans from a game for holding support Hong Kong signs... IN PHILADELPHIA which last I checked is in the US is the kicker.

"Oh but Silver isn't being a pussy"

Then who the fuck gave the order to NBA officials to kick those fans out? Who set the policy in place to ghost people from arenas for Hong Kong signs?

 

[IGIT]

hey there Bargey!

Kerr is a hypocrite. Or maybe he’s a racist that sees people of Oriental descent as unimportant. Which one?

why is he a hypocrite? he speaks freely on domestic issues that have caused him concern.

maybe he just thinks sovereign nations should be sovereign, you know? he has opinions on how he'd like to see things in his own country - why does he have to opine about Hong Kong and China? should he comment on Palestine too? should he be outraged about how Assad barrel bombs his own civilians?

or is Mr. Kerr forbidden to speak about domestic affairs unless he addresses every injustice that takes place on the planet?

I think multiple US leaders and other world leaders have been far too gutless with China including Trump. Two things to consider with Trump though:
a) Human rights of foreign citizens don’t seem to make it too high up his priority list. He’s always been this way as President with the possible exception of when he responded to the apparent Syrian chemical weapons use. So it might be disappointing but he is consistent.

that's fair. you're the only poster who has been honest enough to put it literally; Trump cares about money deals, not human rights.

still though, i think its unrealistic to expect Mr. Kerr to conduct himself like he's campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize. he's a hoops coach who has got a few opinions on domestic issues.

b) Trump is not doing a softly softly out of his personal interests but if his perceived interests of the USA.

i'm not sure you or i have any real idea why Mr. Trump does anything that he does. he may not want to hear bellyaching from his midwestern base from the farming community any longer, for all i know. it might imperil his re-election efforts.

all i know for sure about Mr. Trump is that he promised Xi he'd keep his mouth shut when it came to Hong Kong.

- IGIT

 

[IGIT]

hiya Gunny,

I have a problem when the business partner is a hostile foreign government with a state led economy

China is not a hostile enemy, they are a competitor - and Mr. Trump wants the Fed to lower interest rates to facilitate his trade dispute with China (so, we're kinda state led when its convenient, too).

who is using economics as a backdoor means of restricting American’s speech.

only if those Americans want to do business with Beijing. if they don't want that money, they can comment on Hong Kong all they like. its true for the NBA and its true for Donald Trump - and both have agreed to do as they've been told.

- IGIT

 

[luckyshot]

Another "but Trump". LOL.

Is this all you guys have? Change the fucking record already. You're embarrassing yourselves.

Really?

See, because to me it looks like Trump supporters embarrass themselves whenever they get outraged over a corporation failing to meet an ethical standard that they don't hold the government to.

Why do we expect corporations-- which are explicitly for profit enterprises-- to behave in a more ethical manner than our government-- which is supposed to be the elected representation of our national will and not... er... not supposed to be-- a specifically for profit enterprise?

Methinks we are holding the wrong folks to the wrong standards.

 

[HereticBD]

hey there Bargey!



why is he a hypocrite? he speaks freely on domestic issues that have caused him concern.

Now you're just playing dumb about his hypocrisy. Not shocking, considering you're a Liberal and having double standards comes naturally, but no, you don't get to play the most sanctimonious wokest of the woke man in the world, and then turn around and plead ignorance to China's human rights violations because it might effect your paycheck if you do.

He's just another phony sanctimonious twat, like 99% of all woke progressives.

 

[IGIT]

Really?

See, because to me it looks like Trump supporters embarrass themselves whenever they get outraged over a corporation failing to meet an ethical standard that they don't hold the government to.

Why do we expect corporations-- which are explicitly for profit enterprises-- to behave in a more ethical manner than our government-- which is supposed to be the elected representation of our national will and not... er... not supposed to be-- a specifically for profit enterprise?

Methinks we are holding the wrong folks to the wrong standards.

hi luckyshot,

i wasn't going to spell it out so explicitly, lol, and in a way, you've ruined my fun.

i was going to keep drawing it out, longer and longer, until someone on the right made the obvious connection of how ludicrous this thread is.

- IGIT

 

[ShadowRun]

 

[IGIT]

Now you're just playing dumb about his hypocrisy. Not shocking, considering you're a Liberal and having double standards comes naturally, but no, you don't get to play the most sanctimonious wokest of the woke man in the world, and then turn around and plead ignorance to China's human rights violations because it might effect your paycheck if you do.

