Our focus today cannot be on basketball
August 26, 2020 7:23 PM Subscribe
In response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, and the Kenosha Police Department giving armed white supremacists free rein in the city, the Milwaukee Bucks as a team refused to take the floor for game 5 of their first round playoff series against the Orlando Magic. The Magic, left the floor, too, refusing to accept a win by forfeit. The NBA quickly announced all three games scheduled would be postponed.
Reacting to the league's phrasing, Lebron James was quick to point out this is not a postponement, but direct action by players. Players have been expressing misgivings about restarting the season since before the Bubble in Orlanda even started. Statements of frustration at the general lack of progress have been more and more frequent, with Doc Rivers, coach of the Clippers, giving an impassioned response, stating plainly "We keep loving this country and this country doesn't love us back." ESPN has the Bucks players' statement, as well as a collection of statements over the last several days from other players.
The Milwaukee Bucks Players’ Strike Instantly Seems Like It Was Inevitable
The Bucks Aren’t Boycotting. They’re Striking. (discussion of the CBA clause that forbids striking)
The Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants also decided to sit out their schedule games in a show of solidarity.
Reacting to the league's phrasing, Lebron James was quick to point out this is not a postponement, but direct action by players. Players have been expressing misgivings about restarting the season since before the Bubble in Orlanda even started. Statements of frustration at the general lack of progress have been more and more frequent, with Doc Rivers, coach of the Clippers, giving an impassioned response, stating plainly "We keep loving this country and this country doesn't love us back." ESPN has the Bucks players' statement, as well as a collection of statements over the last several days from other players.
The Milwaukee Bucks Players’ Strike Instantly Seems Like It Was Inevitable
The Bucks Aren’t Boycotting. They’re Striking. (discussion of the CBA clause that forbids striking)
The Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants also decided to sit out their schedule games in a show of solidarity.
If any league was going to make this first step, it was the NBA.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:35 PM on August 26, 2020 [30 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 7:35 PM on August 26, 2020 [30 favorites]
So: 180,000 dead from an out-of-control virus and the president* suggesting drinking Clorox; an “unsurvivable” hurricane on its way to the Gulf Coast; the Senate waving off further relief packages; the post office under orders to shut itself down to stop mail-in voting; protesters being straight-up murdered by cops as well as freelance white supremacists; people being stuffed into vans by secret police; half the sports teams looking at a general strike; and fifty million people facing eviction.
Imagine how bad things would be if he hadn’t made America great again.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:39 PM on August 26, 2020 [129 favorites]
Imagine how bad things would be if he hadn’t made America great again.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:39 PM on August 26, 2020 [129 favorites]
Allll of the FWOM (fragile white old men) are losing their shit in The Athletic comments sections over this. Soooo many grown men who are righteously convinced that America has no racism issue, that the police have no racism issue, that Blake and earlier Brother Floyd brought all of their suffering upon themselves and deserved what they got, and that athletes taking direct action to protest in response is (choose any or all): childish, selfish, victimizing white men (!), communist, thug-like, ignorant, uneducated, insane, stupid, depriving America of its right to entertainment.
I pray these men have an enlightening revelation, asap, cuz their toxic combination of entitlement, arrogance, ignorance, and racism has them now very very close to self-imploding rage strokes and heart attacks.
To be so suffused in satanic anger and persist in believing one's worldview is right and unquestionable ... almost unspeakably tragic, for the believer and for each of us in the world with him. Wake up dead man!
posted by riverlife at 7:50 PM on August 26, 2020 [34 favorites]
I pray these men have an enlightening revelation, asap, cuz their toxic combination of entitlement, arrogance, ignorance, and racism has them now very very close to self-imploding rage strokes and heart attacks.
To be so suffused in satanic anger and persist in believing one's worldview is right and unquestionable ... almost unspeakably tragic, for the believer and for each of us in the world with him. Wake up dead man!
posted by riverlife at 7:50 PM on August 26, 2020 [34 favorites]
I pray these men have an enlightening revelation, asap, cuz their toxic combination of entitlement, arrogance, ignorance, and racism has them now very very close to self-imploding rage strokes and heart attacks.
Sorry, you're suggesting that would be...bad?
posted by holborne at 7:56 PM on August 26, 2020 [13 favorites]
Sorry, you're suggesting that would be...bad?
posted by holborne at 7:56 PM on August 26, 2020 [13 favorites]
For most of my life I've nurtured a disdain for sports that was originally born from a dislike of gym class and recess during grade school. And it was easy to keep going with that stance, because as a well-informed person it was always easy to find evidence that this country's relationship to sports is extremely toxic. I live in a rural state that is starved for culture and entertainment, and that fucking idolizes the state university's football team, to a degree that is frankly pathetic.
But as I approached old age, I started to question pretty much everything about myself, including my aversion to sports. I still couldn't muster an interest in football, because it is somehow traumatically brutal and tedious all at once. But basketball, on the other hand...that was something I could watch. There was a combination of power, grace, and clarity of purpose in basketball that I was able to be infatuated by.
Now, I haven't fallen for the typical sports fan's delusion: I won't claim that my fandom makes me "part of the team". The talent of the best players is entirely their own, and owes nothing to my appreciation, or anybody else's. But I will say this much: I am proud of how the players of the NBA are reacting to the events of this ugly fucking year. I wanted to believe there was something of value in how these players think of their part in the game, and I'm very very happy to learn that the belief wasn't entirely naive.
posted by Ipsifendus at 7:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [44 favorites]
But as I approached old age, I started to question pretty much everything about myself, including my aversion to sports. I still couldn't muster an interest in football, because it is somehow traumatically brutal and tedious all at once. But basketball, on the other hand...that was something I could watch. There was a combination of power, grace, and clarity of purpose in basketball that I was able to be infatuated by.
Now, I haven't fallen for the typical sports fan's delusion: I won't claim that my fandom makes me "part of the team". The talent of the best players is entirely their own, and owes nothing to my appreciation, or anybody else's. But I will say this much: I am proud of how the players of the NBA are reacting to the events of this ugly fucking year. I wanted to believe there was something of value in how these players think of their part in the game, and I'm very very happy to learn that the belief wasn't entirely naive.
posted by Ipsifendus at 7:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [44 favorites]
Unsurprisingly, this might do more to get white people to pay attention than anything else.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [15 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [15 favorites]
Good.
posted by hijinx at 7:59 PM on August 26, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by hijinx at 7:59 PM on August 26, 2020 [6 favorites]
Wow. I pay extremely little attention to sports, but this seems like a huge deal to me.
