Twitter reveals China-bashing orthodoxy in US
LEBRON JAMES said in an interview that Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey “wasn’t educated” before he sent his tweet in support of the Hong Kong protesters. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:
“I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand, and he spoke,” James said ahead of a preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
Saying that the tweet could have harmed many people financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually, he called on people to be careful of what they tweet and say and do, “even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative that comes with that, too.”
His remarks have aroused quite a stir with many criticizing him on Twitter. Some even said that he “bowed to China for commercial interests”, an accusation also made against Houston Rockets player James Harden, who tweeted an apology to China for Morey’s ill-informed tweet. It seems that speaking against China has become a kind of political correctness among the US public.
Yet James and Harden have right on their side. Morey’s tweet in support of those who wish to separate Hong Kong from China was endorsing an illegal act.
He should know that the majority of his colleagues, including the basketball players and the other managers, do not support the rioters, but they too are paying the price for his gung-ho approach to an issue he later admitted he had no knowledge of.
James and Harden are right to complain about Morey’s rashness in not considering the consequences and ramifications of his tweet. As a commercial institution, the NBA’s best interests lie in staying out of politics.