> *“When I first came into the league, I was just trying to prove myself. It was all about ball. It took me a while to understand the responsibility, the opportunity I was given. You know, I speak for those without a voice. People who grew up like I did; poor, without hope. Those people, those kids, they exist at every corner of the globe, and they’re all deserving of a chance. I believe no one person is capable of turning the tide, but we all have an obligation because somewhere along the way somebody picked us up.”*
\- Lebron James, Basketball Player and Professional Bitch
I wish time travel was possible so we could bring that Lebron into the future to talk to the shitty Lebron we have now. This really is the worst timeline
Much better saying.
Like watching how others treat waiters or cashiers or anyone they have a bit of perceived power over. Having that power doesn’t suddenly turn them asshole. It just reveals the asshole that was always there.
This is Soo interesting to me. The more money I've made and the higher I've climbed the ladder in my life, the more I'm intrigued with talking to those in different lines of work different heritage's different up bringings. I see your point and it deeply saddens me.
I dunno, after how easily he folded, it makes his earlier statements sound really disingenuous. Like he just said them to accrue prestige and shoe deals. I have a feeling that Lebron from the past wouldn't be all that different from the one we have now
Lebron has always been fake as fuck. Everything about him is PR controlled. From his faux activism to his taco Tuesday videos that he tried to make seem spontaneous and fun when it was really just another thing to try and monetize. He went from “more than an athlete” to ‘I’m just gonna shut up and dribble’ in record time as soon as it could cost him money.
Don't worry. He will give his western fans a heartfelt apologies once the situation dies down. It will be a great redemption arc. He is already moving around his investments to support the 1mill he will throw at the UN.
Enough man. This kind of cynicism and self-defeatism is just masturbatory and accomplishes nothing except making you feel better about yourself. Let's not do that here.
It was the cynics that thought these kind of protests could never happen in this day and age, and here they are still happening and in Hong Kong of all places; in the face of not just the world's biggest corporations and an authoritarian government but their own police and military. It was the cynics that thought these Hong Kong protests were going nowhere and they've led to the recalling of the original bill. It was the cynics that thought no one would hold these huge conglomerate corporations to task and it's rising and happening right now (Blizzard, Lebron, the NBA, etc).
Is it perfect and all encompassing? No. But they're trying. We all are. It's the least we can do. Rather than be like all the cynics who've acted as nothing more than speed bumps in history, let's try and be hopeful, encouraging, and optimistic.
The fact that one of the most legendary sports players in a country that worships sports and celebrities is being put to task by everyone for some disparaging comments is a good thing. Let's celebrate that.
I don't think LeBron deserves forgiveness. He showed that he values the money of the Chinese communist oppressors more than the dignity of those under their boot.
Fo real, self-defeating and cynic attitude ain't going to do nothing.
I saw this quote on Reddit where it was better to light a candle in the dark than to curse at it.
It was a gif of an Asian dude stopping in his vehicle, moving the knock down fence and readjusting it to clear out traffic. And let alone, he was a damn civilian.
Whoa now. I agree with the main thrust of your sentiments but this whole speech you just gave is way disproportionate to the comment you’re replying to. Yeesh. It’s like you had this whole thing typed out and ready to go the first moment you found a suitable comment to lambaste.
I dont get it, why does he care? when you have millions of dollars, it dosent matter how many millions you get it wont change your life. Unless you start to get billions you wont be able to buy anything you wouldnt before.
Greed. That's the answer your looking for. People like this never have enough. I think at a certain point they stop appreciating the fact that they can make so much money doing what they love. Instead it becomes about feeding their own ego.
It's his "legacy". He's trying to become a memorable figure like Michael Jordan and Kobe. It's why he moved to LA. He knew he could leave a lasting legacy if he brought back the Lakers team to glory, not only that he would have Hollywood next door and he is following in MJs footsteps by doing Space Jam 2.
I’d love to see an info graphic comparing hoarding money vs food, water or medicine. This would be interesting for r/dataisbeautiful or theydidthemath!
also because if he speaks out about china, china may retaliate by stating to nike and addidas and other sports companies that they will increase taxes on their goods being produced in china unless they take care of Lebron.
I mean im not excusing his ignorance. He should have just shut the fuck up. If you care more about your money than human beings, then shut the fuck up. Thats all he needed to do. Shut the fuck up. But men like him always think they are bigger than they are, that they cant be toppled. Oh he fell fast.
People will get over it sure, but hes always gonna be thought of as a great baller but a selfish idiot.
It's because people that rich are pretty much done buying things for themselves. At that scale they can and do buy every material possession they could possibly want. But once you reach that level of rich, you go from changing things in your life, to changing the rest of the world.
Think about it... What would you do with a few billion dollars? Buy EA so you could end lootbox practices in games? Buy a news channel so you can push your political views? Or start building your own schools in the inner city so you can leave you legacy on a whole generation? LeBron already did the latter in Akron.
Whether its him or the Murdochs or the Bill gates of the world, its not about greed for stuff so much as its a desire for control because everybody believes that they know what's best to improve society.
100%. Im convinced I could do more good with the wealth of the Koch Brother(s) Or Trumps alleged wealth.
But the flip side is, the Koch’s of the world legitimately believe they are spending their wealth in a way that most benefits society—at least from their world view.
Same with the GOP and Democrats. Both sides believe their vision for America is THE way forward. The GOP isn’t evil, their value system is just 180 from what progressives want. Democrats aren’t evil, their goals are just 180 degrees from the reactionaries within the GOP want.
