Melo just buried Danny Ferry

[cliftonparksufan]

FWIW, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar seems to agree with you:

http://time.com/3296175/bruce-levenson-atlanta-hawks-racist-email-kareem-abdul-jabbar/

Great article.

 

[osullfam]

Probably Danny Ferry. He was with the Cavs a few yrs ago.

Well after Ferry was gone from the Cav's
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2014/09/racially_charged_comments_read.html

 

[AZOrange]

FWIW, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar seems to agree with you: http://time.com/3296175/bruce-levenson-atlanta-hawks-racist-email-kareem-abdul-jabbar/

This was a very interesting and well thought out response. But did Kareem really cite MTVs Teen Wolf? Lol

 

[timkay99]

As someone who has written over 1000 scouting reports, if you are offended by this then you don't want to read any other scouting reports b/c half of them will be racist in your mind.

The more disturbing practice is having to read scouting reports to the owners about free agents. Never in my life have I ever heard about that being done.

If your boss calls you fat and you are fat, its not a negative comment.

 

[djcon57]

Why not just say "Deng is a two face"?

Why the need to link it to being African...especially someone who grew up in England for his teenage years...

For the record, imo, Ferry shouldn't be fired. And...since the thread went into the owner deal. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with what he said at all.

But if someone did? So be it. That's their opinion.

I don't understand why a black player can't be offended w/o the AntiPC bumrush?

If the Hawks decide to fire Ferry based on a business decision and you disagree...blame the Hawks. Don't blame the peanut gallery.

The whole reason I even jumped into the thread was the whole "SPORTS ARE DYING" rhetoric. So stupid.

 

[Knicks411]

I think we're missing the real story, which is that Melo went double negative here, so he actually thinks all of the big time FA are going to go to the Hawks.

I thought it was a pretty damn offensive line. Not sure if Ferry agreed with the sentiment or was just reading what was written down.

 

[RF2044]

Why not just say "Deng is a two face"?

Why the need to link it to being African...especially someone who grew up in England for his teenage years...

For the record, imo, Ferry shouldn't be fired. And...since the thread went into the owner deal. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with what he said at all.

But if someone did? So be it. That's their opinion.

I don't understand why a black player can't be offended w/o the AntiPC bumrush?

If the Hawks decide to fire Ferry based on a business decision and you disagree...blame the Hawks. Don't blame the peanut gallery.

The whole reason I even jumped into the thread was the whole "SPORTS ARE DYING" rhetoric. So stupid.

Probably because the PC rhetoric / faux racial and social outrage has become so over the top that its is even more stupid, to the extent that there's a backlash.

For those swept up in PC hysteria who see racist commentary everywhere, I'm sure that it is difficult to fathom why others are underwhelmed by the circumstances of this particular situation. After all, Ferry read the word "African," and the other Hawks official sent an email wondering about demographics at the games. That has to be racist, right? Until you actually review the documentation, and then it doesn't seem nearly as controversial. Critical thinking appears to be a lost art when many are accustomed to consuming news in small bytes, and often being told how to interpret what's transpiring in the world by the same venues that are providing the interpretive spin on the news. Factor in a sports media that is frothing at the mouth for an encore to the LA Clippers scandal from this summer, and it isn't difficult to see why some view this with even more jaded skepticism.

Despite that, you're right about one thing: people are entitled to their opinions, no matter what their preferred ideological beliefs.

 

[retro44]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46990897@N07/4777428910/in/photostream/

 

[CusefanATL]

Why not just say "Deng is a two face"?

Why the need to link it to being African...especially someone who grew up in England for his teenage years...

For the record, imo, Ferry shouldn't be fired. And...since the thread went into the owner deal. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with what he said at all.

But if someone did? So be it. That's their opinion.

I don't understand why a black player can't be offended w/o the AntiPC bumrush?

If the Hawks decide to fire Ferry based on a business decision and you disagree...blame the Hawks. Don't blame the peanut gallery.

The whole reason I even jumped into the thread was the whole "SPORTS ARE DYING" rhetoric. So stupid.

Have you ever made a comment about an Indian owning a 7eleven, or an Asian owning a Drycleaning, or someone being a Jew, a Guido, a redneck?

There are a lot of offensive remarks that sound so much worse when put in public forum than when they are just said. Yes its an offensive remark. And it shouldn't have been said. But this was also said in the confines of the Hawks office. It doesn't make it right, but sports teams offices/locker rooms aren't exactly board rooms nor are they politically correct.

As I have said in a different thread, I know the Levenson family very well. I have had very similar conversations with Bruce as what the email was about. If you hear him saying the same things he said in the email - you would know immediately that none of it is even remotely racist and maybe barely insensitive. It being on paper, the reader can change the tone and the meaning to whatever they want. It isn't fair at all.

 

[CusefanATL]

http://syracusefan.com/threads/hawks-game-last-night.50289/#post-610079

I just want to put this out there. This was a story I shared on the Friday of the final 4. Bruce is the white guy who isn't David Falk.