I wish I could tell Mr. Rivers that so much of the country does love him - you - back; and that I will keep working toward the day when he and every member of his community feel certain of that love, and know that we have used that love to utterly disempower racists everywhere.
Thank you for posting this, Ghidorah. It is heartbreaking, and inspiring.
posted by kristi at 8:02 PM on August 26, 2020 [6 favorites]
I wish I could tell Mr. Rivers that so much of the country does love him - you - back; and that I will keep working toward the day when he and every member of his community feel certain of that love, and know that we have used that love to utterly disempower racists everywhere.
Thank you for posting this, Ghidorah. It is heartbreaking, and inspiring.
posted by kristi at 8:02 PM on August 26, 2020 [6 favorites]
There are allegations that the cops in Kenosha coordinated with the unofficial militia to drive the protesters towards the militia to be "taken care of", and then the cops would "leave".
posted by smcameron at 8:09 PM on August 26, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by smcameron at 8:09 PM on August 26, 2020 [12 favorites]
Lakers and Clippers players voted to leave the playoffs (not a done deal but an expression of players' commitment to action) via ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:10 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:10 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
riverlife: I pray these men have an enlightening revelation, asap, cuz their toxic combination of entitlement, arrogance, ignorance, and racism has them now very very close to self-imploding rage strokes and heart attacks.
holborne: Sorry, you're suggesting that would be...bad?
I get the joke, but if you haven't noticed, toxic white men's "self-imploding" rage tends to end up killing a whole bunch of the rest of us too.
posted by tzikeh at 8:12 PM on August 26, 2020 [43 favorites]
holborne: Sorry, you're suggesting that would be...bad?
I get the joke, but if you haven't noticed, toxic white men's "self-imploding" rage tends to end up killing a whole bunch of the rest of us too.
posted by tzikeh at 8:12 PM on August 26, 2020 [43 favorites]
Sports commentator Chris Webber "If not now... when." In his televised comments, he shares about having to talk to his nephews about death before they've even seen movies that have death.
Inside NBA's Kenny Smith takes off his mic and walks off set during the middle of the show in solidarity "as a Black man and as a former player."
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:15 PM on August 26, 2020 [44 favorites]
Inside NBA's Kenny Smith takes off his mic and walks off set during the middle of the show in solidarity "as a Black man and as a former player."
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:15 PM on August 26, 2020 [44 favorites]
the Kenosha Police Department giving armed white supremacists free reign in the city
Wow, that police chief isn't even trying to pretend. Usually there is a veneer of deniability from public officials.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [12 favorites]
Wow, that police chief isn't even trying to pretend. Usually there is a veneer of deniability from public officials.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [12 favorites]
Kenny Smith, host of TNT's NBA show walked off the set in solidarity with the players.
Also viewable in that link, Chris Webber, one of my favorite NBA players of all time, gives a heartfelt warning against fatalism:
. . . We know nothing is going to change. We get it. If Martin Luther King got shot and risked his life, Medgar Evers—if we’ve seen this in all of our heroes, constantly taken down—we understand it’s not going to end. But that does not mean, young men, that you don’t do anything. Don’t listen to these people telling you don’t do anything because it’s not going to end right away. You are starting something for the next generation and the next generation to take over.
We've come a long way from "Republicans buy sneakers, too."
posted by skewed at 8:20 PM on August 26, 2020 [43 favorites]
Also viewable in that link, Chris Webber, one of my favorite NBA players of all time, gives a heartfelt warning against fatalism:
. . . We know nothing is going to change. We get it. If Martin Luther King got shot and risked his life, Medgar Evers—if we’ve seen this in all of our heroes, constantly taken down—we understand it’s not going to end. But that does not mean, young men, that you don’t do anything. Don’t listen to these people telling you don’t do anything because it’s not going to end right away. You are starting something for the next generation and the next generation to take over.
We've come a long way from "Republicans buy sneakers, too."
posted by skewed at 8:20 PM on August 26, 2020 [43 favorites]
Yeah, it's bad. Every moment they carry on like this is unequivocally bad for all of us.
It's beyond ironic that they've set themselves and us aflame, continue to turn up the gas and soak us and themselves in petrol, then belligerently complain about the heat and demand we stop it ... their chasing anger into the great beyond is absolutely not materially, psychologically, nor spiritually good for them nor for any of us. Granted, their spontaneous departure would, ironically, give the rest of us all the silver lining of being able to heal and grow in the scorched aftermath.
Per tzikeh's comment, I'd most definitely take the dark gallows humor laugh in most situations ... we are individually and jointly too precious for me in this viscerally existential situation. YMMV, quite understandably.
posted by riverlife at 8:22 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
It's beyond ironic that they've set themselves and us aflame, continue to turn up the gas and soak us and themselves in petrol, then belligerently complain about the heat and demand we stop it ... their chasing anger into the great beyond is absolutely not materially, psychologically, nor spiritually good for them nor for any of us. Granted, their spontaneous departure would, ironically, give the rest of us all the silver lining of being able to heal and grow in the scorched aftermath.
Per tzikeh's comment, I'd most definitely take the dark gallows humor laugh in most situations ... we are individually and jointly too precious for me in this viscerally existential situation. YMMV, quite understandably.
posted by riverlife at 8:22 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
thanks for making this post; I wanted to and didn't know how
posted by SystematicAbuse at 8:25 PM on August 26, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by SystematicAbuse at 8:25 PM on August 26, 2020 [11 favorites]
Folks on Twitter say WNBA players have led on discussing racial justice for a long time.
Also Naomi Osaka withdraws from the "Cincy" tourney (being held in NYC because there's also still a pandemic in this mad world).
Some white boys snark. (And yes, it's young white men too.)
posted by NorthernLite at 8:52 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
Also Naomi Osaka withdraws from the "Cincy" tourney (being held in NYC because there's also still a pandemic in this mad world).
Some white boys snark. (And yes, it's young white men too.)
posted by NorthernLite at 8:52 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
There's press conference footage on CNN of the county sheriff saying that he said, “hell no!” to gun owners who phoned in asking to be deputized for city patrols. The only misgiving he goes into on the video is his concern over liability.