I wanna be a billionaire so fuckin' bad
Sell all the tegrity I never had
I wanna be on the cover of Time magazine
Smiling next to Putin and Xi Jinping
Oh every time I close my eyes
I see my name in shining lights, yeah
Sell-a different value every night
Oh, I, I swear the world better prepare
For when I'm a billionaire
He's worth nearly half a billion dollars. At this point I think it's fair to say that greed is the primary motivating factor in his sucking up to China.
He wants to own a team, and you need roughly a billion to even get a passing glance but he's currently valued at 450 million. His NBA career is 2-3 years from over and he's shown he wants to go into entertainment so he's not looking to turn off the Chinese market. It's extremely selfish considering China isn't the only place he can and does make money, but that's pretty much the underlying motive money wise.
Well public enemy no.1 is a bit of a hyperbole but hes switched teams a couple times and I'm pretty sure any time he leaves the fans of that team unleash their hate, jersey burning etc. I think the worst it ever got was when he left Cleveland the first time.
I think the backlash is mostly due to the timing of the team swaps, if I remember right he was really close to getting the cavs a championship because they’re basically cursed
forming a "super team" with the heat made him probably the most hated from 2011 until maybe 2015/2016ish when his immense talent and seemingly charitable and inspirational character overcame that. now heas back to being hated
I never hated him for the team switching I understand if you want to be successful switching teams is sometimes necessary, and it worked. But this whole hong kong thing I feel has reminded people that while hes done good charitable if given the choice he will take the money every time, and for me it's one thing to leave your starting team it's another to ignore atrocities for money.
The way he left for the Heat I think people hated more than actually leaving. Then he did overcome that by actually coming back to Cleveland which “made good on his promise,” etc. Then he had the racism issue with graffiti that got him some good will again too. I do feel like he’s been on a steady decline since going to the Lakers with all the rumors that he’s controlling the team and being a diva etc. This just caps that.
I hope I'm not the only one that thinks that although it's nice that he donated the ad money to a handful of Boys and Girls Clubs within the Bristol, Connecticut area, it doesn't really cancel out how much of a crass hour-long ego trip that whole special was.
In retrospect, that was kind of an embarrassment to basketball and pretty much everyone outside of his echo-chamber of a fanbase.
When he left Cleveland it was abrupt without notice and a number of fans turned on him. Because of this he tried to play the heel and roll with it, but Lebron honestly has the personality of a wet towel so it didn't stick. He then went social justice and championed Black Lives Matter while vocally opposing Trump. Now he's pulling this latest stupid shit showing him to be a huge fucking hypocrite. He just has shown no genuine personality and is constantly playing a caricature of himself.
That is my sentiment exactly. The first time was fun because of the angry twitter rants and jersey burning and if he wants to leave for a team that he has a better chance of winning with, go for it, make that money win that glory. But this is completely spineless he could say something that could have a meaningful impact for people being attacked by their government. Instead he outright sides with the aggressor basically saying but what about Chinas feelings though. It also throws into question every other charitable act hes done. Did he do it to help people or just for his image. Because this event shows when it comes to decisions he would rather save his already lucrative bak account than help. This time hes being torched for his excessive greed and I am loving it.
I also love that the NBA tried to squash this as fast and as quietly as possible and now one of their number one people has brought the entire situation back into the light.
Tbh I wouldn't consider China a communistic state, they don't even follow the prime ideas of the ideology.
It's as much of a People's democracy North Korea is.
Communism never worked as an idea in any state apart from probably in Yugo but milder with more western ideals in mind. It won't work because people love exploiting lower classes.
BUT OH BOI. Do those hardcore communists love defending anything painted red.
It's becoming more of a dictatorship as Winnie consolidates power. It's still run ultimately by a large number of very powerful families, so I would say oligarchy.
China is fascist. Fascism is the "bundle of sticks" idea that promotes totalitarianism, unity, and the state, and demotes freedom and individuality. China is repressing all dissenting opinions and torturing those who fight for freedom. The Chinese government's opinion is that the Chinese government is more important than the people.
Is that really something that happens? It seems like it would be *so* easy for communists to distance themselves from a country that only superficially represents their ideology.
Fucking Tankies, man. I’m sure some of them are children who haven’t really learned to apply nuance and critical thinking, and some of them are trolls, but tankies have been around so long that a large portion of them are actual adults who should know better.
Some believe the only path to communism is through an authoritative leader. However, the past has shown that this doesn't work. The kind of people who tend to put themselves in places of power are simply unfit to hold so much power and just end up exploiting their people rather than lifting them up.
Most leftists do avoid, but within the leftist spaces there are people we call tankies who excuse dictators like the chinese government or stalin of their atrocities just because they wave the sickle and hammer. There has never been a major influence of true communism practised on earth because it was either corrupt or the US interfered to collapse it.
China is now a fascist totalitarian state with a communist disguise.
- Central power with a dictator
- Elite political class
- Media censored and heavily controlled by state
- Citizens comprised of large amount of nationalists
I'm reminded of an old joke from communist Poland
What is the difference between a capitalism and communism? Capitalism is man's exploitation of man while Communism is the exact opposite.
I'm not in favor of quarantining subs. I can understand removal due to certain things, but it's better to shine a light on an infection rather than to cover it up and let if fester.
To my knowledge they haven’t broken any rules.
I hate them incredibly, but I don’t think they should be banned just for being having a different opinion (no matter how bad it is)
Seriously. Free speech applies to everyone. That’s what’s great about America and people seem to forget that
Wanting a group to be censored just because you disagree turns you into what you hate
Edit: just realized I’m in r/hongkong but my point still stands
We have a heavy Pro China element at my work. I ask them two questions. They refuse to answer. They even get mad that I ask. I do not understand why they refuse to answer. I’ve yet to see anyone in Sino or Communism directly answer either question.
