Jeff Pearlman closes the door on John Rocker, and his guilt

If they're criticizing how he chooses to commemorate a not-terribly happy moment in his life, then, yes, it is insensitive - at best. More than anyone else, the moment belongs to him. That means the "message" does too.

Same goes for the other events you mentioned. I'm a huge Beatles fan, and yet I didn't give a shit that Paul McCartney boycotted their induction into the RRHOF, for instance. It was partly his moment and his "message," he could do what he wanted with it.

 

Pretty much where I stand. If someone wants to use his acceptance speech at the Oscars/etc to highlight an issue that's important to him/her, then there's no better place to do it.

 

Sure. He's free to do it.

And, maybe you don't/didn't have a problem with it, or Jordan's speech, or McCartney's no show. Congratulations.

That doesn't mean your opinion is universal, or the only valid opinion.

Millions of people saw, or heard about these events. Some will have a different opinion, and that's ok too. And, Hank Aaron will not suffer as a result.

 

In Aaron's case he was, knowingly or not, speaking very literally about actual specific people (who are of course unknown to him). A racist in his 20s in 1974 is a racist in his 60s now, and in many cases probably someone who is wearing a suit and running a business. Some people have changed their tune. Others have just gotten better at not singing it so loudly.

 

Exactly. Hank Aaron really doesn't give two shits about what is said on this message board, or any other.

 

Well, he probably does give a shit when he knows somebody has written to his employer and says things like "the only good nigger is a dead nigger."

Certainly he won't suffer because of anything said here. But he does still suffer, and always will, because of the racism he continues to encounter. He's not supposed to talk about that, though, because it brings the racists out of the woodwork while too many others sit around wringing their hands and saying, "Oh, maybe he shouldn't have said that, especially now...." Fuck that. Why not now? Why don't we start shouting down the racists instead of questioning Hank Aaron's timing?

 

Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. And I wasn't looking for you to give me a pat on the back. Or a cookie. For fuck's sake.

 

Now that Double J has given Hank Aaron a pass he should spend the
rest of his life taking everyone out. It would be fun to watch Hank turn
heel.

 

Who offered you a cookie?

JJ thinks that anyone who has a problem with Aaron should. "just shut the fuck up."

Dick thinks that anyone who criticizes Aaron's "timing" is kind of like saying, "Shush up, boy, and enjoy this moment the way we want you to like a good little n#*#*#."

Neither of those statements seem to allow for the idea that there could be reasonable people who have a different opinion.

 

Um, who gives a fuck?

I didn't criticize them.

Double J didn't criticize them, that I know of.

In fact:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/88302/

There are 300 million people in this country. Some feel like there is a "time and a place" for taking a stand - namely, when nobody's listening.

That some amorphous group of people criticized an Academy Award winner for going off message has two things to do with my opinion that it's perfectly fine to do so, and actually admirable: Jack. Shit.

 

I think that since John McCain spent years in an Hanoi prison that
he should be able to say whatever the hell he wants.

And taking Hank's thinking one step further because Barack Obama is black no
one should ever question his thinking in a critical manner.

 

O'Bama?