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
Mod note: Couple comments removed. If you're not interested in the post or the subject, that's fine, but skip the thread. Taking up space to gripe about sports or drop one-liner gotchas is deeply disrespectful in this kind of context.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:00 PM on August 26, 2020 [45 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:00 PM on August 26, 2020 [45 favorites]
Sorry cortex.
posted by smcameron at 9:02 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by smcameron at 9:02 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
The only misgiving he goes into on the video is his concern over liability. That shouldn't be the only thing he cares about, but I'm glad he at least cares about that.
I am afraid, pretty much all the time, and angry as hell.
I think of one of the things that the protesters often say on Twitter: "They don't protect us; WE protect us." And it's true and brave and so sad.
I also favorited a link someone posted on the basics of caring for penetration and abrasion wounds. I am going to learn what I can and hope to god I never need to use it.
posted by emjaybee at 9:09 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
I am afraid, pretty much all the time, and angry as hell.
I think of one of the things that the protesters often say on Twitter: "They don't protect us; WE protect us." And it's true and brave and so sad.
I also favorited a link someone posted on the basics of caring for penetration and abrasion wounds. I am going to learn what I can and hope to god I never need to use it.
posted by emjaybee at 9:09 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
yesterday
Lions cancel practice to protest police shooting in Wisconsin
posted by clavdivs at 9:11 PM on August 26, 2020
Lions cancel practice to protest police shooting in Wisconsin
posted by clavdivs at 9:11 PM on August 26, 2020
Also Naomi Osaka withdraws from the "Cincy" tourney (being held in NYC because there's also still a pandemic in this mad world).
Specifically the Western & Southern Open. W&S has always seemed like one of the most conservative companies in Greater Cincinnati. They pulled some shady shit to force out a battered women's shelter in our downtown to turn it into a luxury hotel. I'm sure they are seething right now.
posted by girlmightlive at 9:16 PM on August 26, 2020 [5 favorites]
Specifically the Western & Southern Open. W&S has always seemed like one of the most conservative companies in Greater Cincinnati. They pulled some shady shit to force out a battered women's shelter in our downtown to turn it into a luxury hotel. I'm sure they are seething right now.
posted by girlmightlive at 9:16 PM on August 26, 2020 [5 favorites]
"During the Kenosha Police Department’s first press conference in response to the Blake shooting and subsequent protests, Chief Daniel Miskinis blamed the unidentified victims in Tuesday night’s shooting for their own deaths, saying the violence was the result of the “persons” involved violating curfew."
posted by tzikeh at 9:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [5 favorites]
Persons who were out after the curfew became engaged in some type of disturbance, and persons were shot. Everybody involved was out after the curfew. I’m not going to make a great deal of that, but the point is the curfew is in place to protect. Had persons not been out involved in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened.-- Slate
posted by tzikeh at 9:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [5 favorites]
The WNBA cancelled today's games; they've been maybe the most outspoken league historically. The best player, Maya Moore has taken a two season sabbatical to do activism around criminal justice reform, helping free a Black man unjustly imprisoned at 16, and a few weeks ago Atlanta players campaigning for the Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock, who is running to defeat incumbent Republican appointee, terrible person and -- most relevantly -- Atlanta WNBA franchise owner Kelly Loeffler. The MLS has also cancelled 5 of 6 games today (the sixth was underway when the Bucks started this action.)
The NHL had a wildly disappointing "moment of reflection" before a game tonight; to be fair, the Milwaukee area teams led the way in the NBA and MLB and the NHL not only doesn't have a Milwaukee team, the 13 closest teams to Milwaukee were already eliminated from the postseason (the closest two remaining teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and the NY Islanders, played their game this afternoon, before any NBA actions.) But the NHL had a chance to lead, and they didn't. Again.
The NHL has been doing better through 2020 than I would have previously expected the incredibly stick-to-sports, very white league to do. Players from the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance spoke out against the league's silence earlier today. And tonight on the Canadian national broadcast, analyst Kelly Hrudey straight up said "I don't think we should be here. I think the NHL should postpone the games; I think the NHL should be more supportive of Black Lives Matter."
posted by Superilla at 9:23 PM on August 26, 2020 [21 favorites]
The NHL had a wildly disappointing "moment of reflection" before a game tonight; to be fair, the Milwaukee area teams led the way in the NBA and MLB and the NHL not only doesn't have a Milwaukee team, the 13 closest teams to Milwaukee were already eliminated from the postseason (the closest two remaining teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and the NY Islanders, played their game this afternoon, before any NBA actions.) But the NHL had a chance to lead, and they didn't. Again.
The NHL has been doing better through 2020 than I would have previously expected the incredibly stick-to-sports, very white league to do. Players from the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance spoke out against the league's silence earlier today. And tonight on the Canadian national broadcast, analyst Kelly Hrudey straight up said "I don't think we should be here. I think the NHL should postpone the games; I think the NHL should be more supportive of Black Lives Matter."
posted by Superilla at 9:23 PM on August 26, 2020 [21 favorites]
A good friend of mine has lived in Kenosha his entire life, minus a short time away at school. It's a classic Rust Belt city, more so than the surrounding areas to the north or south (It's in the red part on the Wisconsin side of the WI - IL border), yet the past few years things have been looking up.
But they aren't looking up right now.
He's mourning the destruction of the places he grew up around. He's mourning the steps back from all the recent growth and progress. He's mourning the face that his home town seems destined to be the next Minneapolis or Portland (er, not in the "friendly progressive city" meaning).
He's mourning and angry with protesters who aren't being heard or answered. Who are being actually killed, as best as we can tell.
He's mourning and angry over reports that a former Alderman might be heavily involved with militia organization, effectively fighting against fellow citizens.
He's tired, and scared, and is worried that the city might not ever come back from this.
But he also doesn't know what else could possibly have happened when a government employee can just shoot a Black person in the back without so much as getting tossed in the drunk tank that night.
There's talk of violence (from protests) leading to violence (from police or counter protesters), but wasn't the literal first shot fired on Sunday? All of the things he's mourning are really just the exposure of what had already been going on underneath the surface. What else was going to happen?