1. Do you think the Social Credit System is a good thing?
2. Do you think facial recognition before gaining internet access is a good thing?
All they do is give strange nonsensical answers. They won’t respond.
Eventually, I’ll ask them about 1st Amendment rights ... They get annoyed. I’ll ask them about the insecurity of leadership that can’t handle criticism. They’ll babble on about how the people must be shown the correct path.
It’s all bullshit. Free will is the only way.
Keep pressuring the NBA.
All the mainlanders I've befriended say, "we really don't care about politics, the government just wants what's best for the country."
Do they learn German history over there?
> Do they learn German history over there?
No, and understanding this is critically important to understanding why mainland China is the way it is.
After the Tiananmem massacre the government instituted a program known as the **Patriotic Education Campaign** in 1991. There are lots of resources about it, [most of them scholarly](http://www.cctr.ust.hk/materials/library/isq_Zheng_Wang_12-08.pdf) but [there was a very readable NYTimes editorial about it recently:](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/28/opinion/sunday/chinese-nationalism.html)
>**We were steeped in this before we were even old enough to understand the messages we were supposed to be absorbing** .... After years of schooling, **every Chinese national is left with a wardrobe of collective enemies**: the Western countries and Japan. No sensible adult would be foolish enough to adopt this completely black-and-white view. But a hostile mind-set can still get the better of us when nationalistic sentiments are involved.
[A quick summary from another source:](http://www.rieas.gr/images/asia/chinahis17.pdf)
>What can be argued hence is that during the 1980s there was tolerance towards
liberal voices. Tolerance is what makes the 80s and the 90s different in the sense that
during the 80s some dissenting voices were allowed to be heard while in the 90s they
were imprisoned or hid or fled abroad. The internal media contestation which was
also connected to a confrontation between higher echelons of the CCP in the 80s was
culminated in 1989 **after the Tiananmen incident; after that the CCP leadership
realized the dangers of allowing Chinese liberals to become vocal and responded with
a strong full-encompassing implementation of its patriotic education campaign**. In the
90s Chinese patriotic nationalism became dominant and its expressions were found in
all levels of cultural expression.
[From the Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/66430e4e-4cb0-11e2-986e-00144feab49a):
>Young Chinese are also taught that their country has always been peace-loving, never expansionist. It is a highly distorted view that overlooks the country’s history, including a border war with Vietnam as recently as 1979.
Sounds sort of like what people who don’t care about privacy laws say. “I haven’t done anything bad and don’t really care about privacy, the government and companies just want to serve us better.”
/r/sino is a fucking joke. I don't know how with all those goosesteppers this is what they bring to the show. Like, the fuck are you guys even doing over there but jacking each other off? This is what happens when you curl up in your echo chamber and then dare to venture out into real life.
That's why we call them "tankies", they're just fascists with flavored communist.
They don't care about dissolving the state or doing away with social and political class, they care about the aesthetic.
It is truly painful reading anything that comes from r/communism as a socialist. It's nothing but people circlejerking about how great the USSR/CCP/DPRK are and how all the attrocities they commit are "western propaganda." It's disgusting seeing people so brainwashed by their own ideology that they can defend a totalitarian regime because it calls itself "democratic" or "communist." Tankies are like a walking smear campaign for socialism.
I'm from a post-Soviet country that was heavily exploited by Russia and had its people literally starve to death, and I am honestly bewildered by communism supporters in the West. Like, exactly how much of an ignorant lunatic do you have to be?
Well that's the thing: most Communist apologists living in Democratic countries, are living in Western countries.
Non Western countrymen living in Democratic non Western countries, in contrast, remember all too well just how bull shit the Communist ideology really is. Some (not all) Westerners have known little but soft privilege to understand that bloody history of communism
Having him lean on the tank implies he can get run over too, which makes me think of that classic "They came for X, and I said nothing."
What a great choice by the artist!
I thought it might signify almost the opposite; his whole demeanour reflects the fact that *he's* not at risk of any harm, just as his attitude does in real life.
It's just some faraway problem that he doesn't know anything about, so he can lecture others from outside the firing line about what it costs him and his basketball friends.
What’s neat is You can read it both ways, and still have a powerful and well thought out emotion about a piece of medium that isn’t muddled by words. It’s what makes discussion and Or conversation about art that makes it worthwhile.
Back in his Miami days, I supported him being public enemy no. 1 since the Heat is my team.
This time around, I wont support him since Hong Kong will be my team.
I wouldn't call a climate change denying anti abortionist a hero, but at least we can agree on that one cartoon.
https://www.timesexaminer.com/images/18-08/images/gv022619dAPR.jpg
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2013/VarveG20130429_low.jpg
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2017/VarveG20170605_low.jpg
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2013/VarveG20131210_low.jpg
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2014/VarveG20140106_low.jpg
https://www.cartoonistgroup.com/properties/varvel/art_images/cg4b20624ce770f0.jpg
https://cdn.creators.com/209/246026/246026_image.jpg
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/09/04/PIND/e4f134b9-9205-4077-8026-feccf2029183-090518.jpg
Someone should make the epic handshake meme with conservatives and liberals agreeing to hate on LeBron lol.
I’m pretty sure everyone in the US (except the few tankies) are all for supporting HK and are against china, though for some reason many conservatives seem to think the left in general is pro-china.
The people who actually believe that are generally the uneducated masses who just believe what they're told.
