Lebron James is one of the most powerful athletes the world has ever seen, if not the most powerful. When I say powerful, I mean that few athletes in the history of sports have had the reach that Lebron has with his messages. Thanks to social media and the internet age, news now travels around the world at record speeds. If Lebron wants to say something, people across the globe are going to hear it.
Instead of using his platform to call for unity, Lebron took to twitter this weekend to lump 50 million Americans in with violent supremacy groups over the actions of one lone terrorist who represents nobody but his fellow basement dwellers.
It's sad what's going on in Charlottesville. Is this the direction our country is heading? Make America Great Again huh?! He said that🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 12, 2017
Look, Lebron is a good man despite being irresponsible here; nobody can deny that. He is incredibly active in his community and on the national stage, recently pledging to pay for the college educations of up to 1,000 children. That is an incredible pledge for someone under the age of 40 and I’m sure he’ll be active for the rest of his life.
All that said, it is irresponsible for somebody with Lebron’s influence to associate violent extremism with President Trump. It is an insult to the overwhelming majority of his supporters who are peaceful, which include many people of color, to be lumped in with totalitarian Nazis due to the actions of one person.
The same outrage wasn’t directed towards all of President Obama and his supporters when a sniper with links to black power groups murdered five police officers in Dallas last summer.
But let us also point out that the right wing media and President Trump weren’t trying to lump President Obama and his entire base in with the actions of one violent extremist. I mean damn, I don’t think most people were even decrying the entire Black Lives Matter movement for the actions of one guy.
The same cannot be said for Hillary Clinton and other leftists who have used a murder to advance their political agendas.
But the incitement of hatred that got us here is as real and condemnable as the white supremacists in our streets.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 12, 2017
No, Trump. Not on many sides, your side. #Charlottesville
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) August 13, 2017
By tweeting what he did, Lebron took part in finger pointing and the politicization of murder whether that was his intention or not.
Its a shame that he took this route because he had the right message after Dallas. He talked about stopping violence and coming together instead of painting a broad stroke.
We are all hurting tonight. More violence is not the answer. #StoptheViolence
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 8, 2016
There’s no doubt that Lebron wants to improve the lives of those around him and use his voice for positive change, but I also believe that he is sometimes misguided on this issue. He plays the blame game instead of taking a long, hard look at the problems facing the black community and the nation as a whole. Stick to messages of unity and not those of division Lebron, you’ve proven that you’re capable of doing that many times before.