Shaquille O'Neal Caught making fun of handicapped guy via Instagram

originally posted by: Capitalsource
I really wish people would stop trying to 'get even' over the whole Sterling debacle.

The two incident's aren't even remotely comparable.

Donald Sterling described black people as "the enemy" and he didn't want them at his games.

Shaq, whilst being an idiot and trying to keep his Instagram followers entertained, took a selfie comparing it to what looks on the surface, just another person pulling a stupid face. Unfortunately, the young man he mocked had a disability. Shaq has apologized for his ignorance and will no doubt support the young mans cause.

We will never get rid of racism if people constantly try to justify it by comparing it to other unrelated incidents.

If Shaq had said he finds all disabled people funny, or he hated white people then we might be on to something, but he didn't. So, Stop it.

Exactly...

originally posted by: Capitalsource
I really wish people would stop trying to 'get even' over the whole Sterling debacle.

The two incident's aren't even remotely comparable.

Donald Sterling described black people as "the enemy" and he didn't want them at his games.

Shaq, whilst being an idiot and trying to keep his Instagram followers entertained, took a selfie comparing it to what looks on the surface, just another person pulling a stupid face. Unfortunately, the young man he mocked had a disability. Shaq has apologized for his ignorance and will no doubt support the young mans cause.

We will never get rid of racism if people constantly try to justify it by comparing it to other unrelated incidents.

If Shaq had said he finds all disabled people funny, or he hated white people then we might be on to something, but he didn't. So, Stop it.

Sterling said blacks are the enemy and he didn't want any black people at the games? Where did you find that quote? Did they release more recordings? Could you please link to your source?

It seems odd that he donated 80,000 tickets for underprivileged minorities to the NAACP.

Well the clippers removed the page with the info about donating 80,000 tickets but it is still mentioned in the google search description.

I don't think anybody can honestly claim he did not want any black people at all to attend the games. He clearly did not want any black people to come with V and sit in his section, which is bigoted enough on its own without needing further embellishment.

Donald T. Sterling | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE LOS ANGELES ... www.nba.com/clippers/roster/donaldtsterling.html Donald T. Sterling ranks among the longest-tenured NBA owners, and is one of the few ... of 80,000 tickets for local children and their families through the Donald T. Sterling ... He has received many honors, including the 2009 NAACP Lifetime ...

I can't find any transcripts but the only reference to enemy I heard is Sterling saying to V "it is like talking to an enemy...I have (garbled) minorities, they are fabulous, fabulous! Because YOU are an enemy to me.

@0:45 in this youtube clip
www.youtube.com...

It seems clear to me that he is referring to V as an enemy because they are having an argument. He is not calling blacks the enemy, just his girlfriend and not because she is a minority.

And this is a news story WHY....?

Guess they should ban him for life, from the NBA. that should stop bullying, just like it did for rascism

originally posted by: 3u40r15m
And this is a news story WHY....?

Because the NBA purports to have zero tolerance for discrimination and hate.

Ableism or discrimination against persons with disabilities falls under the same laws as discrimination agains people due to race, religion, ethnicity or age.

Zero tolerance means automatic punishment with no exceptions.

Why do you bother posting or even reading a thread that you deemed unworthy when you read the title?

So did Shaq know the guy was handicapped and had an actual condition?
Or did he, like most people these days just see a picture of a weird looking guy seemingly pulling a face and copy it?
Shaq didn't get the benefit of seeing the news piece or knowing that the guy had a condition, from the photo posted it is not obvious.

I saw a stand up a few years ago and he encouraged hecklers - a woman called out with a squeaky voice and the comedian joked if she was trapped down a well or stuck in the toilet because her voice was very odd.
Obviously he couldn't see and neither could I or most people.
During the interval making my way to the bathroom I spot the lady who called out, she was several rows back from me, in a wheelchair, and clearly had a condition that affected growth and so on.
Nobody would have laughed and the comedian would not have said anything knowing this.

These things happen and unless Shaq actually KNEW the mans condition before 'mocking' him in a photo, then this is just a stupid non issue that is now being hijacked because of the clippers race story.

originally posted by: Deny Arrogance

originally posted by: 3u40r15m
And this is a news story WHY....?

Because the NBA purports to have zero tolerance for discrimination and hate.

Ableism or discrimination against persons with disabilities falls under the same laws as discrimination agains people due to race, religion, ethnicity or age.

Zero tolerance means automatic punishment with no exceptions.

Why do you bother posting or even reading a thread that you deemed unworthy when you read the title?

What are you comparing this too? A NFL player said he had a bomb at an airport not long ago, is that not worse than this? I read, and still came to no conclusion why this would be a headline, unless you want to compare to a racists white man. That's the elephant in this stupid thread

originally posted by: stargatetravels
So did Shaq know the guy was handicapped and had an actual condition?
Or did he, like most people these days just see a picture of a weird looking guy seemingly pulling a face and copy it?
Shaq didn't get the benefit of seeing the news piece or knowing that the guy had a condition, from the photo posted it is not obvious.

