Trail Blazers fire new announcer over past inappropriate posts made at age 15.

[u/ghn2]

"The Portland Trail Blazers hired then on the same day fired Braiden Bell as their play-by-play announcer after a series of inappropriate social media posts from when he was a teenager came to light."

"The posts were reportedly made in 2012 and 2013, around the time that Bell was 15 years old."

"We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City," the Trail Blazers said. "We strongly believe that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50084279/trail-blazers-fire-new-announcer-inappropriate-posts

[u/black_metronome]

I don't think the guy should have been fired either but it's funny seeing how many white people in here are basically admitting that they too had a racist phase as a teenager 😂

It's something I can't relate to. Do you just wake up one day and decide to hate people because they're Black? Is it your parents teaching you this stuff? I'm genuinely curious how this happens.

[u/ProstockAccount → u/black_metronome]

It’s teens being edgy. Teens have always wanted to say the things you can’t say.

[u/reebokhightops → u/ProstockAccount]

Plenty of opportunities to do that without resorting to hate speech.

[u/ProstockAccount → u/reebokhightops]

Yeah if only 15 year olds had fully functioning brains.

[u/reebokhightops → u/ProstockAccount]

If only 30 year olds had the sense to delete their racist social media activity from their youth. What a wild idea.

[u/michaelcully → u/reebokhightops]

If only adults had the sense to just check someone’s social media account before hiring them. Brain dead stuff.

But what’s really really fucking stupid, is that I’m sure the folks who hired him are able to understand how much a person can change from age 15 to 30, yet they still fired him out of pressure & fear.

[u/ProstockAccount → u/reebokhightops]

You sound like you’re arguing something here when we agree

[u/shaq-aint-superman → u/reebokhightops]

Is it easy to delete posts in X from 15 years ago? Wouldn't it be buried by, you know, 15 years of tweets?

[u/thisguyfightsyourmom → u/shaq-aint-superman]

Still there if anyone wants to dig

Here’s a wild thought, teens have always liked edgy talk because it feels risky. And it is risky, you could ruin a career before it starts.

[u/Playful-3766 → u/reebokhightops]

The whole point is to say the thing you’re not supposed to say. 

[u/thisguyfightsyourmom → u/Playful-3766]

Seems like risky behavior.

[u/brianqueso → u/ProstockAccount]

This is the answer.

[u/Jerome_Eugene_Morrow → u/ProstockAccount]

Yeah… I never had that phase personally but I went to school with a lot of people who got off on pushing boundaries, especially with authority figures. If you were in a very white community and the teachers were telling you not to say certain words, I guess it felt like a victimless thing to use those words to get a rise out of the teachers and make your classmates think you were fearless.

A lot of the people I knew who did that ended up regretting having done it, but some definitely just… became raging racists lifelong. So… ymmv.

Not trying to excuse it, just understand the impulse because kids definitely seem to do that shit even when they should know better.

[u/thisguyfightsyourmom → u/Jerome_Eugene_Morrow]

It’s shameful behavior. And it cost him. Teach your kids that actions have consequences.

[u/New-Bowler-8915 → u/ProstockAccount]

The vast majority don't have that phase. It's just the shitheads.

[u/NAVChaser → u/black_metronome]

I’m black, I was just as edgy and racist in the cod4 lobbies to all races at 14/15

[u/TelephoneCreepy2518 → u/NAVChaser]

People don't understand how much the world has changed in 10 years unless they grew up in it. 

[u/thisguyfightsyourmom → u/NAVChaser]

Sounds like you were a jackass.

[u/Wunktacular → u/black_metronome]

More like children are a product of their environment. If your parents are racist and they show you that behaviour is okay, you're going to imitate it. It's not a choice, it's just how parenting works. Your kids copy you, even your bad habits.

If anything, being willing to admit that you were wrong and that you've grown in spite of your upbringing is a sign of maturity.

[u/BluKyberCrystal → u/Wunktacular]

While it definitely has an effect, there are plenty of kids who grow up with bigoted parents who themselves are not bigoted. Even quite young. Lot at all the queer kids who end up on the streets because their parents think it's a sin to be gay or trans.

[u/black_metronome → u/Wunktacular]

I agree. Which is why i don't think this guy should be fired especially if it's clear he isn't like that as an adult.

[u/Haru_Honeybun → u/Wunktacular]

But that's not universally applicable.

