SteakNEggs
Well-Known Member
I couldn't care less what DM says tbh. He gave us some really good years but I tend to think he's a diva and drama queen.
Donovan Mitchell - CRT and Off Court Racial Issues were Draining
- Thread starter mdalby
- Start date
Mitchell discussed a difference he noticed in Utah/SLC versus in Cleveland, NYC, etc.. If that makes it harder to recruit players in Utah, that's not on Mitchell. That's on the people near SLC. Put the blame where it belongs.
sahlensguy
Well-Known Member
Donovan's situations are personal anecdotes and suffer from bias and worse, perhaps deep confirmation bias. The people and fans of Utah are not to blame for that. That is on Donovan.
If that's what you need to tell yourself to sleep well at night, I won't convince you otherwise. I'll just say that I've heard similar things from too many players over the years (not to mention too many posters on this board) to think it's just Mitchell.
Engorged On Unborn Gore
Well-Known Member
I agree with this. I think his opinion of Utah, including his personal experiences, will have a huge effect on the Jazz' ability to sign and keep American players, and superstar players. To one degree or another, it's going to make Ainge's job more difficult.
And that's the price the Jazz will have to pay for operating within the context that is Utah.
This gives a tremendous amount of power to people who act a fool on social media, interacting with basketball players, and professionals generally.
Perceptions are "proven inaccurate" all the time, but to many players it may not matter. Utah will always be stigmatized because of it's history, and because of the history of Mormonism. Which is why every tone-deaf, uneducated interaction is going to continue to simply confirm the bias in play.
D
Deleted member 365
Guest
You compared Mitchell’s comparing of SLC and Cleveland to Kanye west, a man who wanted to go “Death Con on Jews” and last month praised Hitler. This is an absurd comparison. Do you live in SLC? Perhaps it’s people like you that’s actually making it harder to recruit and retain good basketball players?
Honestly, I really don’t care what you think of me as I see you’re in over your head when discussing this issue.
The big problem I have are athletes being told to “shut up and dribble.” No, they’re human beings who have every right to speak out as anyone else. What they say might be great or absurd. But we should never diminish their right to speak out. Especially black athletes, who have experienced a history of “just shut up and do what the master says.” I find this type of dialogue really demeaning towards fellow human beings.
Hearsky
Well-Known Member
The old "minimize the Black individual's experience because it doesn't meet my narrative" approach. So, you are the authority on confirmation bias, yet completely objective in your view? How God like of you.
sahlensguy
Well-Known Member
I didn't single out Mitchell for suffering from racism in Utah. I'm sure it is widespread here, and everywhere. He is the one with the platform, though, that influences many others. His message of the racist people and fans of Utah is biased but too many people will want to believe it to be so.
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Hearsky
Well-Known Member
Dude, your "shut up and dribble" mentality IS the bias. How do you not see that?
sahlensguy
Well-Known Member
Well I'm not advocating for Donovan's right of free speech to be diminished. But to me, there can be consequences for what people say and if you want to cheer this guy when he returns after continuing to piss all over us, then that is you're right too, but I won't.
And yeah, Ye is an extreme example, but spreading hate is spreading hate.
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I guess I don't understand how Utah's reputation with regard to racism is ever supposed to improve when so many people's gut reaction is to immediately undermine and downplay whenever a Black person speaks of their experiences.
The whole "There's racists everywhere, Utah is being unfairly targeted" group seems to miss a crucial point: The reputation didn't just come from thin air. There's a reason our Black population is essentially non-existent. Racist events may happen everywhere, but from my observation, the general reaction to them when they happen here is less about having Black people's backs and more crying about how unfair it is how much negative attention we're getting. When other Black people see that, it probably doesn't make them want to live here, and certainly doesn't make it feel very welcoming for those who do live here.
The whole "There's racists everywhere, Utah is being unfairly targeted" group seems to miss a crucial point: The reputation didn't just come from thin air. There's a reason our Black population is essentially non-existent. Racist events may happen everywhere, but from my observation, the general reaction to them when they happen here is less about having Black people's backs and more crying about how unfair it is how much negative attention we're getting. When other Black people see that, it probably doesn't make them want to live here, and certainly doesn't make it feel very welcoming for those who do live here.
sahlensguy
Well-Known Member
I don't undermine or downplay or overplay the racist experiences my black friends and co-workers. I treat them as equals with a sympathetic ear. Donovan didn't tell me his issues though and instead used his platform to perpetuate a stereotype to his millions of followers. It's harmful.
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