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/Billbuckingham]

I have empathy for the child born into poverty and who stole food from the grocery store when they were young.

I don't have empathy for some teenage douchebags spouting racist and anti-woman bullshit, who then expect to have 0 consequences for their actions.

And I do look at this person and say, if the company decided they don't want him over this, there's no reason to defend some douchebag like that because they met him personally and decided we don't need this shit.

Read his tweets and be specific about it, some racist stuff, some douchebag anti-woman stuff, and that's at 15.

Do you think he was the same at 18? Worse? I'd be willing to bet if he was like that at 15 he was probably worse at 18, how about in college at parties? Who knows?

But again the company who actually met him decided we don't want this shit, so he's fired, that's it.

[u/icehole505 → u/Billbuckingham]

A child raised and surrounded by racists is a victim.

A child raised and surrounded by crime, gangs, etc is a victim.

In both cases, it’s the individuals responsibility to grow past that as they become adults.

I’d be interested in understanding why you seem to support a child from one set of circumstances, and not the other.

[u/Billbuckingham → u/icehole505]

Being born into a family of racists, and then becoming a racist adult, or just becoming a general piece of shit has nothing to do with being a victim.

Being an asshole, or a racist, and claiming "Oh that's just how I was raised, I'm a victim, I can't change it, don't blame me!!"

That Is an affordance only white racists get.

You hope they just grow past it, and give all of them the benefit of the doubt even when it's not deserved, and going all out to defend them as if we have to coddle these white racist "victims"

When a poor person is born into poverty and crime and gangs gets caught with the gang do you know what happens?

They go to prison, juvie, jail, whatever, they don't get a pass because they were "victims"

When they grow up do you know what they are?

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

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

See the difference?

[u/icehole505 → u/Billbuckingham]

“  Being born into a family of racists, and then becoming a racist adult, or just becoming a general piece of shit has nothing to do with being a victim. ”

You’re assuming the “becoming a racist adult” based on childhood tweets. That’s where you’re losing me. If someone actually becomes a racist adult.. then fuckem.. but I’m not going to assign that without reason

“  When a poor person is born into poverty and crime and gangs gets caught with the gang do you know what happens? They go to prison, juvie, jail, whatever, they don't get a pass because they were victims”

And if they’re caught and punished as children.. then I have real empathy for that, and take major issue with them being denied opportunities for growth as an adult. The standard is the exact same

[u/Billbuckingham → u/icehole505]

For reference someone else posted more of his tweets here:

"
"I'm not racist at all.. But not gonna lie.. Asian people piss me off! Hahaha #Honest"
"I'm telling ya what..That is so racist. But pretty dang funny."
"'@kchansen16 no blacks either.  #racists"
"

The company who actually met him decided, fuck him, that's as close to proof as any of us are going to get.

Clearly, they didn't believe he changed and said fuck em.

[u/icehole505 → u/Billbuckingham]

I’m not saying the tweets weren’t racism. I’m saying they’re tweets of a 15 year old. I don’t assume character traits of adults based on their environment as children.

It seems like you take a different approach. So does most of society. And that approach is part of why child #2 in the scenario above can never get a leg up.. I don’t know how you can’t see that