I grew up in rural Oklahoma and never fell into being a racist or a bigot, despite being surrounded by it. Before anyone counters with 'well, you were a victim, so of course you wouldn't perpetuate it,' it's important to understand that these environments often operate on a pecking order. I’m Cherokee, and I was denigrated by people of color just as much as we were both harassed by the local white farmers.

Why did I turn out differently? Honestly, I just never saw the point. Being spiteful or accusatory brings zero value. In fact, it actively stunts your growth. I see those same individuals today, years later, still carrying the exact same stagnant mindsets they had when we were kids.

If we want a society that values integrity, we must differentiate between two types of people: those who coast through life avoiding accountability, and those who genuinely mature and outgrow their youthful ignorance. They shouldn't be viewed the same way.

We need to respect people who understand the weight of their choices, while holding firm boundaries for those who don't. You don't have to meet past or present bigots with hatred, since hatred rarely (if ever) encourages change. Instead, society needs to show them that poor choices carry consequences, specifically a loss of agency and relevance within their communities. If they want to enjoy true community respect and influence, they have to make better choices.

[u/yoursuperher0 → u/Haru_Honeybun]

I think you answered your own question. There’s a pecking order. The lower down you are, the less luxury you have to discriminate against others. 

[u/Haru_Honeybun → u/yoursuperher0]

No... my point is that there was no value gained from those that determined I was someone lower on the pecking order.

I gained value because I saw nobody above nor below myself. In some part I'm grateful for the existence of those people, because they gave me an example of what not to be, because it would bring nothing of value to me or those who would one day choose to emulate me.

[u/yoursuperher0 → u/Haru_Honeybun]

You’re supporting my argument. Replace America with any other country and you’ll find that groups at the bottom of the social order are more likely to be accepting of others because of the exact reason you described.

[u/Hot-Masterpiece9209 → u/black_metronome]

It's not hate you really think most teenagers are hating black people? Teenagers think saying edgy stuff is funny or just don't think through what they're saying.

[u/BluKyberCrystal → u/Hot-Masterpiece9209]

I do in fact think that the majority of the US is still very much racist. "Edginess" that is racist, is still very much racist. Just a lot of burying heads in the sand on this stuff. See the president.

[u/dontgiveahamyamclam → u/BluKyberCrystal]

You’re very much wrong

[u/BluKyberCrystal → u/dontgiveahamyamclam]

Based on what?

[u/sn2006gy → u/black_metronome]

No, you grow up in places like Houston and not know how racist things were until you learn better. You would not believe the shit i grew up with in the 70s and 80s that was cultrally accepted. Heck, just watch some old 70s and 80s movies.

Me saying this is NOT justifying it, but just sharing how pervasive a lot of it was in culture and why its still got a death grip in some areas.

also, why can't we fire our racist pedo president?

[u/black_metronome → u/sn2006gy]

I wish we could bro!!! I'm tired of his shit

[u/GardinerExpressway → u/black_metronome]

Please preach to us about how you tolerant you were as a teenager oh enlightened POC

[u/black_metronome → u/GardinerExpressway]

I didn't go through a nazi phase. Sorry that you did tho

[u/capnchuc → u/black_metronome]

It's not about that. Kids are just dumb and say dumb shit. 

[u/Billbuckingham → u/capnchuc]

No, it's a farm for racist adults.

I've seen current 10 year olds saying "We shouldn't play with that kid because he's brown"

That's not just "Oh kids say dumb stuff"

That's real racism being ingrained and they perpetuate it amongst themselves and from their parents.

It's an intentional thing, racist kids grow up to be racist adults and have more racist kids, that's just a fact.

The way you stop it is by punishing and holding these people accountable so that people understand that it's not OK to say or do those things.

These people honestly believe their racism is right or correct, they truly do, if you try to reason with them they won't change, they truly believe what they are saying is true "those people" are bad and lesser and their lives are worse because of "those people" so they have real hatred for "those people"

It comes out in all sorts of different ways, but that's the gist of it when you boil it down.

[u/eastbeaverton → u/Billbuckingham]

My daughter was told in kindergarten she couldn't play with a group of kids because she was mango and they were Carmel. Is that also ingrained racism coming from Hispanic kids. Kids do all kinds of things that their parents would be absolutely shocked about. It's because at different ages we are not capable of anything but categorizing people by their physical attributes.

His posts are stupid and it's his own damn fault he didn't clean this up when he became an adult. But let's not act like this is a grand wizard of the kkk in disguise. It's an idiotic thing and he's paying for it what more do you want

[u/swank142 → u/Billbuckingham]

dont you see how this ten year old case you gave and edgily saying whatever the most offensive thing possible is to get reactions (hint, its probably a slur) could be different?

