Rondo's Anti-Gay Tirade Towards Bill Kennedy

[Eja117]

If we wanna talk about hypotheticals though, if JJ Redick was caught dropping a N-bomb on a black player, coach, or referee, he'd be known as a bigot forever. Danny Ferry went through something similar, when he made an offensive racist comparison to Luol Deng, reading from a scouting report he didn't write. He shouldn't have said it regardless, or he should learn to better prepare for conference calls, but #justsayin.

Literally dozens of players and coaches from varied races have come forward in support of Ferry, specifically in support of Ferry getting another shot in the front office somewhere, maintaining that the comment was not representative of Ferry's mindset.

But Rondo, said something at least as much or more offensive, clearly personally directed right at Kennedy, to demean him, and he's getting crap about it now, but he'll apologize and we'll all move on. And Kennedy will have to ref his games again, knowing what Rondo thinks of him, knowing that hate is there.

In a lot of corporate environments, that justifies a hostile workplace.

And I'm not saying players don't say similar things to each other during the games, and I'm not saying fans don't say worse to players, and I'm not saying Rondo should be thrown out of the league or that he should be paraded through town and shamed or anything.

I'm just saying, if we're looking for a hypothetical double standard, I think we're already seeing one as Rondo's name will fade from the headlines and the world will just forget this happened.

You are generally right here. There is a current arbitrary hierarchy of victimhood and the N word ranks at the top, with gay stuff a little below somewhere around women stuff and Jewish stuff, with anti-Christian sentiment being the most acceptable.
Rondo committed the thought crime du jour and he should be punished for it.

And people absolutely make anti-Christian statements quite frequently. Even in sports. When players decide not to go to the White House when they win a championship because they don't want to shake hands with a president that voted against the born alive act 4 times, do you think they get off scott free? Of course not. They don't exactly get the honored Sandy Koufax/Muhammed Ali martyr treatment (which those guys absolutely totally deserved. I wish there were more of them.)

No, there is NOT an arbitrary hierarchy of victimhood.  Black people were legally discriminated against (and much worse) in this country for 360 years, and there is large amounts of structural racism they have to overcome on a daily basis.  Gay people are legally allowed to be fired for being gay in a majority of states in this country.  Millions of Jews were systematically killed for being Jewish, and many of those fleeing were kept out of this country due to anti-Semitism here.  It is a rational hierarchy based on the actual amount of victimhood that various groups face in this country.

I mean, it's frankly offensive that you'd compare being criticized in the press for not shaking hands with the president on the same plane as having staff watch you closely just for entering their store because they think you might steal from them, not getting jobs you're qualified for, being fired simply because you got married and put your new spouse on your health insurance, or having the state deny you parental rights.  Seriously, I'm sorry you feel persecuted, but you are so out of touch with reality that it's mind-boggling.

Right. Those things can and have happened, which is partly why....like I said....victimizing Christians ranks at the bottom. If you do it nobody cares. 

And it is totally arbitrary based on context. Some people get free passes to do and say horrible stuff and some don't. Rondo got caught clearly in front of 30,000 people and cameras so he didn't get the free pass. It was a little impossible for him to play the "I've had it way worse than you card" especially since he's a multi-millionaire to boot.

I don't think I'm making the case of who has had it worst or even of who is most justified feeling that way. I'm making the case of who it is easiest to abuse and get away with.  The why's are different.

[CapnDunks]

If we wanna talk about hypotheticals though, if JJ Redick was caught dropping a N-bomb on a black player, coach, or referee, he'd be known as a bigot forever. Danny Ferry went through something similar, when he made an offensive racist comparison to Luol Deng, reading from a scouting report he didn't write. He shouldn't have said it regardless, or he should learn to better prepare for conference calls, but #justsayin.

Literally dozens of players and coaches from varied races have come forward in support of Ferry, specifically in support of Ferry getting another shot in the front office somewhere, maintaining that the comment was not representative of Ferry's mindset.

But Rondo, said something at least as much or more offensive, clearly personally directed right at Kennedy, to demean him, and he's getting crap about it now, but he'll apologize and we'll all move on. And Kennedy will have to ref his games again, knowing what Rondo thinks of him, knowing that hate is there.

In a lot of corporate environments, that justifies a hostile workplace.