I hope for his sake that the national attention can bring about the correct response for his hometown. We hope for his Black and minority friends and neighbors in Kenosha that justice will win out, whatever that even looks like.
But why should professional sports have to shut down for justice to happen? So he mourns. And I don't think it's only for Kenosha.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:24 PM on August 26, 2020 [12 favorites]
But they aren't looking up right now.
He's mourning the destruction of the places he grew up around. He's mourning the steps back from all the recent growth and progress. He's mourning the face that his home town seems destined to be the next Minneapolis or Portland (er, not in the "friendly progressive city" meaning).
He's mourning and angry with protesters who aren't being heard or answered. Who are being actually killed, as best as we can tell.
He's mourning and angry over reports that a former Alderman might be heavily involved with militia organization, effectively fighting against fellow citizens.
He's tired, and scared, and is worried that the city might not ever come back from this.
But he also doesn't know what else could possibly have happened when a government employee can just shoot a Black person in the back without so much as getting tossed in the drunk tank that night.
There's talk of violence (from protests) leading to violence (from police or counter protesters), but wasn't the literal first shot fired on Sunday? All of the things he's mourning are really just the exposure of what had already been going on underneath the surface. What else was going to happen?
I hope for his sake that the national attention can bring about the correct response for his hometown. We hope for his Black and minority friends and neighbors in Kenosha that justice will win out, whatever that even looks like.
But why should professional sports have to shut down for justice to happen? So he mourns. And I don't think it's only for Kenosha.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:24 PM on August 26, 2020 [12 favorites]
Specifically the Western & Southern Open. W&S has always seemed like one of the most conservative companies in Greater Cincinnati.
I also first heard about Osaka from the Tennis Channel's social media. The Tennis Channel, which is owned by the extreme right-wing Sinclairs.
(And just who runs corporate media and sports teams and, as you say, sponsors events, is also very pertinent to these issues.)
As for the NHL, back when I was following hockey in the '90s/early 00s, I remember my beloved Brendan Shanahan, new US citizen, talking about voting Dem because he came from a working class Canadian family. But other Red Wings voted Republican because it benefited their tax situation.
That's when I started realizing what a bunch of privileged white boys they were. Meanwhile, I used to view NBA players as just a bunch of hard partiers. But I certainly admire the leadership they're showing now.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:33 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
I also first heard about Osaka from the Tennis Channel's social media. The Tennis Channel, which is owned by the extreme right-wing Sinclairs.
(And just who runs corporate media and sports teams and, as you say, sponsors events, is also very pertinent to these issues.)
As for the NHL, back when I was following hockey in the '90s/early 00s, I remember my beloved Brendan Shanahan, new US citizen, talking about voting Dem because he came from a working class Canadian family. But other Red Wings voted Republican because it benefited their tax situation.
That's when I started realizing what a bunch of privileged white boys they were. Meanwhile, I used to view NBA players as just a bunch of hard partiers. But I certainly admire the leadership they're showing now.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:33 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
Honestly, NorthernLight and Superilla, you’re right. The WNBA has been at the forefront of equality and racial justice movements, and I should have included them in the post.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:38 PM on August 26, 2020 [20 favorites]
posted by Ghidorah at 9:38 PM on August 26, 2020 [20 favorites]
They’re talking about ending the NBA season. MLS is on strike now too, and MLB is headed that way. The NFL is releasing “what if” statements in support of players.
This is what you do. I mean protests are fine and cathartic but big rich people standing up and saying I’m not giving you one damn thing until this is dealt with is what moves the needle. Imagine if Apple said they wouldn’t ship one more iPhone until a credible Presidential Task Force (try to stifle your laughter) was established.
What I’d love to see is Biden call upon the RNC to follow the NBA’s lead and postpone day 4 of the convention in solidarity and respect for innocent black men gunned down by the state. They won’t of course, and then the Democrats remind the nation of this fact every single day until November.
Yeah, it’s playing the race card, but you know, since the Repugnicans decided to mock progressives who want to channel some police funding into some actually effective non-gun based solutions to social problems, as well as trotting out a couple of vigilantes who waved guns at innocent protestors for walking past their house, I’d say the political gloves have been off on one side for years. Time to punch back and force Republicans to explicitly run on a white supremacy platform. They have literally no other policy positions and shouldn’t be allowed the deniability of dog whistles.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:45 PM on August 26, 2020 [24 favorites]
This is what you do. I mean protests are fine and cathartic but big rich people standing up and saying I’m not giving you one damn thing until this is dealt with is what moves the needle. Imagine if Apple said they wouldn’t ship one more iPhone until a credible Presidential Task Force (try to stifle your laughter) was established.
What I’d love to see is Biden call upon the RNC to follow the NBA’s lead and postpone day 4 of the convention in solidarity and respect for innocent black men gunned down by the state. They won’t of course, and then the Democrats remind the nation of this fact every single day until November.
Yeah, it’s playing the race card, but you know, since the Repugnicans decided to mock progressives who want to channel some police funding into some actually effective non-gun based solutions to social problems, as well as trotting out a couple of vigilantes who waved guns at innocent protestors for walking past their house, I’d say the political gloves have been off on one side for years. Time to punch back and force Republicans to explicitly run on a white supremacy platform. They have literally no other policy positions and shouldn’t be allowed the deniability of dog whistles.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:45 PM on August 26, 2020 [24 favorites]
This is a link to a tweet from Amy Siskind.
The tweet reads:
"WNBA players wearing shirts with 7 holes in the back.
Join them by boycotting night 3 of Trump’s KKK rally."
There is video embedded in the tweet showing WNBA players from the back. They are kneeling. Each of them is wearing a white t-shirt with seven holes in it. The holes are outlined in a dark red.
posted by tzikeh at 9:49 PM on August 26, 2020 [45 favorites]
The tweet reads:
"WNBA players wearing shirts with 7 holes in the back.
Join them by boycotting night 3 of Trump’s KKK rally."
There is video embedded in the tweet showing WNBA players from the back. They are kneeling. Each of them is wearing a white t-shirt with seven holes in it. The holes are outlined in a dark red.
posted by tzikeh at 9:49 PM on August 26, 2020 [45 favorites]
Imagine how bad things would be if he hadn’t made America great again.