He's just another phony sanctimonious twat, like 99% of all woke progressives.

hi HereticBD,

yeah!

look, when it comes down it, i'll admit i'm just as let down by Secretary of State Kerr as you are - but what are ya gonna do? when the POTUS sets the example, i expect all the cabinet members of the White House to fall into line.

- IGIT

 

[IGIT]

The NBA kicking out fans from a game for holding support Hong Kong signs... IN PHILADELPHIA which last I checked is in the US is the kicker.

hey hey Gregolian,

i'm sure the President would kick out any Americans in the White House cabinet if they supported Hong Kong too...IN THE WHITE HOUSE, which is also in the US.

that's America, Gregolian. its just the way it is.

China's biggest export to the US are computers and electronics. if we all feel so angry about how China is dictating how US citizens conduct themselves, we should all throw our computers in the ocean.

- IGIT

 

[HomeCheese]

Fuck you. They literally are stopping journalist questions at the demand of the chinese government.

Oh geez, that's not very nice or cleaver. How many questions were stopped? I guess it shows how desperate our country is for a diplomat that we are mad at basketball players and coaches for not doing the job our elected officials should be doing.

Seems like a lot of you boy have a good deal of misplaced anger towards basketball players, perhaps remind yourselves that it is the Chinese government that has done something wrong.

 

[IGIT]

Oh geez, that's not very nice or cleaver. How many questions were stopped? I guess it shows how desperate our country is for a diplomat that we are mad at basketball players and coaches for not doing the job our elected officials should be doing.

Seems like a lot of you boy have a good deal of misplaced anger towards basketball players, perhaps remind yourselves that it is the Chinese government that has done something wrong.

hiya HomeCheese,

the Chinese government hasn't even done anything wrong.

they're not, for example, sending a delegation to the US to meet with Adam Silver and then planning on dismembering him, like our allies the Saudis did to Jamal Khashoggi.

they're just stipulating to both the NBA and Donald Trump (and to every other American who wants China's business), "if you want our money, its our way or the highway", and they've agreed to the terms.

- IGIT

 

[Bargey]

hey there Bargey!



why is he a hypocrite? he speaks freely on domestic issues that have caused him concern.

maybe he just thinks sovereign nations should be sovereign, you know? he has opinions on how he'd like to see things in his own country - why does he have to opine about Hong Kong and China? should he comment on Palestine too? should he be outraged about how Assad barrel bombs his own civilians?

or is Mr. Kerr forbidden to speak about domestic affairs unless he addresses every injustice that takes place on the planet?



that's fair. you're the only poster who has been honest enough to put it literally; Trump cares about money deals, not human rights.

still though, i think its unrealistic to expect Mr. Kerr to conduct himself like he's campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize. he's a hoops coach who has got a few opinions on domestic issues.

- IGIT

Because, IGIT, he presents as this ultra woke person who will criticize the president for the slightest thing. But now can’t comment on China? And no - China is not Palestine but they are the #1 social and business issue of the NBA. For someone so outspoken on other issues, even finding a way to squeeze in gun control (again), not only was he unable to muster up a meaningful comment but, like Trump said, he actually came across as scared. It wasn’t a simple, firm “no comment” which would have actually been more respectable.

And there’s nothing more pathetic than someone who is principled and woke when the issue or opinion they are advocating is of personal and social benefit to them but freezes when dealing with something that may adversely affect them economically and socially.

You know exactly where I’m coming from.

 

[HomeCheese]

hiya HomeCheese,

the Chinese government hasn't even done anything wrong.

they're not, for example, sending a delegation to the US to meet with Adam Silver and then planning on dismembering him, like our allies the Saudis did to Jamal Khashoggi.

they're just stipulating to both the NBA and Donald Trump (and to every other American who wants China's business), "if you want our money, its our way or the highway", and they've agreed to the terms.

- IGIT

As milk toasty as it was, Silver took a pretty courageous stand all things considered. Few organizations would do that.

As for China, I strongly disagree with you and believe they have done something wrong. At least by American standards. They are trying to silence free speech. Per American standards that is a large violation of freedom. I have not idea why you think thats okay.