Ronald Reagan had a saying: “The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”
In the case of progressives and the activist Left, the chances of them knowing what isn’t so on any given topic are above average. One such topic is the death in February of 25-year-old, Georgia man, Ahmaud Arbery.
But it’s also drawn inflammatory rhetoric, like this tweet by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:
Ahmaud Arbery was murdered for being Black.
His White assailants were allowed to roam free *for months* after lynching him. They faced no charges, no arrests. Police had video of Ahmaud’s murder the day it happened.
His family deserves justice. Our country deserves answers.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 7, 2020
AOC wrote:
“Ahmaud Arbery was murdered for being Black. His White assailants were allowed to roam free *for months* after lynching him. They faced no charges, no arrests. Police had video of Ahmaud’s murder the day it happened. His family deserves justice. Our country deserves answers.”
Newsweek reported that a Change.org petition demanding that the case be reopened stands at 175,000 signatures, at the time of this writing.
In an op-ed Wednesday, RedState’s Jeff Charles wrote about the case, stating that he believes Arbery was wrongfully killed while jogging — an opinion echoed by both the Republican governor of Georgia and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, as the BBC reported.
And now, there’s another player on the court. NBA star LeBron James decided to poke his nose into what’s become one of the hottest stories right now.
He tweeted out a progressive meme Wednesday night:
We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes! Can’t even go for a damn jog man! Like WTF man are you kidding me?!?!?!?!?!? No man fr ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! I’m sorry Ahmaud(Rest In Paradise) and my prayers and blessings sent to the….. pic.twitter.com/r1PNxs8Vgn
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 6, 2020
heavens above to your family!!🙏🏾✊🏾❤️ #StayWoke #ProfiledCauseWeAreSimplyBlack 😢😢
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 6, 2020
LeBron wrote:
We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes! Can’t even go for a damn jog man! Like WTF man are you kidding me?!?!?!?!?!? No man fr ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! I’m sorry Ahmaud(Rest In Paradise) and my prayers and blessings sent to the heavens above to your family!!
But Fox Sports 1 commentator Jason Whitlock took exception to the invective the three-time NBA champ used:
This isn't helpful. It's twitter trolling. It's using this man's tragedy to build a brand as more outspoken than Michael Jordan. There are all kinds of ways to draw attention to this tragedy. Suggesting that we are hunted everyday/every time is just shit-stirring. https://t.co/zLPICaCKuA
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) May 6, 2020
He wrote:
“This isn’t helpful. It’s twitter trolling. It’s using this man’s tragedy to build a brand as more outspoken than Michael Jordan. There are all kinds of ways to draw attention to this tragedy. Suggesting that we are hunted everyday/every time is just sh*t-stirring.”
Then progressive professor, Marc Lamont Hill, tried to take a swipe at Whitlock for not staying in lockstep:
My brother, it would seem from your tweets on this matter that you’re more outraged by Lebron’s comment than the young man being murdered. I’m not saying you feel that way, but why focus on cynically unpacking Lebron’s tweet rather than calling out the murder? https://t.co/cfLBOwl61n
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) May 7, 2020
He wrote:
My brother, it would seem from your tweets on this matter that you’re more outraged by Lebron’s comment than the young man being murdered. I’m not saying you feel that way, but why focus on cynically unpacking Lebron’s tweet rather than calling out the murder?
That’s when Whitlock made the perfect block of Hill’s attempted slam dunk:
Marc, I'm a sports commentator. I'd like to see athletes use their platforms to promote justice for Ahmaud Arbery, not promote emotion, fear or individual brand. LeBron's tweet doesn't promote justice. It's intentionally hyperbolic, divisive and unsophisticated. https://t.co/gZ6eep14RX
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) May 7, 2020
He wrote:
“Marc, I’m a sports commentator. I’d like to see athletes use their platforms to promote justice for Ahmaud Arbery, not promote emotion, fear or individual brand. LeBron’s tweet doesn’t promote justice. It’s intentionally hyperbolic, divisive and unsophisticated.”
And Whitlock has a point. Why does everything have to have a political slant? Why should a sports commentator — who’s paid to talk about sports — have a political take on everything? And, most importantly, why should the fact that someone has a certain skin color mean they need to hold the same opinion?
Sometimes, even from the most unexpected places, truth emerges.
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