I said it but I didn't really mean it
NBA referee Bill Kennedy has been a ref for a long time. In a sport where the regular season is 82 game long, he has officiated in more than 1,000 of those regular season games. Players should respect him, even if they occasionally disagree with him.
So when Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo hurled profane, homophobic slurs at Kennedy, the NBA chose to suspend him for one game. It also prompted Kennedy to come out and announce that he is gay, something he'd chosen to keep private for many years. That is certainly his choice and right.
Rondo tweeted the following two comments:
"My actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period!"
"They absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. I did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone."
The problem is that this is what Rondo "allegedly" said, according to multiple sources:
"“You’re a mother-f*****g- f****t. … You’re a f*****g f****t, Billy.”
You cannot utter those words and then claim you did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone, especially the person you direct those ugly utterances at. It is just ridiculous to claim you didn't mean it. Of course you meant it. Do we say things we don't really mean when we're angry, or does that just mean that the filter that keeps us from saying them when we are in better control of our emotions is gone when anger appears?
The truth is, if you wouldn't hold those words in your mind as epithets and insults, no matter how angry you become, you won't say them. They shouldn't be part of your vocabulary. Unless you believe that they are insults and will need to use them as such at some point.
So when Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo hurled profane, homophobic slurs at Kennedy, the NBA chose to suspend him for one game. It also prompted Kennedy to come out and announce that he is gay, something he'd chosen to keep private for many years. That is certainly his choice and right.
Rondo tweeted the following two comments:
"My actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period!"
"They absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. I did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone."
The problem is that this is what Rondo "allegedly" said, according to multiple sources:
"“You’re a mother-f*****g- f****t. … You’re a f*****g f****t, Billy.”
You cannot utter those words and then claim you did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone, especially the person you direct those ugly utterances at. It is just ridiculous to claim you didn't mean it. Of course you meant it. Do we say things we don't really mean when we're angry, or does that just mean that the filter that keeps us from saying them when we are in better control of our emotions is gone when anger appears?
The truth is, if you wouldn't hold those words in your mind as epithets and insults, no matter how angry you become, you won't say them. They shouldn't be part of your vocabulary. Unless you believe that they are insults and will need to use them as such at some point.
posted by me at 7:35 AM
<< Home