Atlanta Hawks GM Makes Joke About Angry Black Women At Fan Event

[phoostal]

15 hours ago, Dolfan23 said:

I just imagine him saying my wife "happens to be black"... a little joke for the old timers.

 

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Carlin is one of my favs of all time, his books are great as well,  thanks for posting

[Watchman]

19 hours ago, Macknsweetjones said:

You don't pick or choose what's offensive 

Well, who does then?  Some folks' only claim to fame is being offended at every single thing.

[deester11]

36 minutes ago, Watchman said:

Well, who does then?  Some folks' only claim to fame is being offended at every single thing.

This offends me.ha 

[Watchman]

1 minute ago, deester11 said:

This offends me.ha 

You being offended offends me.  

[TheNorthCydeRises]

T-Mac showed his "outrage" on The Jump yesterday.

[AUhawksfan]

1 hour ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

T-Mac showed his "outrage" on The Jump yesterday.

T-Mac can't be trusted. He left the Hawks all salty and doesn't seem to like us for some reason. Kind of like Jon Barry, looking for some reason to hate on he franchise. 

[Thomas]

You don't pick or choose what's offensive 

Crawford did. His quote below is here to follow that theme. Pretty low brow extortion attempt by him and then his company is not an equal opportunity employer with this on his homepage. Oh, wait he dropped his page with the all African American employees in the about us photo. Just want everyone to know who took it to the next level whether right or wrong. Wilcox screwed up pretty horribly but doubt if his intent was as angular as Crawford's.

Season ticket holder Clarenton Crawford, by his account, made his displeasure with coach Mike Budenholzer known, and offered to renew for two more seasons if the organization hired Mark Jackson instead.

http://www.crawfordenterprisesincorporated.com

 

[Bonkers]

On 1/6/2017 at 1:27 PM, Sothron said:

I also have to say...a white guy with a black wife and three  mixed kids and you have "fans" accusing him of being racist? I mean...are you f$%^ing kidding me here? Wow.

Excuuuuse me???

 

U think having a black spouse means someone can't be a racist?!?!?!??

[Admin]

Excuuuuse me???

 

U think having a black spouse means someone can't be a racist?!?!?!??

Same as having black friends right?

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[AHF]

2 hours ago, Bonkers said:

Excuuuuse me???

 

U think having a black spouse means someone can't be a racist?!?!?!??

I will say in his defense the statement can be read one of two ways:

 

1 - he is saying he is used to people being pissed at him because there are always people upset by mixed race marriages in which case the comment isn't racist or suggestive of racism.

 

2 - he is saying he is used to getting yelled at by his black wife in which case he is making the comment about his wife and I think he should have the benefit of the doubt that he isn't racist towards his wife in the absence of something more compelling than this.

[LamarHampton]

2 hours ago, Bonkers said:

U think having a black spouse means someone can't be a racist?!?!?!??

Uh, I would venture to guess that at least 99% of white people who have a black spouse, share a home with them, share finances, etc and have not one, not two, but three children with said black spouse are NOT racist. 

It is pretty obvious in context that his comments were about other people being angry with him for being so NOT racist that he has a black/interracial family, and not that the black members of his family are predisposed to being angry because they are black.

when you actually think about what he said, the conclusion that his comments were racist at all is pretty ridiculous. The argument that he shouldn't be talking about race in the first place is the real issue given the recent history with this particular franchise. But to insinuate that Wes Wilcox is racist against his wife and children is so retarded that it doesn't pass the 'can I make this argument with a straight face' test, and it becomes obvious it is primarily being used to create headlines about a touchy subject, not report about actual facts or real issues.

[hazer]

2 hours ago, Bonkers said:

Excuuuuse me???

 

U think having a black spouse means someone can't be a racist?!?!?!??

You're excused.....

[TheNorthCydeRises]

47 minutes ago, LamarHampton said:

Uh, I would venture to guess that at least 99% of white people who have a black spouse, share a home with them, share finances, etc and have not one, not two, but three children with said black spouse are NOT racist. 

It is pretty obvious in context that his comments were about other people being angry with him for being so NOT racist that he has a black/interracial family, and not that the black members of his family are predisposed to being angry because they are black.

when you actually think about what he said, the conclusion that his comments were racist at all is pretty ridiculous. The argument that he shouldn't be talking about race in the first place is the real issue given the recent history with this particular franchise. But to insinuate that Wes Wilcox is racist against his wife and children is so retarded that it doesn't pass the 'can I make this argument with a straight face' test, and it becomes obvious it is primarily being used to create headlines about a touchy subject, not report about actual facts or real issues.

Here is his statement again.  

And keep in mind that the person he's saying this to, is a Black man who is questioning some of the things going on with the team during that losing streak, who also has his Black wife in attendance:

 

“I know you guys may be angry with me, but I’m used to it because I have a black wife and three mixed kids, so I’m used to people being angry and argumentative.”

 

Break down each part of his statement:

 

1) "I know you guys may be angry at me"....

Initially, Wes may be talking about the entire fan base, or fans in the room who are upset with what the Hawks have done, or not done, at that point in the season.   But the person who is pushing Wes to give him a clear plan of action may also think that he's talking about him being in the "angry" group.  And keep in mind that the person asking Wes these things is Black.  Remember that as the statement goes on.

 

2) ... "but I'm used to it because I have a black wife and three mixed kids" ...

At this point, you have to wonder what in the world Wes is talking about.  This middle statement has nothing to do with the first part of the statement, basketball, or even why people are angry with him.  But had he'd stopped right there, it would be easier to explain why he's used to people being angry at him.   Problem is, he didn't explain WHO specifically is angry or WHY he's used to people being angry and argumentative toward him.  It's a very ambiguous statement that can be interpreted in a lot of ways, depending on what is said next.

