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Woke NBA groveling for China

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Alma, Oct 7, 2019.

  1. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    A single tweet triggered all this.

    Rockets GM Daryl Morey stood with Hong Kong in a tweet. Ruh-roh. You don't do that if you're part of a league in love with Chinese support.

    Daryl Morey’s Hong Kong Tweet Has Put His Relationship With the Rockets in Limbo

    James Harden apologized.

    Harden apologizes as rift grows: 'We love China'

    The NBA apologized.

    NBA's Apology to China Draws Outrage Across Political Spectrum

    The Chinese version stated that the league was "extremely disappointed in the inappropriate comment by the general manager of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey," and that "he has undoubtedly seriously hurt the feelings of Chinese basketball fans."

    The use of "hurt the feelings of Chinese basketball fans" jumped out for China watchers, who recognized the phrase as one of the favored propaganda terms used by Beijing's Foreign Ministry whenever Western brands or individuals speak out on issues related to the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement or China's other territorial disputes.


    Politicians went bonkers - including, rightly, Democratic ones:

     
  2. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    Sidenote: I especially appreciate Harden's deeply considered contribution to all this. Of course he loves China. He's treated like a god there. He'd be treated that way in every dictatorship in the world.

    Sidenote 2: Very challenging moment for the American sports media, uniform celebrators of the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver, who's folded here in the face of Chinese corporate money. A fascist, murderous Communist nation does not generally trouble sports reporters like, say, a conservative local school board in Kansas might, or a town that doesn't sell beer on Sundays.
     
  3. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    If Tiffany "woke" too? Or are these just craven attempts at keeping customers rather than the oh-so-dreaded "virtue signaling?"

     
  4. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    More: Went to The Athletic page today for the NBA. Nothing. Crickets. There's an oral history on the Pistons' teal logo, though.

    The ESPN's NBA page has very little on it, too.

    The Ringer has its main story on Morey.
     
  5. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    One of the massive weaknesses of corporate politics is that this stuff will happen. That's why it should scare people when corporations start getting woke. They can just as easily get unwoke - as in the case with China. Their wokeness is a way to get your money. That's why I was skeptical of a fucking jeans company caring about politics.
     
  6. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    You do realize that even though you claim to abhor virtue signaling, you're doing it here, right?
     
    BadgerBeer and Mr. Sluggo like this.
  7. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    No, that's pretty much analysis. I think I have the demographic just about right. Twitter is helpful in this regard.
     
  8. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    Uh huh. Rules for thee but not for me.
     
  9. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    I'm allowed to disagree with you. Rules would be you not being able to write what you want. You can, and did. May the board be with you.

    Thoughts on the NBA and this issue, or we going the Inky route and talking about Tiffany?
     
  10. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    I think what the NBA is doing here is disgusting.

    You virtue signal here all the time. It's just for an entirely different set of virtues than is the norm around here.

    Decrying left-leaning virtue signaling is its own kind of virtue signaling.
     
  11. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    I don't care about anybody's signaling. The NBA's stance is disgusting and all decent Americans should call the league out for it.
     
    Tweener likes this.
  12. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    Wise thought.

    I lean left on many issues. Most, I'd say.

    Virtue-signaling is about leverage - especially emotional leverage - and a lack of sincerity. Christians like Bill Bennett were long the worst virtue signalers. Now the left runs neck and neck.
     
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