And I'm not saying players don't say similar things to each other during the games, and I'm not saying fans don't say worse to players, and I'm not saying Rondo should be thrown out of the league or that he should be paraded through town and shamed or anything.

I'm just saying, if we're looking for a hypothetical double standard, I think we're already seeing one as Rondo's name will fade from the headlines and the world will just forget this happened.

You are generally right here. There is a current arbitrary hierarchy of victimhood and the N word ranks at the top, with gay stuff a little below somewhere around women stuff and Jewish stuff, with anti-Christian sentiment being the most acceptable.
Rondo committed the thought crime du jour and he should be punished for it.

And people absolutely make anti-Christian statements quite frequently. Even in sports. When players decide not to go to the White House when they win a championship because they don't want to shake hands with a president that voted against the born alive act 4 times, do you think they get off scott free? Of course not. They don't exactly get the honored Sandy Koufax/Muhammed Ali martyr treatment (which those guys absolutely totally deserved. I wish there were more of them.)

No, there is NOT an arbitrary hierarchy of victimhood.  Black people were legally discriminated against (and much worse) in this country for 360 years, and there is large amounts of structural racism they have to overcome on a daily basis.  Gay people are legally allowed to be fired for being gay in a majority of states in this country.  Millions of Jews were systematically killed for being Jewish, and many of those fleeing were kept out of this country due to anti-Semitism here.  It is a rational hierarchy based on the actual amount of victimhood that various groups face in this country.

I mean, it's frankly offensive that you'd compare being criticized in the press for not shaking hands with the president on the same plane as having staff watch you closely just for entering their store because they think you might steal from them, not getting jobs you're qualified for, being fired simply because you got married and put your new spouse on your health insurance, or having the state deny you parental rights.  Seriously, I'm sorry you feel persecuted, but you are so out of touch with reality that it's mind-boggling.

Right. Those things can and have happened, which is partly why....like I said....victimizing Christians ranks at the bottom. If you do it nobody cares. 

And it is totally arbitrary based on context. Some people get free passes to do and say horrible stuff and some don't. Rondo got caught clearly in front of 30,000 people and cameras so he didn't get the free pass. It was a little impossible for him to play the "I've had it way worse than you card" especially since he's a multi-millionaire to boot.

I don't think I'm making the case of who has had it worst or even of who is most justified feeling that way. I'm making the case of who it is easiest to abuse and get away with.  The why's are different.

Dominant groups being discriminated against is a debated topic. Is it possible for white people to be victims of Racism in America? If a society is set up by a group to benefit that group, what does it mean for them to be discriminated against?

I'd say there is a hierarchy of how much people care, with good reason. Christian is 2nd to bottom, just above white.

For what it's worth ~70% of American's identify as Christian and we've had fewer non-Christian presidents than non-white presidents. I don't feel bad for Tebow.

[saltlover]

Christians are not persecuted in this country.  Period.  If you're an atheist, and you sue the school district because of a Christmas celebration, you might win in court, but you'd better look for a new school district.  That's persecution.  If you are gay, expect to have a more difficult life than you would if you weren't.  That's persecution.  If you are black ... Good luck.  If you are Christian, it is normal to not have to work on your 2-3 most important holidays, unless you get paid extra for doing so.  It is normal to be able to go to your house of worship and not see people protesting against you or threatening violence.  If you are Christian, you can walk around with a cross on your neck without fear.  If you are Christian, you can donate to your favorite religious charities without being investigated for supporting terrorism, even if said charities were once tied to violent Christian groups like the IRA.  If you are Christian, you can proudly display your faith while running for public office, rather than explaining your faith to others who do not share it.  If you are Christian, you can turn on the television to a multitude of stations devoted to your faith, and find numerous radio stations as well.  If you are Christian, and you want to send your child to a school of your religion, you will likely have no trouble in finding one, and a good one at that.

If you are an evangelical Christian who goes around espousing religious views at every opportunity, you might be called a Bible thumper.  That's the big insult.  And you'll probably be called that by other Christians who either explicitly or implicitly remember the Sermon on the Mount, and it's teaching: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." 