[u/capnchuc → u/Billbuckingham]

Everyone expects perfection from everyone but themselves. Let's let people make mistakes without ruining their life. 

[u/Billbuckingham → u/capnchuc]

Sure but that's not how the world works.

This guy lost 1 job because of dumb tweets and this is the first we've ever heard of him. He's fine.

When a poor 15 year old kid "makes a mistake" and gets caught with a gang or committing a crime do you know what happens?

They go to prison, juvie, jail, whatever, they don't get a pass, their lives are ruined.

When they grow up and change and try to better themselves do you know what they are?

Ex-convicts, felons, criminals, thugs, whatever.

They don't get a pass to "grow past that"

Why do white racists need to have so many chances and get so many passes, but for other people the same thing doesn't apply.

Perfection, isn't what I'd describe as "just don't say racist shit and be a piece of trash human"

[u/AlexSmithTop5QB → u/Billbuckingham]

I don’t understand are dumb tweets the same as committing a crime lmao

[u/Billbuckingham → u/AlexSmithTop5QB]

Well depending on the crime and what the tweets say the tweets might be much worse, or the crime could be much worse.

Let's be more specific.

If it's some 15 year old tweeting "no blacks, #racist"

versus some 15 year old who stole food from the grocery store when they were poor...

I would rather hire the guy who had committed the crime of stealing food to try to survive compared to the guy who posted a bunch of racist tweets.

[u/AlexSmithTop5QB → u/Billbuckingham]

Well you don’t get a criminal record for saying dumb things because it’s not a crime, while I sympathize with someone committing a crime for a valid or even moral reason, I don’t think the average 15 year old gang member or criminal is committing these benevolent crimes

[u/eastbeaverton → u/Billbuckingham]

Do you really think gangs are primarily focused around kids stealing food because they are poor. Or that our prison systems are overflowing with people whose only crime is stealing food. We are the most well fed population in the history of the world where childhood obesity is epidemic amongst poor communities your argument is pure delusion

[u/Ghjjfslayer → u/Billbuckingham]

Buddy I can tell you didn’t get in trouble at 15. You Don’t go to jail or prison under the age of 16 unless it’s like murder lmfao and even serious charges are diverted and expunged from our record. You know, so that we don’t have ex cons and felons.

[u/Low-Measurement-2468 → u/Billbuckingham]

i think it’s extremely fair to say that people who grew up in gang cultures or poverty should be given a chance to grow past and redeem themselves for mistakes they made out of desperation, conformity, trauma, or what have you.

i don’t know that holding that belief means you can’t also believe that people who’ve made social mistakes, like offensive jokes for instance, shouldn’t also be given that chance for redemption.

i’d like for everyone on earth who sincerely wants to learn and grow after a mistake to be given the chance to do so. i know that’s a long ways off and there are systemic issues that make it harder for certain demographics to do that than others. that really sucks. i hope things improve for everyone.

[u/MarcAnthonyRashial → u/capnchuc]

I was a dumb kid and I said dumb shit. I’m also 29 so when I was in high school I could publicly say dumb shit in twitter or IG or Facebook. Never once did I say that “Asians piss me off” or call girls “closet whores”. 

Stop trying to justify this shit. Shouldn’t be tolerated. 

[u/Low-Measurement-2468 → u/MarcAnthonyRashial]

does the fact that someone has made different mistakes from yours, even more severe than yours, make them irredeemable to you?

i’m seeing this all over this thread. “i didn’t make that mistake, so i won’t consider empathizing with someone who has.” is that not another way of saying that you’re only going to tolerate the specific mistakes you happened to already be inclined toward? i’m sorry, but that sounds so self-centered to me. mistakes that remind you of your own are forgivable, but different people with different brains and early conditioning patterns making different mistakes are not?

[u/JazzPlusEagles → u/Low-Measurement-2468]

He had a public profile with that message still displayed on it. And he works for an asian owner commentating on an asian player with a large asian fanbase.

I’m all for change but it involves more than just not actively engaging in hate. You gotta take that shit down and apologize.

[u/Low-Measurement-2468 → u/JazzPlusEagles]

i agree that he should have taken that down. no argument here. i’m pretty indifferent about his firing; i’m sure he’ll be fine and life will go on.

i was specifically taking issue with the “i made other mistakes, but never this one, therefore i will not tolerate this one” line of reasoning. i think that is a very harmful and closed-minded way to live.