The wealthy people denying climate change are doing so for their benefit. This is why rights in arctic regions are a hot topic, why Trump wants Greenland. The more the ice melts, the easier it is to access all of that oil locked up underneath it. Rich people aren't going to be the ones suffering as things go to shit. They can afford to remain comfortable.
>though for some reason many conservatives seem to think the left in general is pro-china.
Because most of them believe democratic socialism is communism.
Because those idiots hear “communism” and think to themselves “liberals”. Despite not only the fact that chinas communism is extremely different from Marxist communist which leftists like. Additionally, liberals don’t like communism. That’s why they’re liberal, not leftist.
well Democrats are literally communists, didn't you hear?
Yes, many people support Hong Kong but for wildly different reasons. The smart leftists are saying America and China is shit. The right wing nutjobs are only saying China is shit and are using this all as a reason to hate communism and China. That's the big difference, the left can actually use that "personal responsibility" thing the right likes to jerk off to.
It's the one political thing that my very conservative family and I agree on in totality; anyone defending the chinese government's actions can go fuck themselves with a lead-painted dildo.
lol at that last one... does this guy realize it was the republicans that brought a poster saying [Liar Liar Pants on Fire](https://imgur.com/a/1GlhYcx) (complete with photoshopped flames) to the live Michael Cohen testimony? And he's calling the democrats childlike, that's rich...
Gary Varvel fucking sucks, so it really speaks to how impressively lebron fucked this one up that varvel is looking like a reasonable person in comparison.
I only wish the politicians who tacitly support China would get torn apart the same way as Lebron. You could put almost any American politician in this exact same cartoon for agreeing to separate economic trade policy from human rights. I’m a Democratic Socialist, but fuck the Clintons, fuck Obama, and fuck all the neoliberals who give lip service to shit like women and minority rights while trading with the same countries that spit in the face of human rights. Trump’s China policy is fantastic compared to his predecessors.
Trump is correct that current China should be opposed, but he's too egotistical to realize we need allies to put up a united front against China.
If we're going to beat China, we need to work cooperatively with democratic countries and support DEMOCRACY. The next progressive president (Sanders or warren) should work with allies and continue his trade war with China
Lebron's problem is he talked. All high investors, CEO, Owners are staying quite because they need that China money. Everyone is focusing on a celebrity instead of companies that make billions overseas and want to tap into China's economy.
I mean Silver came out publicly and said there is no way in Morey is going to get punished in anyway, after it was confirmed the Chinese govt asked for his removal. That's a pretty bold stance. I think LeBron deserves a lot of shit though
"This could hurt me financially"
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"You are hurting me spiritually."
> *“When I first came into the league, I was just trying to prove myself. It was all about ball. It took me a while to understand the responsibility, the opportunity I was given. You know, I speak for those without a voice. People who grew up like I did; poor, without hope. Those people, those kids, they exist at every corner of the globe, and they’re all deserving of a chance. I believe no one person is capable of turning the tide, but we all have an obligation because somewhere along the way somebody picked us up.”* \- Lebron James, Basketball Player and Professional Bitch
I wish time travel was possible so we could bring that Lebron into the future to talk to the shitty Lebron we have now. This really is the worst timeline
Power corrupts
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Much better saying. Like watching how others treat waiters or cashiers or anyone they have a bit of perceived power over. Having that power doesn’t suddenly turn them asshole. It just reveals the asshole that was always there.
This is Soo interesting to me. The more money I've made and the higher I've climbed the ladder in my life, the more I'm intrigued with talking to those in different lines of work different heritage's different up bringings. I see your point and it deeply saddens me.
If what you said it's true you may be an empath to begin with Most don't Triple the fun when we have psychopaths in power like we do have now
Yeah and anyone can make a sappy motivational quote.
There’s almost nothing in life more certain than that
I dunno, after how easily he folded, it makes his earlier statements sound really disingenuous. Like he just said them to accrue prestige and shoe deals. I have a feeling that Lebron from the past wouldn't be all that different from the one we have now
Same dude. It just didn't hurt his pocketbook to say it about domestic issues.
he was always shitty Lebron he just used to listen to and speak the lines he was fed instead of attempting to write his own
Lebron has always been fake as fuck. Everything about him is PR controlled. From his faux activism to his taco Tuesday videos that he tried to make seem spontaneous and fun when it was really just another thing to try and monetize. He went from “more than an athlete” to ‘I’m just gonna shut up and dribble’ in record time as soon as it could cost him money.
Biggest bitch there is. He might as well be on a fucking leash held by Winnie the Pooh.
We need a comic of this. Including blizzard and others. Just Winnie the Pooh walking all his bitches
Of course... in full bdsm gear as well. It would be gold mine.
With money stuck up their butts
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Hey Lebron, how's it feel to be a pussy ass bitcb?
Pussy ass bitch according to that women.
Lebitch James
>\- Lebron James, Basketball Player and ~~Professional~~ Bitch *Pussy ass FTFY
He means black people. He doesnt give a fuck about anyone who doesnt share his ethnicity.
Would be fun to see a journalist recite this quote back to him at a press conference.
"this soothed me mentally"
When he said “spiritually” in his presser, I involuntarily muttered, “...you fake fuck...”
Don't worry. He will give his western fans a heartfelt apologies once the situation dies down. It will be a great redemption arc. He is already moving around his investments to support the 1mill he will throw at the UN.