I saw a stand up a few years ago and he encouraged hecklers - a woman called out with a squeaky voice and the comedian joked if she was trapped down a well or stuck in the toilet because her voice was very odd.
Obviously he couldn't see and neither could I or most people.
During the interval making my way to the bathroom I spot the lady who called out, she was several rows back from me, in a wheelchair, and clearly had a condition that affected growth and so on.
Nobody would have laughed and the comedian would not have said anything knowing this.

These things happen and unless Shaq actually KNEW the mans condition before 'mocking' him in a photo, then this is just a stupid non issue that is now being hijacked because of the clippers race story.

Non-issue? Are you serious?

How about letting the victims of this affliction who were offended by Shaq's discrimination decide that for themselves, instead of ableist bigots like you belittling them.

Shaq did this in public and over 15,000 bigots like you liked it before it was removed.

Many were offended and hurt by this.

April 28, 2014

Dear Mr. O’Neal, All of us at the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias (NFED) are terribly disappointed by the hurtful image that you and others recently posted on social media about a member of our family, Jahmel Binion, who is affected by ectodermal dysplasia. Individuals affected by these rare, genetic conditions often face a lifetime of bullying and negative remarks because of their appearance, which others may consider “different.” Bullying is never acceptable and we, as a nation, have had some devastating consequences as a result of bullying. However, to be called out on a celebrity’s social media and made fun of is especially reprehensible. We applaud Jahmel for reacting to this cyberbullying by establishing a positive social media campaign called “Hug Don’t Judge.”
nfed.org...

“I still feel that even though the picture was only toward me, he should apologize to my whole organization and to everybody that’s different in this world,” Binion said.

www.theblaze.com... s-not-enough/

Shortly after O’Neal announced his apology online, the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dyslasias tweeted back, “let’s raise awareness together!” O’Neal did not appear to respond on Twitter.

It is unclear whether O’Neal, a part owner of the Sacramento Kings, will face any disciplinary measures for posting the photo. A representative for the NBA did not immediately respond to TheBlaze’s request for comment.

a reply to: 3u40r15m

We get it. You don't think persons with disabilities are worthy of the same civil rights as victims of racial discrimination, even though they are both covered by the same federal laws.

You refuse to change your mind or educate yourself. That is a common trait of bigots of all types.

What if a famous person decided to take a picture of themself in blackface to mock Shaq and posted it on Instagram?

Do you think it might get a lot more attention in the MSM?

Do think a lot of black people would take personal offense or should it just be intended for it's original target alone?

a reply to: Deny Arrogance

I get your point. Annnd I don't think this is comparable to race discrimination... Maybe he is out of line,but it's nothing to squawk about. Find a white guy taking a picture in blackface to mock shaq and I'll laugh. Put in on the news and I'll say the same thing I'm saying now. Not newsworthy

Geezo

Peezo...

People act like Shaq threw a basketball at the kids face, .... he just thought he was having some harmless fun with a random internet picture.

This is something alot of people do, ....all of the time.

Think before casting stones ....

a reply to: Capitalsource

I am in no way trying to defend Shaq, but that was my initial impression as well.

I imagine he saw the picture, probably shared by a follower or fan, he didn't have a source, didn't realize the guy had a disability, and reposted it with something he thought was funny. For awhile all sorts of people were having fun with Frankie MacDonald, the weatherman from Nova Scotia. Memes everywhere of that guy.

I don't think it was funny, but apparently a lot of Shaq's twitter followers did. I do feel bad for the guy though. That would be upsetting. At least he's trying to do something positive with it. I wish him all the luck.

a reply to: wantsome

Sure, I'll buy that as a possibility.

It's also possible that a scorched-earth strategy with regard to racism, sexism, homophobia, religiophobia, et al is not a valid strategy for long term personal or social growth, and that Shaq - who now has to publically think about what he did, might change, and become a catalyst for growth in spite of something insensitive or dumb he said on instabook.

Which is kinda cool, and far more useful than peasants with torches and pitchforks, when you think about it.

He's a professional athlete that millions look up to he should conduct himself accordingly

No he shouldn't- there's no law that says athletes have to do anything for their millions except follow their contract.

We're the ones who should behave accordingly and stop giving billions of dollars to stupid, corrupt professional sports organizations that give multi-millions of dollars to degenerates and do nothing beneficial for society.

originally posted by: lemmin
Not that I have any reference to Shaq's personal character, but I would assume with a high probability that Shaq didn't know the guy had any kind of disability. He simply looks like he is trying to make a thug face in the original photo.

If the mimicked picture had been of a stereotypical thug WITHOUT any disability, would everyone still think Shaq was a jerk for making fun of someone?

yeah, plaaa-ease, wtf was he thinking?

what are YOU thinking?

even if it was a normal gangbanger, wtf?

he's got too much time on his hands.

i don't care, making fun of sick or disabled people when you are as big a star as shaq, he should be taken down a couple notches, not make it go away with a call and an autographed pic.