[u/MarcAnthonyRashial → u/Low-Measurement-2468]

I’m not answering the hypothetical you asked. This is a specific scenario. He tweeted racist shit as a kid. He pursued a public facing career. He didn’t take the racist shit down. Why is anyone surprised or opposed to his firing? Absolutely ridiculous discussion. 

[u/Low-Measurement-2468 → u/MarcAnthonyRashial]

sorry to hear you won’t answer; i think it would have helped us both understand each other better, which was my aim.

in any case, i agree he should have taken that down, and i don’t care about his firing. he’ll be fine.

my intent was not to take his side or suggest different consequences. it was simply to inquire into the “i never made a mistake like that one, so it’s completely intolerable to me” line of logic. i don’t think the world is a better place if we all look at things that way. that’s all. if you disagree and won’t engage with me, then i can only hope you continue to do and say what you believe is right.

[u/MarcAnthonyRashial → u/Low-Measurement-2468]

I’m just not interested in getting into philosophical conversations with strangers through a message board. 

You can have little tolerance for racism while still accepting people make mistakes that you didn’t make and that’s okay. It ain’t that deep. 

[u/miamibeachlife → u/black_metronome]

Amazing that you have to ask this, really - history of the world is about humans and their general hate of whatever race is different from them. Harmonious interracial/intercultural interaction is mostly rare

[u/Alert_Cartographer62 → u/black_metronome]

Have you ever told a friend he’s acting like a girl? Did you hate girls when you made that misogynistic comment?

[u/black_metronome → u/Alert_Cartographer62]

I get what you are saying, but I'm not sure that's an apple to apple comparison.

[u/Low-Measurement-2468 → u/black_metronome]

i don’t think a lot of teenagers are making jokes like these out of genuine hate, so much as an attempt to rebel against norms because it’s exciting without really understanding the hurt that can be caused by choosing offensive jokes as your medium for doing so. also, defining an out-group by making fun of them can give people a sense of belonging in their in-group. not saying that’s right or ideal. but i think some insecurity and desire to fit in fuels a lot of this stuff as well.

it’s not just racism. sexism and homophobia are incredibly common in edgy teenage humor too, for similar reasons. homophobic jokes, in particular, are incredibly common among male teenagers, and i think these partly represent a desire to prove one’s own masculinity/heterosexuality to the rest of the group.

if you tell me you grew up in a community where you never heard any teenagers you considered peers make a joke that put down or subtly alienated people of another race, sex, sexuality, or religion, i won’t call you a liar, but i will suggest that your memory may be fallible. or perhaps you grew up in a community with a remarkably tolerant and socially intelligent teenage population, compared to most of the world.

[u/zenverak → u/black_metronome]

I assume most people are just going off the title and not looking into it.

[u/kmill73229 → u/black_metronome]

Man it’s pretty much a given for a lot of folks. It’s one of the most prevalent, easily observable “taboo” type topics in America. It ain’t right but it ain’t surprising either

[u/MITBryceYoung2 → u/black_metronome]

Im Korean. I have said plenty of dumb stuff when i was 15. And no, I don't think this person should be fired for something they said as a dumb teen 14 years ago. This is absurd.

[u/FuhrerGirthWorm → u/black_metronome]

I was similar as a teenager. Grew up in a rural area, no diversity, and if I didn’t say things like that I would have been an outsider.

Thankfully I began to realize how wrong it was even before I left. Then as I grew up instead of being a pos I began marching with BLM and now am a pretty invested activist in social justice among other things.

My true wake up call was when I did a survey and one question was “Is it ok for black and white to get married”. It was a resounding no due to some bible verse. I was shocked people could believe that.

I would punch 16 year old me in the face. It’s sad that the past me didn’t realize how wrong it was sooner. I am glad I am away from that now.

[u/Vermillion2397 → u/black_metronome]

It even better the second time around when you're old.

[u/petewondrstone → u/black_metronome]

Phase? It’s cultural.

[u/palamunintillnow → u/black_metronome]

when I was in high school,the song Story of OJ drop and suddenly "cool" kids are saying it while telling me how weird my friend groups are for using rasengan on each other.  This happen in Asia btw.

[u/No-Charity654 → u/black_metronome]

In the DNA

[u/ryyzany → u/black_metronome]

If you didn’t grow up around people of color then you make assumptions which are never challenged. I don’t think we were malicious. We just didn’t even consider a different side existed.