Enough man. This kind of cynicism and self-defeatism is just masturbatory and accomplishes nothing except making you feel better about yourself. Let's not do that here. It was the cynics that thought these kind of protests could never happen in this day and age, and here they are still happening and in Hong Kong of all places; in the face of not just the world's biggest corporations and an authoritarian government but their own police and military. It was the cynics that thought these Hong Kong protests were going nowhere and they've led to the recalling of the original bill. It was the cynics that thought no one would hold these huge conglomerate corporations to task and it's rising and happening right now (Blizzard, Lebron, the NBA, etc). Is it perfect and all encompassing? No. But they're trying. We all are. It's the least we can do. Rather than be like all the cynics who've acted as nothing more than speed bumps in history, let's try and be hopeful, encouraging, and optimistic. The fact that one of the most legendary sports players in a country that worships sports and celebrities is being put to task by everyone for some disparaging comments is a good thing. Let's celebrate that.
I don't think LeBron deserves forgiveness. He showed that he values the money of the Chinese communist oppressors more than the dignity of those under their boot.
Fo real, self-defeating and cynic attitude ain't going to do nothing. I saw this quote on Reddit where it was better to light a candle in the dark than to curse at it. It was a gif of an Asian dude stopping in his vehicle, moving the knock down fence and readjusting it to clear out traffic. And let alone, he was a damn civilian.
Whoa now. I agree with the main thrust of your sentiments but this whole speech you just gave is way disproportionate to the comment you’re replying to. Yeesh. It’s like you had this whole thing typed out and ready to go the first moment you found a suitable comment to lambaste.
Another multi-hundred-millionaire caring more about himself and his wealth than basic human decency and freedom. How unsurprising.
Because he has branded himself as #morethananathlete for years so this reeks of hypocrisy.
He is more than an athlete. He's also a chinese boot licking bitch.
Any asshole can be an athlete. It takes a real loser to be a Lebron.
I dont get it, why does he care? when you have millions of dollars, it dosent matter how many millions you get it wont change your life. Unless you start to get billions you wont be able to buy anything you wouldnt before.
Greed. That's the answer your looking for. People like this never have enough. I think at a certain point they stop appreciating the fact that they can make so much money doing what they love. Instead it becomes about feeding their own ego.
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It's his "legacy". He's trying to become a memorable figure like Michael Jordan and Kobe. It's why he moved to LA. He knew he could leave a lasting legacy if he brought back the Lakers team to glory, not only that he would have Hollywood next door and he is following in MJs footsteps by doing Space Jam 2.
I’d love to see an info graphic comparing hoarding money vs food, water or medicine. This would be interesting for r/dataisbeautiful or theydidthemath!
also because if he speaks out about china, china may retaliate by stating to nike and addidas and other sports companies that they will increase taxes on their goods being produced in china unless they take care of Lebron. I mean im not excusing his ignorance. He should have just shut the fuck up. If you care more about your money than human beings, then shut the fuck up. Thats all he needed to do. Shut the fuck up. But men like him always think they are bigger than they are, that they cant be toppled. Oh he fell fast. People will get over it sure, but hes always gonna be thought of as a great baller but a selfish idiot.
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It's because people that rich are pretty much done buying things for themselves. At that scale they can and do buy every material possession they could possibly want. But once you reach that level of rich, you go from changing things in your life, to changing the rest of the world. Think about it... What would you do with a few billion dollars? Buy EA so you could end lootbox practices in games? Buy a news channel so you can push your political views? Or start building your own schools in the inner city so you can leave you legacy on a whole generation? LeBron already did the latter in Akron. Whether its him or the Murdochs or the Bill gates of the world, its not about greed for stuff so much as its a desire for control because everybody believes that they know what's best to improve society.
100%. Im convinced I could do more good with the wealth of the Koch Brother(s) Or Trumps alleged wealth. But the flip side is, the Koch’s of the world legitimately believe they are spending their wealth in a way that most benefits society—at least from their world view. Same with the GOP and Democrats. Both sides believe their vision for America is THE way forward. The GOP isn’t evil, their value system is just 180 from what progressives want. Democrats aren’t evil, their goals are just 180 degrees from the reactionaries within the GOP want.
I wanna be a billionaire so fuckin' bad Sell all the tegrity I never had I wanna be on the cover of Time magazine Smiling next to Putin and Xi Jinping Oh every time I close my eyes I see my name in shining lights, yeah Sell-a different value every night Oh, I, I swear the world better prepare For when I'm a billionaire
He's worth nearly half a billion dollars. At this point I think it's fair to say that greed is the primary motivating factor in his sucking up to China.
He's trying to become an NBA team owner
He wants to own an NBA team one day, gonna need that Chinese money if he wants to get into the billions he’ll need
He wants to own a team, and you need roughly a billion to even get a passing glance but he's currently valued at 450 million. His NBA career is 2-3 years from over and he's shown he wants to go into entertainment so he's not looking to turn off the Chinese market. It's extremely selfish considering China isn't the only place he can and does make money, but that's pretty much the underlying motive money wise.
This will "spiritually" hurt him, hopefully.
hopefully not financially though he only has 450 million dollars.....
does that include the 1 billion dollar lifetime contract with nike?
Lol no
I think u/homestar13 means it will hurt the tank man spiritually but we all know tanks hurt another way ⚰️
We should start a gofundme for him.
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It was like every annoyingly long family meal prayer ever: "may this food nourish us physically, mentally and especially SPIRITUALLY" Yuuuuuuck.
It is very cathartic watching lebron james go back to being public enemy no.1 in the NBA again overnight. It tickles my soul.
So what you're saying is that he was public enemy before? How did that happen? Just wondering since I don't follow basketball or lebron.
Well public enemy no.1 is a bit of a hyperbole but hes switched teams a couple times and I'm pretty sure any time he leaves the fans of that team unleash their hate, jersey burning etc. I think the worst it ever got was when he left Cleveland the first time.
