Tolerance

Thanks to Tim Hardaway for demonstrating that ignorance and outright stupidity is alive and well in the United States.... The following was his response to being asked by Sports radio personality, Dan LeBatard, how he would deal with having a gay teammate.

"You know, I hate gay people, so let it be known," Hardaway said. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

Hey Champ, why don't you sit the next few plays out, ok? I realize that people still think this way, and I am not so naive as to believe that this type hatred will ever be eradicated from society. However, it still shocks me when opinions like this one are voiced in such a mainstream setting without even a hint of concern or sense of responsibility as to what they are saying. Furthermore, I am not trying to say that people cannot have their own views but to rise to the level of saying I "hate" a certain group of people and then stating that they should not exist on this Earth is just plain lunacy and deserves condemnation.

Further, it's equally shameful that today after making those comments, Hardaway has of course come out, apologized, and stated, "Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people or anything like that that was my mistake." I love when people do use this type of nest day apology crap as if a simple apology will suddenly make us forget the comments of the day before. I cannot wait for the next step where he blames alcohol, Jesus, or the fact that he was picked on as a child as his excuse for comments and then enters rehab. I think that it is time that we stop giving athletes, celebrities, and other public figures a free pass on their comments and then almost immediate quest for reconciliation. As such, I think that Mr. Hardaway from this day forward should not be referred to as former-NBA player Tim Hardaway, but instead should be labeled with the phrases that he chose to use to discuss gay people. As a result, I present to you, "Homophobe and Hater of the Gay Community," Tim Hardaway.