No big deal, just LeBron James captioning a story on Instagram with anti-Semitic lyrics from hip-hop artist 21 Savage, “We been getting that Jewish money, Everything is Kosher”:
The producer of entourage is mad at lebron james for quoting a 21savage lyric about ”jewish money” – Is this offensive? pic.twitter.com/1dLYLPhJ9M
— BallerAlert (@balleralert) December 23, 2018
“Is this offensive?” people asked…
Well, duh:
Yes. It is offensive. “Jewish money” is a conspiracy used by the Nazis, and is considered antisemitism. Y’all need an education.
— Rebecca (is trying to breathe) ? ? (@dorothyofisrael) December 23, 2018
James has since apologized, saying he thought it was a compliment. From ESPN:
“Apologies, for sure, if I offended anyone,” James told ESPN following the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 107-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. “That’s not why I chose to share that lyric. I always [post lyrics]. That’s what I do. I ride in my car, I listen to great music and that was the byproduct of it. So, I actually thought it was a compliment and obviously it wasn’t through the lens of a lot of people. My apologies. It definitely was not the intent, obviously, to hurt anybody.”
But the point here is that, in the past, others have been metaphorically crucified on social media for quoting offensive rap lyrics. Why doesn’t LeBron’s post generate the same outrage?
When the Virginia Tech women’s lacrosse team sang along to a rap song, many demanded they all be suspended. When Donte Divincenzo quoted rap lyrics on Twitter as a teenager it was a massive story. Will left wing sports media give LeBron a pass here & continue double standard?
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 23, 2018
My position is pretty straightforward and consistent: context matters. But I also think everyone should be treated the same regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Will left wing sports media come after LeBron here or excuse him? I think y’all know already.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 23, 2018
Do I think LeBron is anti-Semitic? I have no idea. He’s quoting a lyric from a rap song he likes just like Virginia Tech women’s lacrosse team & Divincenzo. But why does the same standard from left wingers not apply to LeBron as it did to them? Shouldn’t they be outraged?
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 23, 2018
No word yet from the NBA, however:
Current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is Jewish. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern is Jewish. He wouldn’t appreciate if they quoted offensive lyrics about African Americans. There can’t be a double standard. Very surprising LeBron would be this dumb. https://t.co/yhw6CIPV8Q
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) December 23, 2018
***
Related:
Lebron James lectures about NFL owners and slavery while proving he has little grasp on business reality.https://t.co/dG93pkFWVC pic.twitter.com/1ApJGrRhPG
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 22, 2018