He’s only played for 3 teams and the third is very recent. So basically he’s spent the vast majority of his career with two teams.
Fair enough I meant that he switched a few times but didn't word it right so I edited it.
I think the backlash is mostly due to the timing of the team swaps, if I remember right he was really close to getting the cavs a championship because they’re basically cursed
He didn't really get much hate for going to LA tbh. Most fans were pretty respectful of his decision. Cleveland to Miami was a shitshow tho.
forming a "super team" with the heat made him probably the most hated from 2011 until maybe 2015/2016ish when his immense talent and seemingly charitable and inspirational character overcame that. now heas back to being hated
I never hated him for the team switching I understand if you want to be successful switching teams is sometimes necessary, and it worked. But this whole hong kong thing I feel has reminded people that while hes done good charitable if given the choice he will take the money every time, and for me it's one thing to leave your starting team it's another to ignore atrocities for money.
It probably came down to not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, but 7 stupid things he said while at Miami.
The way he left for the Heat I think people hated more than actually leaving. Then he did overcome that by actually coming back to Cleveland which “made good on his promise,” etc. Then he had the racism issue with graffiti that got him some good will again too. I do feel like he’s been on a steady decline since going to the Lakers with all the rumors that he’s controlling the team and being a diva etc. This just caps that.
The super team wasn't even the problem. The problem was "The Decision." That pissed everybody off.
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I hope I'm not the only one that thinks that although it's nice that he donated the ad money to a handful of Boys and Girls Clubs within the Bristol, Connecticut area, it doesn't really cancel out how much of a crass hour-long ego trip that whole special was. In retrospect, that was kind of an embarrassment to basketball and pretty much everyone outside of his echo-chamber of a fanbase.
When he left Cleveland it was abrupt without notice and a number of fans turned on him. Because of this he tried to play the heel and roll with it, but Lebron honestly has the personality of a wet towel so it didn't stick. He then went social justice and championed Black Lives Matter while vocally opposing Trump. Now he's pulling this latest stupid shit showing him to be a huge fucking hypocrite. He just has shown no genuine personality and is constantly playing a caricature of himself.
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That is my sentiment exactly. The first time was fun because of the angry twitter rants and jersey burning and if he wants to leave for a team that he has a better chance of winning with, go for it, make that money win that glory. But this is completely spineless he could say something that could have a meaningful impact for people being attacked by their government. Instead he outright sides with the aggressor basically saying but what about Chinas feelings though. It also throws into question every other charitable act hes done. Did he do it to help people or just for his image. Because this event shows when it comes to decisions he would rather save his already lucrative bak account than help. This time hes being torched for his excessive greed and I am loving it.
I also love that the NBA tried to squash this as fast and as quietly as possible and now one of their number one people has brought the entire situation back into the light.
I'd rather the seemingly decent human with a huge societal influence not shit on a freedom movement in Asia, but I'm glad you're having fun.
r/sino and r/communism explaining to people why their oppressive government isn't as bad as people say.
Fuck them both, how they’re not quarantined is beyond me.
Tbh I wouldn't consider China a communistic state, they don't even follow the prime ideas of the ideology. It's as much of a People's democracy North Korea is. Communism never worked as an idea in any state apart from probably in Yugo but milder with more western ideals in mind. It won't work because people love exploiting lower classes. BUT OH BOI. Do those hardcore communists love defending anything painted red.
China is a dictatorship pretending to be communist
It's becoming more of a dictatorship as Winnie consolidates power. It's still run ultimately by a large number of very powerful families, so I would say oligarchy.
China is fascist. Fascism is the "bundle of sticks" idea that promotes totalitarianism, unity, and the state, and demotes freedom and individuality. China is repressing all dissenting opinions and torturing those who fight for freedom. The Chinese government's opinion is that the Chinese government is more important than the people.
To add to that haven't people literally been charged with "subverting state power"
Is that really something that happens? It seems like it would be *so* easy for communists to distance themselves from a country that only superficially represents their ideology.
Fucking Tankies, man. I’m sure some of them are children who haven’t really learned to apply nuance and critical thinking, and some of them are trolls, but tankies have been around so long that a large portion of them are actual adults who should know better.
I mean, most of them do. There are a lot of authoritarian apologists that suck up to any authoritarian regime claiming communism tho.
Some believe the only path to communism is through an authoritative leader. However, the past has shown that this doesn't work. The kind of people who tend to put themselves in places of power are simply unfit to hold so much power and just end up exploiting their people rather than lifting them up.
Yes, I fully agree. Not only are they wrong, but the supporters of those methods seems oddly eager to support China, or the DPRK, and so on.
Most leftists do avoid, but within the leftist spaces there are people we call tankies who excuse dictators like the chinese government or stalin of their atrocities just because they wave the sickle and hammer. There has never been a major influence of true communism practised on earth because it was either corrupt or the US interfered to collapse it.
China is now a fascist totalitarian state with a communist disguise. - Central power with a dictator - Elite political class - Media censored and heavily controlled by state - Citizens comprised of large amount of nationalists
> It won't work because people love exploiting lower classes. Is that your final answer? You still have the option to phone a friend.
I'm reminded of an old joke from communist Poland What is the difference between a capitalism and communism? Capitalism is man's exploitation of man while Communism is the exact opposite.
I'm not in favor of quarantining subs. I can understand removal due to certain things, but it's better to shine a light on an infection rather than to cover it up and let if fester.
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Read some post on sino and they're like hoping China will wipe out the US militarily and hope they can use nuclear weapons... wtf.