But mostly, if you are Christian, you can take a harmful insult or injustice felt by another group, and complain that no one talks about that one time you heard about someone who had something bad happen to them because they were Christian, even though that's the exception to the rule, and not the every day experience that other groups face.  Every day people are arrested because they're black.  Every day people are threatened because they're gay.  Every day women are presumed to be lesser because of physical or emotional inferiority.  Every day Muslims are assumed to be violent.  And a couple of times a year, some millionaire athlete will be ridiculed by some for a day because he make a big deal and refuses to shake the hands of the CHRISTIAN President because the President has done something to offend him.  A couple of times a year, a Christmas party will be called a holiday party.  They are not equal.  And you don't get to co-opt the injustices dealt with by other groups.  That's oppression in itself.  You are perpetuating the violence against gays by demanding you be given the same amount of time to air your grievances. 

There's really no point in debating this any more, because you're probably convinced this whole discussion on a forum run by someone who is very openly Christian is anti-Christian in some way.  But Rondo was suspended, and rightfully so.  As someone who's Rondo Celtics shirt is the only piece of sports apparel I've ever bought, I can say I'm personally disappointed in him.  That's relevant to this topic.  Your complete and utter hijacking of this thread was a form of structural violence.  And I'm not responding any more to you, and I hope no one else does either. 

[KGs Knee]

At least a few of you are willing to show your true hatred for Christians. I'll commend you for that.

But this has no business being discussed in the thread in the manner in which it has.

Rondo did a terrible thing, and discussing that was the purpose of this thread. Let's move on.

[Celtics18]

At least a few of you are willing to show your true hatred for Christians. I'll commend you for that.

But this has no business being discussed in the thread in the manner in which it has.

Rondo did a terrible thing, and discussing that was the purpose of this thread. Let's move on.

Please.  Nobody on here has shown hatred for Christians. 

[indeedproceed]

Re-reading Rondo's comments, I'm just still kinda shocked. Pretty messed up.

[wayupnorth]

It doesn't seem likely to me that Rondo hadn't at least heard rumors about Kennedy's sexual orientation. 

While we can't know for sure what Rondo knew or did not know, it seems much more likely that he chose to attack Kennedy with exactly the words he felt would be most hurtful in that moment.

I dunno why there's an urge to defend him.  Look, everybody makes mistakes and everybody harbors prejudice on some level.  Incidents like this shouldn't define a person.  But that doesn't mean we need to apologize for his actions in this instance.  A hateful verbal assault of this kind is more than just name calling in a moment of anger.  There is power to words like that.  It's an assault.  A person in Kennedy's position couldn't be blamed if they felt more hurt by what Rondo did than if Rondo had punched him in the face.

Like I said earlier.  Rondo got off easy.

LOL

"an assault"

What a time to live.

[spikelovetheCelts]

Christians are not persecuted in this country.  Period.  If you're an atheist, and you sue the school district because of a Christmas celebration, you might win in court, but you'd better look for a new school district.  That's persecution.  If you are gay, expect to have a more difficult life than you would if you weren't.  That's persecution.  If you are black ... Good luck.  If you are Christian, it is normal to not have to work on your 2-3 most important holidays, unless you get paid extra for doing so.  It is normal to be able to go to your house of worship and not see people protesting against you or threatening violence.  If you are Christian, you can walk around with a cross on your neck without fear.  If you are Christian, you can donate to your favorite religious charities without being investigated for supporting terrorism, even if said charities were once tied to violent Christian groups like the IRA.  If you are Christian, you can proudly display your faith while running for public office, rather than explaining your faith to others who do not share it.  If you are Christian, you can turn on the television to a multitude of stations devoted to your faith, and find numerous radio stations as well.  If you are Christian, and you want to send your child to a school of your religion, you will likely have no trouble in finding one, and a good one at that.

If you are an evangelical Christian who goes around espousing religious views at every opportunity, you might be called a Bible thumper.  That's the big insult.  And you'll probably be called that by other Christians who either explicitly or implicitly remember the Sermon on the Mount, and it's teaching: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." 

But mostly, if you are Christian, you can take a harmful insult or injustice felt by another group, and complain that no one talks about that one time you heard about someone who had something bad happen to them because they were Christian, even though that's the exception to the rule, and not the every day experience that other groups face.  Every day people are arrested because they're black.  Every day people are threatened because they're gay.  Every day women are presumed to be lesser because of physical or emotional inferiority.  Every day Muslims are assumed to be violent.  And a couple of times a year, some millionaire athlete will be ridiculed by some for a day because he make a big deal and refuses to shake the hands of the CHRISTIAN President because the President has done something to offend him.  A couple of times a year, a Christmas party will be called a holiday party.  They are not equal.  And you don't get to co-opt the injustices dealt with by other groups.  That's oppression in itself.  You are perpetuating the violence against gays by demanding you be given the same amount of time to air your grievances. 

