Are LeBron James and the rest of the NBA right to
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Posted On: 10/15/2019 10:36:43 PM
Are LeBron James and the rest of the NBA right to bow to China?
The NBA star suggested Monday it’s better to just shut up and keep your head down than risk offending the rulers of China
“So many people could have been harmed, not only physically or financially, but emotionally and spiritually,” James told reporters Monday. “Just be careful what we tweet, what we say and what we do. We do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative things that come with that too.”
After all, millions of Americans see revolting messages on social media every day. They deal with it and move on. By contrast, nuclear-armed China practically threatened to shut down the NBA’s business there after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey temporarily posted an image on Twitter Oct. 4 that said, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
Such fear has revealed a mini-clash of civilizations in an increasingly globalized world, all started by a tweet and driven by a fundamental question about political power:
Why would the world’s most populous country – an economic superpower – get this offended about a since-deleted message posted on social media by a single American sports administrator who isn’t even familiar to most American sports fans?
Is that really all it takes to hurt the feelings of the ruling Communist Party in China?
Yes, experts say, that’s really all it takes. And that’s also why they suggest this issue won’t be forgotten by China and is bound to flare up again. The bigger question now is what happens the next time China gets bothered by something else.
Kneel on Rice and Pucker UP
The NBA star suggested Monday it’s better to just shut up and keep your head down than risk offending the rulers of China
“So many people could have been harmed, not only physically or financially, but emotionally and spiritually,” James told reporters Monday. “Just be careful what we tweet, what we say and what we do. We do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative things that come with that too.”
After all, millions of Americans see revolting messages on social media every day. They deal with it and move on. By contrast, nuclear-armed China practically threatened to shut down the NBA’s business there after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey temporarily posted an image on Twitter Oct. 4 that said, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
Such fear has revealed a mini-clash of civilizations in an increasingly globalized world, all started by a tweet and driven by a fundamental question about political power:
Why would the world’s most populous country – an economic superpower – get this offended about a since-deleted message posted on social media by a single American sports administrator who isn’t even familiar to most American sports fans?
Is that really all it takes to hurt the feelings of the ruling Communist Party in China?
Yes, experts say, that’s really all it takes. And that’s also why they suggest this issue won’t be forgotten by China and is bound to flare up again. The bigger question now is what happens the next time China gets bothered by something else.
Kneel on Rice and Pucker UP
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