FYI: The 2 youngest Levenson sons went to Syracuse. He is a relatively big Cuse fan

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Have you ever made a comment about an Indian owning a 7eleven, or an Asian owning a Drycleaning, or someone being a Jew, a Guido, a redneck?

There are a lot of offensive remarks that sound so much worse when put in public forum than when they are just said. Yes its an offensive remark. And it shouldn't have been said. But this was also said in the confines of the Hawks office. It doesn't make it right, but sports teams offices/locker rooms aren't exactly board rooms nor are they politically correct.

As I have said in a different thread, I know the Levenson family very well. I have had very similar conversations with Bruce as what the email was about. If you hear him saying the same things he said in the email - you would know immediately that none of it is even remotely racist and maybe barely insensitive. It being on paper, the reader can change the tone and the meaning to whatever they want. It isn't fair at all.

Seems to me that is a cultural statement, especially given that African is not a race, unless there are no caucasian Africans.

 

[CusefanATL]

Seems to me that is a cultural statement, especially given that African is not a race, unless there are no caucasian Africans.

as is Indian's (not native americans) and Asians, correct?

 

[CusefanATL]

Seems to me that is a cultural statement, especially given that African is not a race, unless there are no caucasian Africans.

actually, upon further review... if its a cultural thing, doesn't that make it more of redneck? people make redneck jokes all the time.

 

[CusefanATL]

i guess thats my biggest problem with all of this? what is 'cultural?' Countries have culture, Regions have culture, races have culture, religions have culture, Universities have culture.

Hell, when the Syracuse University culture was called the #1 party school in the country, 75% (semi educated guess) took it as a compliment and 25% (the chancellor who has the most authority) took great offense.

 

[RF2044]

i guess thats my biggest problem with all of this? what is 'cultural?' Countries have culture, Regions have culture, races have culture, religions have culture, Universities have culture.

Hell, when the Syracuse University culture was called the #1 party school in the country, 75% (semi educated guess) took it as a compliment and 25% (the chancellor who has the most authority) took great offense.

Here's a quick reference guide: if the terms "African" or "black" are used in any capacity that might potentially be construed as critical, you can infer that said comments are automatically racist.

 

[djcon57]

Uh huh...

"Like typical over privileged white suburbanite, potential employee bounced from college to college racking up pointless degrees on mommy and daddy's dime before lucking into a cushy position based on a legacy case"

Wonder how that one would go over.

 

[djcon57]

Have you ever made a comment about an Indian owning a 7eleven, or an Asian

Not at a place of employment. No, I haven't

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Here's a quick reference guide: if the terms "African" or "black" are used in any capacity that might potentially be construed as critical, you can infer that said comments are automatically racist.

Thats quite a simplification. Ever heard of CPT? this is a negative description that black people invented and apply to themselves. perhaps its racist. perhaps its in general true.

 

[CaptainJ]

The slippery slope is that the public is now demanding a pound of flesh for even the most inane violations.

Ah, the pound of flesh, good ol' Shylock. Speaking of which, I wonder what the overly-PC crowd would think of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"? (There is a movie version with Pacino, but I am assuming it is a Hollywood whitewash).

And speaking of which again, we know who gains by the continual race-baiting: those in control of the media. Keep us all divided while they further their agenda bit by bit. It's time we stopped being so sensitive to our minor differences, and see that we have far more in common than those in power who keep us divided so that they can stay in power.

 

[SUbear]

Has everyone even seen the context of the comments that has raised all of this? Eman77ster posted below a report that purports to be the scouting report that has caused the stir.

If that is actually it, I don't see what all of the discussion is about, nor do I understand why Danny Ferry would fall on his sword and accept any sort of punishment in connection with this - - other than in an attempt to quell the PC lynch mob before it gets too much more out of hand.

First, the comments contained in the report are probably in bad taste, but I am not convinced that they are clearly racist.

Second, if you read the entire portion of the report and the comments in their context, they appear like they may have been made by a Cleveland Front Office person, not an Atlanta Scout. The speaker talks about his ("Deng's) physical condition when we got him. Also says "I would have no problem bringing him back."

Third, the way the report is set up, it appears to be reporting what others have said. Whoever made those comments doesn't appear to be involved at all in drafting the report or assembling the information that is reflected there. In other words they don't appear to be the words of someone in the Hawks organization, unless they hired someone from the Cavs front office.

Am I missing something here??

You can never quell the PC crowd, they only redouble their attacks, which are usually about bullpuppy.

 

[SUbear]

Here's a quick reference guide: if the terms "African" or "black" are used in any capacity that might potentially be construed as critical, you can infer that said comments are automatically racist.

Down another slippery slope, because you now can not evaluate someone for personal performance, character because if he is anything but white it must just be racist.

 

[CusefanATL]

Down another slippery slope, because you now can not evaluate someone for personal performance, character because if he is anything but white it must just be racist.

I think he was being facetious

 

[SUbear]

I think he was being facetious

I know, was really just re emphasing what he was being facetious about.

 

[osullfam]

Civil rights leaders are spinning in their graves. When you bastardize and hijack a meaningful issue like rascism it ceases to have meaning.