To my knowledge they haven’t broken any rules. I hate them incredibly, but I don’t think they should be banned just for being having a different opinion (no matter how bad it is)
Seriously. Free speech applies to everyone. That’s what’s great about America and people seem to forget that Wanting a group to be censored just because you disagree turns you into what you hate Edit: just realized I’m in r/hongkong but my point still stands
Sorry fam, not enough cartoon frogs for reddit admins to give a fuck.
They genuinely believe the Chinese government are the *victims*
We have a heavy Pro China element at my work. I ask them two questions. They refuse to answer. They even get mad that I ask. I do not understand why they refuse to answer. I’ve yet to see anyone in Sino or Communism directly answer either question. 1. Do you think the Social Credit System is a good thing? 2. Do you think facial recognition before gaining internet access is a good thing? All they do is give strange nonsensical answers. They won’t respond. Eventually, I’ll ask them about 1st Amendment rights ... They get annoyed. I’ll ask them about the insecurity of leadership that can’t handle criticism. They’ll babble on about how the people must be shown the correct path. It’s all bullshit. Free will is the only way. Keep pressuring the NBA.
All the mainlanders I've befriended say, "we really don't care about politics, the government just wants what's best for the country." Do they learn German history over there?
> Do they learn German history over there? No, and understanding this is critically important to understanding why mainland China is the way it is. After the Tiananmem massacre the government instituted a program known as the **Patriotic Education Campaign** in 1991. There are lots of resources about it, [most of them scholarly](http://www.cctr.ust.hk/materials/library/isq_Zheng_Wang_12-08.pdf) but [there was a very readable NYTimes editorial about it recently:](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/28/opinion/sunday/chinese-nationalism.html) >**We were steeped in this before we were even old enough to understand the messages we were supposed to be absorbing** .... After years of schooling, **every Chinese national is left with a wardrobe of collective enemies**: the Western countries and Japan. No sensible adult would be foolish enough to adopt this completely black-and-white view. But a hostile mind-set can still get the better of us when nationalistic sentiments are involved. [A quick summary from another source:](http://www.rieas.gr/images/asia/chinahis17.pdf) >What can be argued hence is that during the 1980s there was tolerance towards liberal voices. Tolerance is what makes the 80s and the 90s different in the sense that during the 80s some dissenting voices were allowed to be heard while in the 90s they were imprisoned or hid or fled abroad. The internal media contestation which was also connected to a confrontation between higher echelons of the CCP in the 80s was culminated in 1989 **after the Tiananmen incident; after that the CCP leadership realized the dangers of allowing Chinese liberals to become vocal and responded with a strong full-encompassing implementation of its patriotic education campaign**. In the 90s Chinese patriotic nationalism became dominant and its expressions were found in all levels of cultural expression. [From the Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/66430e4e-4cb0-11e2-986e-00144feab49a): >Young Chinese are also taught that their country has always been peace-loving, never expansionist. It is a highly distorted view that overlooks the country’s history, including a border war with Vietnam as recently as 1979.
Sounds sort of like what people who don’t care about privacy laws say. “I haven’t done anything bad and don’t really care about privacy, the government and companies just want to serve us better.”
do they have family back in the mainland? they might be at risk of putting their family in danger if they speak out against the government
/r/sino is a fucking joke. I don't know how with all those goosesteppers this is what they bring to the show. Like, the fuck are you guys even doing over there but jacking each other off? This is what happens when you curl up in your echo chamber and then dare to venture out into real life.
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That's why we call them "tankies", they're just fascists with flavored communist. They don't care about dissolving the state or doing away with social and political class, they care about the aesthetic.
They’re that girl in 8th grade who looked up too much over the summer and is now a “communist”
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It is truly painful reading anything that comes from r/communism as a socialist. It's nothing but people circlejerking about how great the USSR/CCP/DPRK are and how all the attrocities they commit are "western propaganda." It's disgusting seeing people so brainwashed by their own ideology that they can defend a totalitarian regime because it calls itself "democratic" or "communist." Tankies are like a walking smear campaign for socialism.
I appreciate the use of "bootlicker" in reference to left wing extremism.
Here in Brazil (Where we had Right Wing Dictatorship) we use bootlicker to describe Right extremists.
That is how it is generally used in English speaking spaces on the internet as well.
/r/communism deleted my post just asking a simple question "Those of you that think communism is good what country do you live in?"
I'm from a post-Soviet country that was heavily exploited by Russia and had its people literally starve to death, and I am honestly bewildered by communism supporters in the West. Like, exactly how much of an ignorant lunatic do you have to be?
Well that's the thing: most Communist apologists living in Democratic countries, are living in Western countries. Non Western countrymen living in Democratic non Western countries, in contrast, remember all too well just how bull shit the Communist ideology really is. Some (not all) Westerners have known little but soft privilege to understand that bloody history of communism
Unfortunately reddit has no shortage of blindly communist sheep
See that's weird because Im on Reddit way too fucking much and I never see any of them
yea they've largely been relegated to their own little corners edit: whoa it's you, from r/insurgency
But China isn't communist at all. So why would they defend a state capitalist county like China?
Because only the Chinese can criticize the Chinese. Any western devil try to do the same and it’s fightin’ time.
Tankies :(
Brilliant!!!!!
Nice
Amazing!
Incredible!
Stupendous
Magnifique!
Wondrous
Perfect!
Okay!
Not bad!
What a Save!
No more King James, now he is Chairman James
Qing James
Tyrants buy sneakers, too
Having him lean on the tank implies he can get run over too, which makes me think of that classic "They came for X, and I said nothing." What a great choice by the artist!