I do not think that word means what he thinks it means.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:50 PM on August 26, 2020
I do not think that word means what he thinks it means.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:50 PM on August 26, 2020
Portland Trail Blazers Join Other NBA Teams in a Strike Protesting the Police Shooting of Jacob Blake, Will Not Play Tonight
posted by vverse23 at 9:51 PM on August 26, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by vverse23 at 9:51 PM on August 26, 2020 [5 favorites]
The sheriff of Kenosha is getting the spotlight, again for a career with a well documented history of being the worst kind of person to put a badge on.
The twitter link has video. I’m not up to putting text from it here, but it’s essentially a box full of dog whistles thrown into a high speed wind tunnel, about deciding which members of society are worth keeping.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:55 PM on August 26, 2020 [9 favorites]
The twitter link has video. I’m not up to putting text from it here, but it’s essentially a box full of dog whistles thrown into a high speed wind tunnel, about deciding which members of society are worth keeping.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:55 PM on August 26, 2020 [9 favorites]
Imagine if Apple said they wouldn’t ship one more iPhone until a credible Presidential Task Force (try to stifle your laughter) was established. or what if millions of people took to the streets in every city and shut everything down until the entire trump administration is removed from office and imprisoned? (if we're dreaming, might as well dream big)
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [16 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [16 favorites]
I (white) babysat a 9-year-old Black neighbor kid today. When a news snippet mentioned Jacob Blake he just casually said "I hope I don't get killed by police one day".
posted by bashing rocks together at 11:40 PM on August 26, 2020 [70 favorites]
posted by bashing rocks together at 11:40 PM on August 26, 2020 [70 favorites]
This would be a welcome plot twist: almost losing the democratic republic in a very weird way, but then it is saved at the last minute in another unexpected turn.
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:41 PM on August 26, 2020
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:41 PM on August 26, 2020
There's been an apparently successful, for the moment, effort on Wikipedia to title the relevant page "Kenosha riot" instead of "Kenosha protests" and of course a discussion to move the page name is full of IP addresses and redlinked new user accounts weighing in to say they're definitely riots.
posted by XMLicious at 1:00 AM on August 27, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by XMLicious at 1:00 AM on August 27, 2020 [11 favorites]
Well, today I learned that Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis is a real shitstain of a person.
posted by ook at 6:04 AM on August 27, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by ook at 6:04 AM on August 27, 2020 [7 favorites]
ctrl-f kaepernick
You were hard done by, Colin
posted by Gadarene at 6:07 AM on August 27, 2020 [15 favorites]
You were hard done by, Colin
posted by Gadarene at 6:07 AM on August 27, 2020 [15 favorites]
There's been an apparently successful, for the moment, effort on Wikipedia to title the relevant page "Kenosha riot" instead of "Kenosha protests" and of course a discussion to move the page name is full of IP addresses and redlinked new user accounts weighing in to say they're definitely riots.
That has been enough for me to sign up for a Wikipedia account so I can say "well, how about if we compromise and call them the 'Kenosha White Supremacist Riots'? That way at least it would be more accurate."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:09 AM on August 27, 2020 [42 favorites]
That has been enough for me to sign up for a Wikipedia account so I can say "well, how about if we compromise and call them the 'Kenosha White Supremacist Riots'? That way at least it would be more accurate."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:09 AM on August 27, 2020 [42 favorites]
... their toxic combination of entitlement, arrogance, ignorance, and racism has them now very very close to self-imploding rage strokes and heart attacks.
To be so suffused in satanic anger and persist in believing one's worldview is right and unquestionable ... almost unspeakably tragic, for the believer and for each of us in the world with him.
Periodically there's news pieces with a What Could Be Going On?! tone about the mortality statistics for older white American guys. Heart and other physical health issues and suicide rates. Increasingly, my reaction to those kinds of stories is "I mean...of course." Toxic is one of those terms of cultural art that nailed the right term immediately.
posted by Drastic at 7:18 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
To be so suffused in satanic anger and persist in believing one's worldview is right and unquestionable ... almost unspeakably tragic, for the believer and for each of us in the world with him.
Periodically there's news pieces with a What Could Be Going On?! tone about the mortality statistics for older white American guys. Heart and other physical health issues and suicide rates. Increasingly, my reaction to those kinds of stories is "I mean...of course." Toxic is one of those terms of cultural art that nailed the right term immediately.
posted by Drastic at 7:18 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Two separate discussions here. First; good on the NBA teams. I like the framing "Instantly Seems Like It Was Inevitable"; but it wasn't until they did it.
As for the murders in Kenosha Tuesday night, I'm scared as shit at the incipient fascism of it. Several of the links hint at this but I want to lay out the story a little more clearly.
Fairness requires me to admit that what we know from Kenosha on Tuesday is pretty fragmentary and this is only one possible interpretation. Maybe the cops were being friendly with the militia just hoping to build good relations and were equally friendly with BLM protestors. Maybe the situation was so chaotic the cops didn't realize they were shoving protestors right into the assault rifles. Maybe they didn't recognize that the murderer was trying to turn himself in for arrest. I dunno, maybe? Or maybe some cops just wanted to see some protestors get shot.
What is clear is that an armed group of random people showed up and the police did nothing to stop them from shooting protestors. This escalation of violence serves the purpose of fascism in the United States.
posted by Nelson at 7:19 AM on August 27, 2020 [62 favorites]
As for the murders in Kenosha Tuesday night, I'm scared as shit at the incipient fascism of it. Several of the links hint at this but I want to lay out the story a little more clearly.
- An armed and untrained group from out of state shows up with weapons of war to "protect property"
- The police get chummy with the armed group, saying they were glad they were there and giving them water.
- One of the armed thugs brags about how police promised they'd drive protestors to them so the guys with the assault rifles can "handle them"
- The police do exactly that, driving protestors right to where they know the armed groups are lying in wait with their military weapons.
- A 17 year old from the armed group shoots and kills two protesters with his "AR-15-like" weapon.
- The Kenosha police pass on arresting the murderer despite him apparently offering himself up for arrest
Fairness requires me to admit that what we know from Kenosha on Tuesday is pretty fragmentary and this is only one possible interpretation. Maybe the cops were being friendly with the militia just hoping to build good relations and were equally friendly with BLM protestors. Maybe the situation was so chaotic the cops didn't realize they were shoving protestors right into the assault rifles. Maybe they didn't recognize that the murderer was trying to turn himself in for arrest. I dunno, maybe? Or maybe some cops just wanted to see some protestors get shot.