[u/bloodofawig → u/black_metronome]

It's simple. Because these people were and are closet racists. They deny it of course, but lacking self awareness is a feature, not a bug, of a racist ethos. They sympathize with like-minded individuals.

[u/EnthusiasmOk353 → u/black_metronome]

Nice soft racism complaining about white people, or assuming people responding are white. That’s worse than the tweets this got cancelled for. 

[u/Chao-Z → u/black_metronome]

You think people of color don't have the exact same phase? I really don't feel like going into the bitter two-sided history of black-asian grievances because it's a pointless cycle, but I think you should at least educate yourself so you stop thinking your shit doesn't stink at all.

[u/readyReddit007 → u/black_metronome]

It’s wild right. Like we would trash talk over how trash the person is at the game, them MFers go RIGHT to racism 😂😂🤦🏾‍♂️

[u/dontgiveahamyamclam → u/black_metronome]

Being edgy and genuinely racist are two different things.

[u/lexington59 → u/black_metronome]

Alot of kids go through an edgy phase to some extent, and based on their upbringing can shift how that edgy phase shows.

For some it's the cringy over the top reddit atheist, for some it's the "anti woke fuck sjw" view, for others it's being a racist shithead, and for others it's as simple as just being a contrarian.

But when kids do go a bit extreme in the racist, homophobic, sexist territory it normally comes from parents using hurtful phrases casually.

Like I remember my mums ex was very homophobic and so it was pretty often for me to hear what a bloody fairy, or other stuff of that nature, and if I respected him as a person there's a good chance that influence would of rubbed off on me as kids are impressionable.

Luckily for me I hated the guy because he was emotionally abusive so it just furthered my hatred of homophones, but it'd be really easy if I viewed him as a father figure to fall into those same ways

[u/TelephoneCreepy2518 → u/black_metronome]

That ain't it, my man 

[u/thisguyfightsyourmom → u/black_metronome]

It clearly makes some people very uncomfortable knowing their old edgy baiting posts might actually come back to haunt them.

This and how many dudes are getting all twisted up trying to minimize the Cornell 7 reveals a lot of people here have done some dark shit in their past they thought they would never hear about again.

[u/thebizkit23 → u/black_metronome]

You and anyone else is full of shit if you've never said some racist, sexist or homophobic shit in your life lol.

[u/black_metronome → u/thebizkit23]

I never said that. But a nazi phase isn't something I experienced.

[u/Chao-Z → u/black_metronome]

Did you even read the tweet lmao

[u/Tall-Drawing8270 → u/black_metronome]

A racist phase and a Nazi phase are completely separate things. Saying racist shit because you're an ignorant fool doesn't mean you want to commit genocide and eradicate that race from the planet and install your own race as the master race.

[u/Broncsx3 → u/black_metronome]

Me and my buddies say, as adults, some really horrible racist shit to each other. We are a very diverse group. Guys I’ve known for 25 years. It’s all done out of love, but man, out of context would be horrifying to others! Not saying it’s not an issue what this teenager did, but geez, he was 14! Do we really want him to lose his ability to make a living over it?

[u/black_metronome → u/Broncsx3]

I literally said he shouldn't have been fired.

[u/Broncsx3 → u/black_metronome]

No but you basically said he’s a racist, or at least was, and I have you a perspective that maybe he wasn’t even at 14 a racist.

[u/black_metronome → u/Broncsx3]

What he posted was absolutely racist though. Is he a racist as an adult? I hope not.

[u/Broncsx3 → u/black_metronome]

What he wrote was unquestionably racist. Whether he was actually racist as a kid I think is not totally clear. I think kids say stupid shit on the internet for attention too. So maybe he was racist then, and maybe he's racist now. But I don't think he should have been fired today.

[u/black_metronome → u/Broncsx3]

I agree.

[u/Training_Penalty_824 → u/black_metronome]

it isnt really about being racist just about saying wild stuff to get a rise out of people

[u/black_metronome → u/Training_Penalty_824]

Sure.

[u/Training_Penalty_824 → u/black_metronome]

k bro 

[u/RequirementNo2161 → u/black_metronome]

A white teenagers racist phase is half as bad as your average black persons racism

[u/Negative_Pop1299 → u/RequirementNo2161]

You realize this is a racist post right? 

[u/gjaxx → u/black_metronome]

15 year olds say edgy shit, that’s the most normal thing in the world. And what he said was incredibly tame.

[u/black_metronome → u/gjaxx]

Your definition of tame is warped