Warriors’ Co-Owner: I Don’t Care About Concentration Camps, Forced Labor

[Roy H.]

Yikes:

Golden State Warriors owner Chamath Palihapitiya suggested recently that “nobody cares” about China’s system of concentration camps, forced labor, and high-tech surveillance against the Uyghur community in Xinjiang.

“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, okay,” Palihapitiya said during an appearance on the All-In podcast. “You bring it up because you care and I think it’s nice that you care. The rest of us don’t care. I’m just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nba-team-owner-nobody-cares-181126794.html

[csfansince60s]

Yikes:

Golden State Warriors owner Chamath Palihapitiya suggested recently that “nobody cares” about China’s system of concentration camps, forced labor, and high-tech surveillance against the Uyghur community in Xinjiang.

“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, okay,” Palihapitiya said during an appearance on the All-In podcast. “You bring it up because you care and I think it’s nice that you care. The rest of us don’t care. I’m just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nba-team-owner-nobody-cares-181126794.html

Sad, but not shocking.

Not many voices in the NBA like Daryl Morley’s. He cares.

Bron Bron, Silver, this owner and the deafening silence from so many who aggressively advocate for rights here? All hypocrites!

[Roy H.]

Yikes:

Golden State Warriors owner Chamath Palihapitiya suggested recently that “nobody cares” about China’s system of concentration camps, forced labor, and high-tech surveillance against the Uyghur community in Xinjiang.

“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, okay,” Palihapitiya said during an appearance on the All-In podcast. “You bring it up because you care and I think it’s nice that you care. The rest of us don’t care. I’m just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nba-team-owner-nobody-cares-181126794.html

Sad, but not shocking.

Not many voices in the NBA like Daryl Morley’s. He cares.

Bron Bron, Silver, this owner and the deafening silence from so many who aggressively advocate for rights here? All hypocrites!

Yeah.  He went on to talk about caring about worldwide human rights as a “luxury belief”.

I’m not big on intervention in foreign affairs, but I think stopping genocides should be at the top of everyone’s agenda.  Thank God we stopped Nazi Germany, but if they’d just stopped at annexing some Eastern European countries and killing all those Jews, would there have been a World War?  Or was that a “luxury belief” until Western Europe was attacked?  How did we sit by and watch what happened in Rwanda? 

[perks-a-beast]

This just surpassed Draymond as the biggest reason to root against Golden State.

[PhoSita]

is he wrong, fundamentally?

lots of people nominally care, but nothing is really being done about it. the league doesn't care. businesses will continue to do business with china. the US is not going to leverage sanctions or other diplomatic efforts to meaningfully make a difference to oppressed people in china.

so at a basic level, this guy is right.

[Roy H.]

is he wrong, fundamentally?

lots of people nominally care, but nothing is really being done about it. the league doesn't care. businesses will continue to do business with china. the US is not going to leverage sanctions or other diplomatic efforts to meaningfully make a difference to oppressed people in china.

so at a basic level, this guy is right.

He might be right about the apathy others have.  He’s wrong on the morality, that caring about human rights is a luxury. 

It would seem like a billionaire has time to care about luxuries.

[Ogaju]

there is a lot of ugliness that goes on in different parts of the world by people and governments we embrace and align with. If we really cared we would do something.

[PhoSita]

is he wrong, fundamentally?

lots of people nominally care, but nothing is really being done about it. the league doesn't care. businesses will continue to do business with china. the US is not going to leverage sanctions or other diplomatic efforts to meaningfully make a difference to oppressed people in china.

so at a basic level, this guy is right.

He might be right about the apathy others have.  He’s wrong on the morality, that caring about human rights is a luxury. 

It would seem like a billionaire has time to care about luxuries.

I guess to me it's refreshing for somebody to acknowledge they just don't have the bandwidth to actually give a crap about something.

We live in a world beset by so many enormous problems that very few people with power and resources are actually willing to combat.  Yet lots of people care about those problems and want to solve them ... *in theory.*

If more people in power were honest about what they actually care about and what they are willing to give up / sacrifice in order to make a difference, I think it would be very helpful.  Clarifying.

I would give examples but this isn't the CE forum and I'm not allowed to discuss things there ....

[Kernewek]

Whatever his personal story may be, he's one of the folks that should go up against the wall anyway. Are we surprised he doesn't care about other people?

[Who]

I didn't know Chamath was a co-owner of GSW.

I have enjoyed listening to him in the past. Very interesting and likable guy -- climate change, green tech, social media concerns (the Tristan Harris documentary), future of education, spoke out against the welfare for the rich (government bailouts) during Covid. Lots of interesting ideas and opinions. He is doing a lot of good work in the world (his investment fund, looking for solutions to climate change).