 

3) ... "so I'm used to people being angry and argumentative."

Like the first part of his statement, which people are Wes talking about?   The people at the meeting upset with the direction of the Hawks?   The people who don't like interracial marriage?  The person who asked him the tough questions?  Or his black wife and mixed kids?  

Which people is he used to being angry and argumentative toward him?  The only people he specifically named in that statement, are his 3 mixed kids and his Black wife.   And the series of questions/statements made toward Wes before he made that statement, was made by a Black person.  

 

So to the person asking the questions and making the statements critical toward Wes, he may believe each of the 3 parts in Wes' reply has:

#1 - referring to him directly

#2 - probably confusing the hell out of him and asking why is this relevant to his concerns about the Hawks

 #3 - believing that the angry and argumentative attributes either refer to him grilling Wes ... Wes' wife and kids being angry/argumentative to him ... or Black people in general, who are stereotypically angry and argumentative.

 

And the last thing that really made it worse, is that he asked one of his white co-workers if it was OK to say that?   He's already made a statement that is open for interpretation, and he asks another person if it was OK to say that?   Interesting.

 

Wes simply got the heat turned up on him during that Q and A session, and tried to deflect tough questions away with a bad and confusing joke.   Then when the person e-mailed Koonin about the statement, he ( or someone he works for ) did the exact same thing . . . deflect.

Just an extremely poor job of PR and keeping things on a professional level, by a group who has been flawless since the Ferry debacle.

Edited January 8, 2017 by TheNorthCydeRises

[Bonkers]

49 minutes ago, LamarHampton said:

Uh, I would venture to guess that at least 99% of white people who have a black spouse, share a home with them, share finances, etc and have not one, not two, but three children with said black spouse are NOT racist. 

 

Ok u can stfu cuz this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard and I suggest u never say it to a lack person's face unless u want something bad to happen to u

[LamarHampton]

@TheNorthCydeRises I dont dispute it was confusing, poor subject matter, poor PR, etc.

but to really think that the guy who is married to a black woman and has interracial kids intended in any way to be racist is absurd. And that is the primary focus of the media attention I have seen. "wes Wilcox makes racist comments" and "hawks Gm makes racially charged comments at fan meeting" and all other kinds of silly stuff I saw on espn and elsewhere. Much more accurate to say "hawks Gm bumbles fan meeting" or "hawks Gm fails at innocent comments about race" or idk what. But nothing like that gets people's attention or creates clickbait headlines, so most attempts to cover the story try to insinuate that he was somehow racist when that is obviously not the case. More like he just pulled a mega fail on the innocently mentioning the topic of race but probably should have been avoided just like politics or religion, or even more so than that with the history with the franchise. So again, I'm not disputing that it was dumb and handled poorly, but all of this stuff (including a lot of the comments here) about Wilcox being racist is just incredibly off base when there is so much evidence that supports the exact opposite conclusion.

If you are a white guy with a black wife and multiple interracial children, I think it's pretty safe to go ahead and say that there is a pretty solid presumption raised in favor of you not being racist, and that is in no way overcome by some muddled comments when he was put on the spot by angry fans when he was on his heels already. 

[LamarHampton]

17 minutes ago, Bonkers said:

Ok u can stfu cuz this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard and I suggest u never say it to a lack person's face unless u want something bad to happen to u

yea.... That's funny because this response is actually the dumbest thing that I have ever heard. What are the chances that a racist would choose to marry and have multiple children with someone from the very race they supposedly hate so much? Not at all logical. It is infinitely more likely that he actually is not racist and loves his wife and kids.

But anyway, apparently having intelligent discussions about sensitive topics is not something you can handle since you resorted to telling me to stfu and calling it dumb without even attempting to explain how I am wrong. I accept that  but it's ashame because this white guy who works for a team that we both support could use your passion defending him and not just blindly calling him a racist with only confusing and muddled comments made while he was on the spot that could go either way to support your position. 

Btw I have discussions about race all the time with intelligent and thoughtful people of all races, I try and avoid the other sort who just react like you without thinking or being able to explain their positions.

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Ok u can stfu cuz this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard and I suggest u never say it to a lack person's face unless u want something bad to happen to u

Proof and point right here folks. Whites will always be stereotyped as rich, racist bigots by the black sheep. So blinded by their misguided hate... I'd argue with you, Bonkers but my Porsche needs a good buffing and the yacht needs tended to. Too-da-loo!

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[AUhawksfan]

9 hours ago, Bonkers said:

Ok u can stfu cuz this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard and I suggest u never say it to a lack person's face unless u want something bad to happen to u

Dude, you need to stop with the threatening posts around here. 

I've seen it way too many times from you. Just because you're behind a keyboard doesn't mean you can Just say stuff like this.

Rather than make a compelling argument back you make a threat. Just making yourself and your argument look bad now....

[hazer]

9 hours ago, Bonkers said:

Ok u can stfu cuz this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard and I suggest u never say it to a lack person's face unless u want something bad to happen to u

Get that weak $hit outta here, ZERO star post.....

[tonegully]

Well there are some people married to other races and still make off the wall comments and stereotypical comments. Even though their spouses are of that race because they are "not talking about their spouse" but the people in that race. 

Number 2. Wilcox should be fired just off of his stupidity. After watching Ferry lose his job no one in the Hawks organization to go NEAR anything to do with race. 

Number 3. He is the dam GM. You can not crack jokes like that. Its a time and a place for everything. You crack those jokes with your friends, in private. Not a dam meeting with season ticket holders.

My personal opinion of the situation is i think he just cracked a bad joke at the WRONG time. IF he told me that joke at my house I would laugh and think nothing of it.