re: Jason Whitlock on Drew Brees and Floyd

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The media has mostly protected LeBron James when he speaks up on off the court issues. Particularly, his comments on China this past fall. You’ve been critical of him and were once again for his tweet about Ahmaud Arbery. Talk to us about that.

Whitlock: I don’t regret the criticism of LeBron. The first sentence in his tweet was dishonest and intended to promote outrage. He said we (black men) are hunted every day, every time we step out of the house or something close to that. It’s a ridiculous statement, not supported by a single fact. It’s a statement that promotes an irrational fear. Fear and emotion are the enemy of rational thought and rational behavior. Social media promotes an anecdote-driven worldview rather than an information-and-fact-driven worldview. Social media says: “Look at these 15 anecdotes we’ve strung together over the last seven years. These 15-20 anecdotes prove that you should live in fear of being killed by police. Ignore the seven years of evidence, data and research that prove you’re just as likely to be killed by a bolt of lightning.” Let me repeat. What happened to George Floyd is a heinous, criminal tragedy. The two guys who killed Ahmaud Arbery are criminally wrong, in my opinion, based on what I’ve seen of the video. Social media, its primary influencers, the blogosphere and the mainstream media all seem determined to promote irrational fear. They seem to want all people emotional and irrational. Irrational and emotional people surrender their rights more easily than rational and non-emotional people. Irrational and emotional people, especially when 40 million of them are newly unemployed, will choose rioting, violence and looting rather than a strategic response to injustice. Irrational and emotional people will unwittingly allow themselves to be used as cover for the violent, destructive behavior of anarchists. Irrational and emotional people will more easily buy propaganda spewed by communist countries trying to destabilize America. Is LeBron an effective voice? Yes, I think for his primary employer, Nike, LeBron is an effective voice. He’s an influencer for Nike. If you believe Nike, a global corporation with enormous ties to China, is an authentic champion of human rights and justice for poor, working-class people, then LeBron is an effective voice for social justice. If you think Nike is a global corporation interested solely in its bottom line, then you might question LeBron’s actions as it relates to social justice.

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