Mavs' Josh Howard: Allergic to good PR

How can so much indignation come to light over someone's not respecting the anthem?

Is Josh Howard foolish? Of course.
Do I stand for and respect the anthem? Of course, and I will teach my son to do so.

But my son also will learn we live in a country where a citizen can hold unpopular opinions and not be asked to leave. Freedom is funny that way.

 

I guess I can understand that. Honestly, I feel more connection to the state song/flag and more regional/provincial allegiance than national. Maybe that is in some way similar?

It's seems more and more people are justifying unjust actions by wrapping themselves in the flag i.e. these racial slurs. That happened a long time ago with the Confederate battle flag. We all know it's reputation now.

 

Exactly. I grew up with people who were assasinated by their governments when trying to live out those American made ideals when off these shores.

 

Cuban's a prick. And normally, a stunt like posting the emails is something of which I'd have a dim view.

However, my initial reaction to his move is very ambivalent. I haven't mulled all the angles, but at first glance, I'm kind of glad that people can read this stuff- even though of course it's depressing and disgusting.

It's a very strong depiction of the ignorance and hate behind the obsession with nationalistic symbols. I'm sick of this neo-McCarthyism. Fuck it. Let the racist, civil-liberties-hating turds lie in the open for all to see and smell. I'm tired of people acting like a flag on one's lapel or car is like a halo around one's head.

So, I don't know, it's not the classiest move, but I'm leaning toward giving Cuban a pass here. I'm weary of racist thugs and near-fascists using patriotism as an express ticket to the moral high ground. They don't have any business occupying that territory, ever.

EDIT: I love the people calling Cuban a "liberal."

 

You prefer arrogance, intolerance and I'm-better-than-youism as the express ticket?

 

Both sides have a surplus of arrogance, intolerance and I'm-better-than-youism. It's a bitter brew, and it tastes the same whether it's served with a brie-and-arugula side salad or a box of Oscar Meyer Lunchablestm.

 

Nice trademark. That was basically my point. We've all dug ourselves such a hole that the high ground's not within reach anytime soon.

 

True enough.

I have a Mavs decal on my car. I'm wondering if the Cowshitistan KKK is going to fuck with me. It's just the horse-and-basketball logo, with no lettering, so I guess that they might not pick up on it unless they're NBA fans...which I doubt.

 

Threadjack: Listened to Rome for about 30 seconds yesterday and all he did was rant about an email he got from someone who spelled looser that way... Guy must be an idiot to spell it that way. Spell it that way.

 

Rack him.

 

If Josh Howard could put his statements in that context I'd criticize him for his, childish language skills and his failure to understand the difference between men who lived through segregation and racism to become middle class/main stream Americans versus Josh Howard a pampered, indulged multi-millionaire, who was given the opportunity for an education that most Americans, black, white, Hispanic...can barely dream of obtaining.

In reality, Josh Howard, is a fully functional ass-clown, and aside from a particular talent to entertain, is useless, as evidence by his own attempt at being an intellectual.

 

For one....Josh Howard has EARNED his multimillionaire status and posh life style. Why put on some act as if it was given to him?


And what is it about the civil rights generation relics (black and white) who continuously throw in the faces of the younger generation that because we didn't deal with the particular type of racial strife that took place in their time that successful young African Americans have nothing to harp about?

The undercurrents that exist between blacks and whites are self evident by the flurry of racists posts hurled towards Howard's direction and polls such as this http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-obama-race.

Until Americans are willing to address these long held ills, become accustomed to hearing illiterate musings of the Howard's of the world, no matter how inarticulate they sound.