There's really no point in debating this any more, because you're probably convinced this whole discussion on a forum run by someone who is very openly Christian is anti-Christian in some way.  But Rondo was suspended, and rightfully so.  As someone who's Rondo Celtics shirt is the only piece of sports apparel I've ever bought, I can say I'm personally disappointed in him.  That's relevant to this topic.  Your complete and utter hijacking of this thread was a form of structural violence.  And I'm not responding any more to you, and I hope no one else does either.

Amen!!!  Rondo too is the only shirt I own and he made his peace with Kennedy.  I am sure he will speak to him and apologize in person when he sees him.

[PhoSita]

And I get that the NBA is a private company, so it's their right to punish Rondo how they see fit, but there are people around us that would support criminal legislation outlawing certain words. That to me is a lot scarier than the use of any of them.

On the contrary, we send too many people to prison.  I don't think we need more of that, by any means.  Punching somebody in the face might get you sent to prison, though, or at least put a criminal conviction on your record, even though it may very well do less lasting damage than a verbal assault like the one Rondo perpetrated on Kennedy.

Yeah, words are words.  I think one of the things we've learned by now, though, is that the idea that "Words can never hurt me" is false.  Of course words can hurt.

Bottom line, what Rondo did was supremely crappy.  It was an awful thing to do.  Every bit as poor a way to handle one's anger than if he had used his fists instead of his mouth. 

So no, let's not throw Rondo in jail.  But let's not apologize for him, or minimize his actions.  He let his anger get the better of him and he did something unacceptable (but by no means unforgivable) to another human being.  He should get grief and punishment for it.  It should affect his professional reputation and standing in a league that relies on a diverse viewing audience for its business.  Rondo should probably also make a sincere apology to Kennedy, if not to anybody else, and do something about his anger -- at least the way he chooses to handle it. 

Then we should all move on.

That's my feeling on this, anyway.

[PhoSita]

Re-reading Rondo's comments, I'm just still kinda shocked. Pretty messed up.

It really goes beyond just cussing out a ref because they made a call you don't like.  Gives the impression of genuine contempt and vitriol.  An attempt to undercut and wound the man in the lowest way he could conjure in that moment.

Disappointing to see that come from a player that many fans still associate with the Celtics.

[saynomore]

"I didn't mean to offend anyone."

That's complete BS. 


What Rondo said went beyond frustration.  It was the verbal equivalent of spitting in Kennedy's face.  Of course he meant to offend.

What he can possibly say after an incident? An apology automatically would considered as a fake, cause it's Rondo and you haters are ridiculous. He made a mistake like we all humans do, cause no on is perfect. In the heat of the moment do you always mean everything seriously, whatever you're saying? So if he would say: 'I did mean to offend anyone' - this would be much better, right?

[saynomore]

Kobe said the same type things in a game----and he's done worse---He's getting love from all around the league on his farewell tour....Overblown.

Kennedy is probably a great guy---but he's an awful ref.

AGREED!

Me too, well said!

[saynomore]

He apologized? Where? Saying "I didn't mean to offend anyone" is only slightly about the ever-famous "If anyone was offended by my actions, I apologize." Heat of the moment? That's just swell. Apology? Still waiting.

Mike

There you go:



Are you happy now?

[guava_wrench]

Rondo's new statement is actually quite good. I don't doubt that he really feels this way. It does seem like he respects the LGBT community when not having anger management issues.

Rondo's problems is the level of contempt he feels for individuals then they anger him. We are all familiar with the contempt he showed for teammates as a rookie until Doc told him that teammates hated playing with him. He seems like that kind of person who will say whatever he things will hurt you in the moment. That does not mean that he doesn't regret if after the fact or that what he says represents his larger worldview.

None of this excuses what he said in the moment. But it doesn't make him Hitler.

[saynomore]

Rajon Rondo should not have said what he said, but he's still a Celtic Great to me.

I will forever remember his prime years in Green.

And I definitely don't believe that Rajon is the ONLY guilty party here - I'll leave it at that.

EXACTLY same!!!