Human rights, luxury beliefs, foreign interventionism. Hmm ...

I really like the idea of "luxury beliefs". It's a great phrase / idea.


Edit: Trying to say - this does not come across well but I do think he is a good guy and worth knowing more about.

[Neurotic Guy]

Yikes:

Golden State Warriors owner Chamath Palihapitiya suggested recently that “nobody cares” about China’s system of concentration camps, forced labor, and high-tech surveillance against the Uyghur community in Xinjiang.

“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, okay,” Palihapitiya said during an appearance on the All-In podcast. “You bring it up because you care and I think it’s nice that you care. The rest of us don’t care. I’m just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nba-team-owner-nobody-cares-181126794.html

Sad, but not shocking.

Not many voices in the NBA like Daryl Morley’s. He cares.

Bron Bron, Silver, this owner and the deafening silence from so many who aggressively advocate for rights here? All hypocrites!

Yeah.  He went on to talk about caring about worldwide human rights as a “luxury belief”.

I’m not big on intervention in foreign affairs, but I think stopping genocides should be at the top of everyone’s agenda.  Thank God we stopped Nazi Germany, but if they’d just stopped at annexing some Eastern European countries and killing all those Jews, would there have been a World War?  Or was that a “luxury belief” until Western Europe was attacked?  How did we sit by and watch what happened in Rwanda?

I don't know why we sat and watched Rwanda, but equally don't know why we sat and watched Hitler all but take over the world.  How much longer would we have waited if Japan hadn't ushered us in on December 7, 1941? We knew about Hitler, his plan for the "final solution", and how he was taking Europe by storm... but it was unpopular in the US to get involved before we were attacked.

Maybe the "hard truth" the Warriors owner spoke of is actually the truth.  People don't care.

[Rondo9]

There are people who do care about others, it's just all too often unfortunately people who are in power don't care because it'll affect their pockets or dealings.

[Ed Monix]

What is somewhat hilarious about Chamath Palihapitiya‘a statement is that he is a Sri Lankan REFUGEE, who’s parents immigrated to Canada.

The only reason he’s able to co-own the Golden State Warriors is because someone cared about his family’s plight.

[Vermont Green]

There is tremendous social and economic inequity in the world, staggering really, when you consider the difference between this guy who is a part owner of an NBA team and the Uyghur people, persecuted and living in extreme poverty, fighting to feed their children every day.  He probably figures he worked hard and earned everything he has so those without are not his problem.

I really don't know where the balance point is regarding caring about those less fortunate and being realistic that there really is nothing you as an individual can do.  But to say out loud what this guy did is pretty pathetic. 

There always have been and always will be "haves and have nots" in the world.  Economically, I am a mere fraction of what Chamath Palihapitiya is but compared to the Uyghur people, I live like a king (as do pretty much everyone who frequents this board).

I don't expect Chamath Palihapitiya to give all his money to the poor, to be like Mother Teresa, but he shouldn't be callous about it either.  Inequality is an issue for the world and for the US.  The "haves" should care about the "have nots" more than they collective do but all the caring in the world isn't going to solve the problem.

Expecting there to be no inequity is unrealistic and not necessarily good for the world either.  But how much inequity is too much?  What is a just and fair amount of inequity?  Tough questions.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I like the guy, but I think the way he phrased it was completely poor and regrettable. But I think he's still on point in some regard sadly as well.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/chamath-palihapitiya-warriors-part-owner-venture-capitalist-uyghur-muslims

"Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, OK? You bring it up because you really care and I think it’s nice that you care. The rest of us don’t care. I’m just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line. Of all the things that I care about, it is below my line," Palihapitiya said.

When co-host David Sacks said it’s just not top of mind for most people, Palihapitiya pushed back.

"That’s not caring. … I care about the fact that our economy can turn on a dime if China invades Taiwan. I care about climate change. I care about America’s crippling and decrepit health care infrastructure. But if you ask me do I care about a segment of a class of people in another country? Not until we can take care of ourselves will I prioritize them over us," Palihapitiya said.

"And I think a lot of people believe that and I’m sorry if that’s a hard truth to hear but every time I say that I ‘care about the Uyghurs’ I’m really just lying if I don’t really care and so I rather not lie to you and tell you the truth. It’s not a priority for me."

Calacanis called it a "sad state of affairs" when human rights issues are being put on a back burner. Palihapitiya called it a "luxury belief."

"That’s another luxury belief. And the reason I think it’s a luxury belief is because we don’t do enough domestically to actually express that view in real tangible ways. So until we actually clean up our own house, the idea that we step outside of our borders with us sort of morally virtue signaling about somebody else’s human rights track record it’s deplorable," he added.