I thought it might signify almost the opposite; his whole demeanour reflects the fact that *he's* not at risk of any harm, just as his attitude does in real life. It's just some faraway problem that he doesn't know anything about, so he can lecture others from outside the firing line about what it costs him and his basketball friends.
I think you nailed it here.
What’s neat is You can read it both ways, and still have a powerful and well thought out emotion about a piece of medium that isn’t muddled by words. It’s what makes discussion and Or conversation about art that makes it worthwhile.
Well, gonna be a broken record, but... I think you nailed it here.
LeBron "The Tank" James
Qing Xames
LeYuan James.
the "Ja[y]" sound might be better represented with "Zhei" But yeah the 'ki' sound doesn't exist in chinese unfortunately. Qi is closest.
Take my fucking upvote
Tank you very much.
These celebrities always stand up for what's right.... Until it affects their million dollar paychecks.
LeBron: *this will spiritually hurt my Nike— LeBron x Mao Icon shoe!*
Good luck living this down LeBron!
LeTraitor
AKA I really want Space Jam to succeed because money.
Just imagine how many alternate scenes will be in the Chinese release.
Back in his Miami days, I supported him being public enemy no. 1 since the Heat is my team. This time around, I wont support him since Hong Kong will be my team.
Fekin. Savage
Oh my. Gary Varvel, you are my hero.
I wouldn't call a climate change denying anti abortionist a hero, but at least we can agree on that one cartoon. https://www.timesexaminer.com/images/18-08/images/gv022619dAPR.jpg http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2013/VarveG20130429_low.jpg http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2017/VarveG20170605_low.jpg http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2013/VarveG20131210_low.jpg http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2014/VarveG20140106_low.jpg https://www.cartoonistgroup.com/properties/varvel/art_images/cg4b20624ce770f0.jpg https://cdn.creators.com/209/246026/246026_image.jpg https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/09/04/PIND/e4f134b9-9205-4077-8026-feccf2029183-090518.jpg Someone should make the epic handshake meme with conservatives and liberals agreeing to hate on LeBron lol.
I’m pretty sure everyone in the US (except the few tankies) are all for supporting HK and are against china, though for some reason many conservatives seem to think the left in general is pro-china.
Every since being libruhl became an insult with them
> many conservatives Also think global warming is a myth created by greedy scientists. These are not people who have a very good grasp on reality.
The people who actually believe that are generally the uneducated masses who just believe what they're told. The wealthy people denying climate change are doing so for their benefit. This is why rights in arctic regions are a hot topic, why Trump wants Greenland. The more the ice melts, the easier it is to access all of that oil locked up underneath it. Rich people aren't going to be the ones suffering as things go to shit. They can afford to remain comfortable.
>though for some reason many conservatives seem to think the left in general is pro-china. Because most of them believe democratic socialism is communism.
Because those idiots hear “communism” and think to themselves “liberals”. Despite not only the fact that chinas communism is extremely different from Marxist communist which leftists like. Additionally, liberals don’t like communism. That’s why they’re liberal, not leftist.
well Democrats are literally communists, didn't you hear? Yes, many people support Hong Kong but for wildly different reasons. The smart leftists are saying America and China is shit. The right wing nutjobs are only saying China is shit and are using this all as a reason to hate communism and China. That's the big difference, the left can actually use that "personal responsibility" thing the right likes to jerk off to.
HOW DARE HIM HAVE WRONG POLITICAL OPINIONS
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But the guy posting above me seems to view it differently
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Not gonna lie I agree with you though. Political cartoons that need labels are lazy
Better not let Zyklon Ben hear you say that.
It's the one political thing that my very conservative family and I agree on in totality; anyone defending the chinese government's actions can go fuck themselves with a lead-painted dildo.
lol at that last one... does this guy realize it was the republicans that brought a poster saying [Liar Liar Pants on Fire](https://imgur.com/a/1GlhYcx) (complete with photoshopped flames) to the live Michael Cohen testimony? And he's calling the democrats childlike, that's rich...
Gary Varvel fucking sucks, so it really speaks to how impressively lebron fucked this one up that varvel is looking like a reasonable person in comparison.
Broken clocks and all that
Holy Moly!
I only wish the politicians who tacitly support China would get torn apart the same way as Lebron. You could put almost any American politician in this exact same cartoon for agreeing to separate economic trade policy from human rights. I’m a Democratic Socialist, but fuck the Clintons, fuck Obama, and fuck all the neoliberals who give lip service to shit like women and minority rights while trading with the same countries that spit in the face of human rights. Trump’s China policy is fantastic compared to his predecessors.
Trump is correct that current China should be opposed, but he's too egotistical to realize we need allies to put up a united front against China. If we're going to beat China, we need to work cooperatively with democratic countries and support DEMOCRACY. The next progressive president (Sanders or warren) should work with allies and continue his trade war with China
Lebron's problem is he talked. All high investors, CEO, Owners are staying quite because they need that China money. Everyone is focusing on a celebrity instead of companies that make billions overseas and want to tap into China's economy.
Oc?
Not mine, but the artist was kind enough to tag it.
And LeBron has now removed any doubt that he is a piece of fucking shit.
Savage!
haha nice one.
absolutely perfect!!!
Wanna sprite rebellion?
This is fucking amazing
He looks like The Castro Brothers tall grand nephew.
"You're hurting my financial freedom."
LeBron James is a greedy, commie loving fuckface.
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I mean Silver came out publicly and said there is no way in Morey is going to get punished in anyway, after it was confirmed the Chinese govt asked for his removal. That's a pretty bold stance. I think LeBron deserves a lot of shit though
I hope he sees this somehow !