What is clear is that an armed group of random people showed up and the police did nothing to stop them from shooting protestors. This escalation of violence serves the purpose of fascism in the United States.
posted by Nelson at 7:19 AM on August 27, 2020 [62 favorites]
This could only happen during the virus. Can you imagine if this happened in a year other than 2020? The headlines would be screaming, and everyone would be talking of nothing else 24/7. Now everyone is just like "yeah, this is a good thing, about time." (All the sports people are unenthusiastically winging it anyway, because they are scared of getting sick but have to keep in mind all the money that is flowing; better it happen when a lot of people aren't giving sports their full attention anyway.)
posted by Melismata at 7:24 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 7:24 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
This is a good article about how the strike happened and what discussions are going on within the NBA players as to next steps.
posted by Superilla at 7:38 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Superilla at 7:38 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
What is the fixation on calling what the NBA players are doing a boycott when it's clearly a strike? My guess is that we are no longer accustomed to shows of power from organized labor and boycotts are people's only handle on the power of collective action anymore.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:46 AM on August 27, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:46 AM on August 27, 2020 [12 favorites]
I think if it's a strike then the league would need to take action against the players because it's against the collective bargaining agreement, which they don't want to do, so they're saying the games are postponed and it's a boycott in order to let the games not be played and not have to fight against the players. I don't think the NBA of past years would be as cooperative.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:55 AM on August 27, 2020 [16 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:55 AM on August 27, 2020 [16 favorites]
I somehow read the first credible news article on the Kenosha shooting on TMZ of all places. And the recommended articles at the bottom were all about sports. It struck me as very discordant, such that I was like, 'wait, what site am I on? TMZ. The hell?' I really associate TMZ with celebrity gossip, not with hard news or sports. But then, I do feel like this kind of news is linked with sports. And the braying for sports in the midst of all this is INSANE. The biggest braying seems to come from secure white men who 'avoid politics.'
I actually had mustered a bit of passing, "Wow...basketball? Okay. Maybe that's a nice thing?" People were telling me they were excited to see basketball again. But, I've also heard about athletes being threatened if they don't play, if they try to sit out for their health and the health of their families. Our priorities have been out of whack for generations.
To add on with Nelson's list:
posted by amanda at 7:56 AM on August 27, 2020 [25 favorites]
I actually had mustered a bit of passing, "Wow...basketball? Okay. Maybe that's a nice thing?" People were telling me they were excited to see basketball again. But, I've also heard about athletes being threatened if they don't play, if they try to sit out for their health and the health of their families. Our priorities have been out of whack for generations.
To add on with Nelson's list:
- Cops are no longer serving and protecting.
- Cities cannot control their cops.
- Police unions are actively resisting control by city officials, everywhere.
- Cops are colluding with white supremacists.
- The only way a city can control the cops right now is to defund and disband.
posted by amanda at 7:56 AM on August 27, 2020 [25 favorites]
I think if it's a strike then the league would need to take action against the players because it's against the collective bargaining agreement, which they don't want to do, so they're saying the games are postponed and it's a boycott in order to let the games not be played and not have to fight against the players. I don't think the NBA of past years would be as cooperative.
Came to say the same -- it is happening with the full support of the coaches and with the (maybe grudging, maybe not) support of the team ownership. People think of a strike as a labor dispute -- players vs. management. This is very much not that, as the article linked above makes clear.
posted by anastasiav at 8:01 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Came to say the same -- it is happening with the full support of the coaches and with the (maybe grudging, maybe not) support of the team ownership. People think of a strike as a labor dispute -- players vs. management. This is very much not that, as the article linked above makes clear.
posted by anastasiav at 8:01 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Capital strike, kinda?
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 8:18 AM on August 27, 2020
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 8:18 AM on August 27, 2020
a capital strike is an action taken by capital against resistance to capital. that's not what's going on here. what's happening is that the workers are leading a strike action and there's no tenable way for capital to do anything but go along with it.
and yeah capital is using the "postponement" language and the "boycott" language in an attempt mask the import of what the workers are doing, and to let them pretend that the workers aren't in control.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 8:29 AM on August 27, 2020 [10 favorites]
and yeah capital is using the "postponement" language and the "boycott" language in an attempt mask the import of what the workers are doing, and to let them pretend that the workers aren't in control.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 8:29 AM on August 27, 2020 [10 favorites]
The NBA players met this morning and have decided to resume playing but have not decided on a date to resume; games scheduled for today (Thursday) are postponed.
For the non-basketball insiders, Adrian Wojnarowski - aka WOJ, has built-up a reputation of releasing accurate information before any other reporter with impeccable accuracy and direct access to sources - agents, players, league and team executives.
I normally would not share what some may view as speculation because it's not officially announced by the players or the league) and so much other reporting on twitter - not just in sports, but in general -often results in wrong or misleading information; but WOJ is honestly an exception, and perhaps Shams Charania as well.
posted by fizzix at 9:18 AM on August 27, 2020
People think of a strike as a labor dispute
Right, a regular labor dispute is often about what value should be attached to a unit of labor. It seems to me that the current strike is about who gets to direct the policy of the sports governing bodies (= corporations). The players etc. are obviously tired of the current justice-washing (is this a phrase? - like green-washing ...) activities of NBA et al. And want it to go way beyond some billboards etc. next to basketball courts.
posted by carter at 9:19 AM on August 27, 2020
Right, a regular labor dispute is often about what value should be attached to a unit of labor. It seems to me that the current strike is about who gets to direct the policy of the sports governing bodies (= corporations). The players etc. are obviously tired of the current justice-washing (is this a phrase? - like green-washing ...) activities of NBA et al. And want it to go way beyond some billboards etc. next to basketball courts.
posted by carter at 9:19 AM on August 27, 2020
It's worth noting that the "boycott" language is coming from the players themselves, not just capital/media -- on Instagram, LeBron corrected the NBA's press release to say that yesterday's games were "BOYCOTTED NOT *POSTPONED", for instance. It might be a tactical decision to preempt some backlash given that historically public sentiment has often come down against players in US professional athlete strikes.
posted by bassooner at 9:33 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by bassooner at 9:33 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
...of course a discussion to move the page name is full of IP addresses and redlinked new user accounts weighing in to say they're definitely riots.
