Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a member of the NBA Hall of Fame and a former Los Angeles Lakers star, is unhappy with the lack of outrage against anti-Semitism in both sports and Hollywood.
“In reading the dark and soft bowels of popular culture, anger at sustained prejudice is an indisputable sign of the coming Apatholypse: apathy towards all forms of social justice,” Abdul-Jabbar detailed in his column for The Hollywood. Reporter. After all, if it’s okay to discriminate against a group of people by spreading cultural stereotypes without much rejection, it should be okay to do the same with others. Illogic breeds illogic.
Throughout his column, Abdul-Jabbar points to several recent cases of anti-Semitism, while emphasizing that “others defiantly marry on their own bias.” He specifically mentions recent Eagles catcher DeSean Jackson’s social media posts that falsely attribute quotes to Adolf Hitler, and also mentions former NBA player Stephen Jackson defending the posts, as well as “his support for the notorious homophobe and anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. “
Abdul-Jabbar, who also called Chelsea Handler and Ice Cube, further suggests that the apologies of these prominent sports stars fell, explaining that the lack of condemnation of anti-Semitism is very concerning compared to the increased support for the movement. Black Lives Matter.
“The recent incidents of anti-Semitic tweets and posts by sports and entertainment celebrities bode well for the future of the Black Lives Matter movement, but so too is the surprising lack of mass outrage,” wrote Abdul-Jabbar. “Given the new awakening in Hollywood and in the world of sports, we expected more public outrage. What we got was a shrug of anger.
He concluded his article by emphasizing that “No one is free until everyone is free. As Martin Luther King Jr. explained: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inevitable web of mutuality. ‘ So let’s act like this, ”wrote Abdul-Jabbar. “If we are going to be outraged by the injustice, let us be outraged by the injustice against someone.”
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