Tim Hardaway's Bigoted Remarks Cast Nasty Shadow Over The NBA All Star Weekend

Tim Hardaway's ugly remarks of bigotry related to the revelation of former NBA star John Amaechi that he is Gay have cast an ugly shadow of dishonor on the NBA All Star Weekend event in Las Vegas this weekend. Although Hardaway has attempted to apologize, still the damage from his ugly remarks remains.

The blunt statements of outright ignorance even greatly offended former NBA great, Charles Barkley who resented that an African-American man would make such prejudiced comments against another oppressed minority. Barkley has tended to lean both conservative and Republican in some previous years, but a little more Democratic recently as a reaction to the failed Bush Administration policies. But Barkley was raised in a conservative community, and these values are still strong in his life.

Unfortunately, as ugly as Hardaway's statements certainly were, The Ace, over at www.polipundit.com seemed to offer some support to the words of Hardaway along with some of the usual readers. This is very regrettable. A person would expect persons with any education at all not to make such awful remarks about a minority group like Gay Americans. But the sheer racism of The Ace became very clear when he even went on to state, "I'd love to watch the sodomites call Blacks, another protected minority, bigots publicly. Pass the popcorn". This is an extremely ignorant and racist comment considering the level of injustice that African-Americans have put up including being sold into slavery, hauled in chains in slave ships, facing severe beatings, being forbidden medical care or education, facing job discrimnation, wage discrimination, unfair arrests and police or sheriff beatings, and other class abuses.

And the dehumanizing language of calling Gay American "sodomites", merely reducing them down to some function of their sexual organs is a completely disgusting comment. But such is the limited mentality of some social retards who deny Gay Americans the same civil rights as other Americans, or the right to form civil unions or even a marriage.

Tim Hardaway probably unfortunately represents the views of many Americans. And this is deeply regrettable. When even a conservative leaning athlete like Charles Barkley who was raised in conservative Bible belt Alabama can learn to treat Gay Americans with justice and equality, then others should follow his example and grow beyond prejudice against this minority group.