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of bots and bad actors are out in force to change the facts and the conversation around the Kenosha protests and the shooting of Jacob Blake. On Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, Twitter... no medium is safe. Many are using the same paragraphs, word for word.
posted by Stoof at 9:41 AM on August 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of bots and bad actors are out in force to change the facts and the conversation around the Kenosha protests and the shooting of Jacob Blake. On Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, Twitter... no medium is safe. Many are using the same paragraphs, word for word.
posted by Stoof at 9:41 AM on August 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
Yeah, this is definitely a protest action, but isn't a perfect fit for either "strike" (which is typically linked to specific demands made of the management), or "boycott" (which is typically a consumer rather than labor action). "Strike" is closer, in that it's a labor action. "Walkout", maybe?
posted by jackbishop at 9:42 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by jackbishop at 9:42 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of bots and bad actors are out in force to change the facts and the conversation around the Kenosha protests and the shooting of Jacob Blake. On Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, Twitter... no medium is safe. Many are using the same paragraphs, word for word.
I'm glad you put "bad actors" in this because I'm not sure it's necessary to posit "bots" when a very large segment of the country has demonstrated itself time and again to be barely more intelligent than a Perl script anyway.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 9:49 AM on August 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
I'm glad you put "bad actors" in this because I'm not sure it's necessary to posit "bots" when a very large segment of the country has demonstrated itself time and again to be barely more intelligent than a Perl script anyway.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 9:49 AM on August 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
Honestly the only surprise about Killer Kyle is that he’s not the main speaker tonight at the RNC.
swiped from a friend on fb, with permission
I am full of rage. How do Black people even?
posted by theora55 at 9:53 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
swiped from a friend on fb, with permission
I am full of rage. How do Black people even?
posted by theora55 at 9:53 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
This makes twice now that the NBA has found itself in the position of possible tipping point: back in March, the league shutdown seemed to happen just before everyone decided to lock things down because of COVID-19--like literally for me in Ontario, the basketball shutdown happened on Thursday, then the same day the province announced schools would not reopen after March Break as planned, and by the end of the week our office had closed down and we were told not to work from home until further notice. I don't think the NBA necessarily convinced everyone they had to shut down, everyone was kind of thinking it already, but you could potentially make the argument that it was a big catalyst and I don't think it would be immediately ridiculous.
So now we have NBA players and WNBA players striking out of solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the victims of police brutality, but also all the social ills that have plagues black and other visible minority communities over the past few decades and beyond. And practically overnight, other sports are following suit: Major League Soccer players, Major League Baseball players, Naomi Osaka in tennis, and almost certainly more to come before the week is out.
It's probably too soon to hope for a general strike, but I've never seen the United States on the precipice of something significant like this.
posted by chrominance at 10:21 AM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
So now we have NBA players and WNBA players striking out of solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the victims of police brutality, but also all the social ills that have plagues black and other visible minority communities over the past few decades and beyond. And practically overnight, other sports are following suit: Major League Soccer players, Major League Baseball players, Naomi Osaka in tennis, and almost certainly more to come before the week is out.
It's probably too soon to hope for a general strike, but I've never seen the United States on the precipice of something significant like this.
posted by chrominance at 10:21 AM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
Though on the other hand, the Washington Post is now reporting the playoffs will continue and the players will return to work at an unspecified date. So maybe not.
posted by chrominance at 10:23 AM on August 27, 2020
posted by chrominance at 10:23 AM on August 27, 2020
Focusing on the semantics of whether the players’ action is a “boycott,” a “strike,” or should be called something else seems to be really missing the point here.
I’m hoping that other professional sports follow suit, especially the NFL, take similar actions. A similar protest by the Green Bay Packers would really make people take notice in Wisconsin for example
Can such actions by professional sports teams make a difference? I think they might.
posted by haiku warrior at 10:45 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
I’m hoping that other professional sports follow suit, especially the NFL, take similar actions. A similar protest by the Green Bay Packers would really make people take notice in Wisconsin for example
Can such actions by professional sports teams make a difference? I think they might.
posted by haiku warrior at 10:45 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Honestly, I don't understand why every single black athlete - whether professional, collegiate or amateur, doesn't refuse to play until every city in America takes concrete action towards removing (and punishing) the white supremacists that have grossly contaminated their police departments. Bravo to the NBA and WNBA for their advocacy. No Justice, No Peace, No Justice, No Play.
posted by pjsky at 10:59 AM on August 27, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by pjsky at 10:59 AM on August 27, 2020 [9 favorites]
If the players want to draw more attention to their cause they could agree to moving forward with the playoffs, set the date, show up and then once again refuse to play. Actually, I hope that's exactly what they do.
posted by pjsky at 11:01 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by pjsky at 11:01 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of bots and bad actors are out in force to change the facts and the conversation around the Kenosha protests and the shooting of Jacob Blake. On Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, Twitter... no medium is safe. Many are using the same paragraphs, word for word.
The Raptors were founded in '95. And so on.
posted by Freelance Demiurge at 11:07 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
The Raptors were founded in '95. And so on.
posted by Freelance Demiurge at 11:07 AM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
ESPN is reporting that the NHL is postponing all of today's playoff games.
posted by bassooner at 12:36 PM on August 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by bassooner at 12:36 PM on August 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
About 75% of the NBA is black and many of its athletes come from poor and working-class backgrounds. They may have become millionaires in their 20s, but many still identify with those facing the brunt of violence and neglect. As the Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet said on Wednesday: “We’re the oppressed ones and the responsibility falls on us to make a change to stop being oppressed.”Bhaskar Sunkara, "NBA players took real political action over Jacob Blake. Will others follow?" The Guardian (27 August 2020)
It is a statement that has more in common with the radical national liberation movements of the 20th century than a more recent crop of anti-racist literature like White Fragility and corporate musings about diversity – directed to a white audience to foster white guilt and introspection.
posted by Ahmad Khani at 1:13 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
White supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across US.
A former FBI agent has documented links between serving officers and racist militant activities in more than a dozen states.
posted by adamvasco at 1:21 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
A former FBI agent has documented links between serving officers and racist militant activities in more than a dozen states.
posted by adamvasco at 1:21 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
White supremacists and militias have infiltrated formed the police across US.
FTFY
posted by tzikeh at 1:24 PM on August 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
FTFY
posted by tzikeh at 1:24 PM on August 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
I think Colin Kaepernick absolutely influenced and set the stage for what the NBA players are doing. Him, Black Lives Matter, WNBA players, have all led the way for the NBA and hopefully the NBA will lead the way for others.
Chris Hodges wanted to boycott Game 1 of the NBA finals in response to the Rodney King beating but wasn't able to get support from enough other players to make it happen. I don't think 1991 America would have taken to a boycott very well and I don't know how effective a boycott back then would have been.
But in 2020, after years of BLM protests, years of Trump, the absurdity of playing in the bubble, and for what?, the players probably figured that yeah, if any one of them took action the league might do something to them a la Kaepernick, but once it is entire teams, including the defending champions, openly discussing a boycott to the media in press conferences , and a team featuring the league MVP deciding not to leave the locker room, then what can the league do? And once one league decides to postpone games how can other leagues, including eventually the NHL, not follow suit? I want to know what happens next, and in 2020 there aren't too many things in the news I can say that about.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:05 PM on August 27, 2020
Chris Hodges wanted to boycott Game 1 of the NBA finals in response to the Rodney King beating but wasn't able to get support from enough other players to make it happen. I don't think 1991 America would have taken to a boycott very well and I don't know how effective a boycott back then would have been.
But in 2020, after years of BLM protests, years of Trump, the absurdity of playing in the bubble, and for what?, the players probably figured that yeah, if any one of them took action the league might do something to them a la Kaepernick, but once it is entire teams, including the defending champions, openly discussing a boycott to the media in press conferences , and a team featuring the league MVP deciding not to leave the locker room, then what can the league do? And once one league decides to postpone games how can other leagues, including eventually the NHL, not follow suit? I want to know what happens next, and in 2020 there aren't too many things in the news I can say that about.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:05 PM on August 27, 2020
Jacob Blake's father says they have his paralyzed son handcuffed to the fucking bed!
Words fail. I mean... truly, what can one even say about that??
posted by bcd at 3:36 PM on August 27, 2020 [14 favorites]
Words fail. I mean... truly, what can one even say about that??
posted by bcd at 3:36 PM on August 27, 2020 [14 favorites]
With the fight on Wikipedia over what to name it, or even the number of tweet responses to the Woj tweet that are some variation on I'm done with NBA. It's turned into an extension of the far left. Won't watch. Don’t care. Used to enjoy games. Enough is enough., or even those exact words, just copied and pasted from one shitposting account to the next, and just the sheer level of bad faith in nearly every discussion that needs to be had, I have no idea where we go from here. When we have such a moment of import, of raw, exposed nerves and people speaking from the heart, it seems we will always have to wonder how much of the responses utterly lacking in any sort of ability to connect, to empathize, are bots, and how many are people so divorced from any sort of understanding of empathy that they, and the copy pasta they grab from whatever site they build their opinions from, I'm just sort of at a loss.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:53 PM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by Ghidorah at 3:53 PM on August 27, 2020 [6 favorites]
any portmanteau, a little thing: it's Craig Hodges, not Chris. After the season, he was waived by the Bulls, and no other team would sign him, even though he was only 32, and had won the three point contest the previous year. He ended up wearing an "NBA" jersey in the three point contest the next year, but that was essentially the end of his NBA playing career.
And then there's the story of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, suspended by the league for refusing to stand for the anthem, and essentially forced out of basketball after. It seems the league is a much different place now, thankfully.
posted by Ghidorah at 4:27 PM on August 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
And then there's the story of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, suspended by the league for refusing to stand for the anthem, and essentially forced out of basketball after. It seems the league is a much different place now, thankfully.
posted by Ghidorah at 4:27 PM on August 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
I thought what the Mets and Marlins did tonight was pretty powerful. It's wild to see these guys self-organizing.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 5:37 PM on August 27, 2020 [13 favorites]
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 5:37 PM on August 27, 2020 [13 favorites]
A bit of a bright spot on the Wiki article - the page on Kenosha has been re-named back to "Kenosha Protests", and the Wiki editors are primly attributing this to "consensus in the discussion". There's further discussion over whether to further rename it "Kenosha unrest", but there's general agreement that calling it the "Kenosha riots" is incorrect.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:19 AM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:19 AM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]
Just in, so this thread might have sailed. Absolutely still worth mentioning: as reported above, the NBA will resume the playoffs. But in the two days since the players took action, a new initiative has been put in place, league-wide:
posted by Theophrastus Johnson at 1:29 PM on August 28, 2020 [8 favorites]
In every NBA city where the league's franchise owns and controls its arena property, team owners will work with local officials to turn those arenas into voting locations for the 2020 general election, giving constituents a way to vote in person during the coronavirus pandemic. If that isn't possible, there will be an effort to use those facilities in other ways, including as sites to register voters and receive ballots.I literally started applauding when I read this. I have always believed in the transformative power of sports, even beyond the usual tropes of "physical well-being!" or "leadership! teamwork!". I'm happy to be reminded of another instance (Curt Flood?), but I can't recall a comparable example of athletes using their positions to affect such a concrete step towards progressive change -- beyond the standard branded messaging ("We care!" etc) leagues like to put out to gloss over difference in political views.
posted by Theophrastus Johnson at 1:29 PM on August 28, 2020 [8 favorites]
The Conservative Defense of Kyle Rittenhouse Is Dangerous Nonsense. This article was really helpful for me in understanding the monstrousness of talking about Rittenhouse acting in self-defense. He shot someone, and then bystanders were trying to disarm him. They are heroes, not attackers who deserve to be gunned down.
posted by Nelson at 2:25 PM on August 28, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by Nelson at 2:25 PM on August 28, 2020 [8 favorites]
“Inadvertent General Strike,” Andrew Liu & Elias Rodriques, n+1, 29 August 2020
posted by ob1quixote at 3:02 PM on August 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ob1quixote at 3:02 PM on August 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
Mod note: Few comments removed - let's maybe not center this thread on the one shitty white guy and that part of this narrative?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:47 AM on August 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:47 AM on August 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
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posted by entropone at 7:24 PM on August 26, 2020 [126 favorites]