Paul Shirley, the former NBA player who still plays pro basketball, penned a long letter today about Haiti and the consequences of its earthquake, in which he seems to hold most Haitians accountable for the dire state of the nation.
He begins the letter by stating that he has not donated to relief efforts in Haiti and "probably will not... for the same reason that I don't give money to homeless men on the street." Shirley proceeds to criticize the country and its citizens, before pausing to ask, "Shouldn't much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of that disaster?"
Later in the letter, Shirley dedicates a special address specifically to Haitians:
Dear Haitians -
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.
As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it's possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?
Jocks are intolerant.
They push their luck and go too far without realising the true harm of what they have said.
This guy has just disregarded a terrible natural disaster that has claimed the lives and homes of thousands of people and left a country in ruins from which it will take a long time to recover. These sports players with lots of money they most certainly don't deserve should be giving their cash to help the Haitians in this dire time. Perhaps this ignorant jock should have been there at the time the earthquake hit. Then we'd see how mocking he'd be. He should get his head out his own ass, stop believing himself to be an idol because he played for some so-called "professional" team and put himself in the shoes of people who will never be the same again after this tragedy. Appalling.
I respect Andy because he volunteered to help unfortunate people like this who are dying and in dire need of all the foreign support they can get as they haven't got enough money or resources to help themselves.
I even have the tiniest bit of respect for Samdaman and SpeedofLeicht as they did show some sort of respect for the American troops who were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, as I saw in their posts on a certain thread.
This guy here is the lowest form of jock. The sort who has no consideration whatsover for people who aren't having such a cushy, pampered lifestyle as himself and has mocked the plight of hundreds of thousands of people who have fallen victim to the most shocking news story of recent times.
I am disturbed.
What an arrogant jerk! Is he accustomed to rubbing salt in other people's wounds? I wonder what his own personal life is like. (Actually, I'm not sure I'd want to know what skeletons might be in his closet.) All I can say is that I sincerely hope that the following saying takes place in his life very soon: What goes around, comes around.
He makes Pat Robertson look good! The 700 Club has sent relief.
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -- Oscar Wilde
UPDATE: ESPN has cut ties with Shirley. The company's full statement:
He was a part-time freelance contributor. The views he expressed on another site of course do not at all reflect our company's views on the Haiti relief efforts. He will no longer contribute to ESPN.
HOORAY FOR ESPN!!! I SALUTE YOU!!!
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -- Oscar Wilde
UPDATE: ESPN has cut ties with Shirley. The company's full statement:
He was a part-time freelance contributor. The views he expressed on another site of course do not at all reflect our company's views on the Haiti relief efforts. He will no longer contribute to ESPN.
HOORAY FOR ESPN!!! I SALUTE YOU!!!
Well, what goes around comes around, I guess.
The company should not have to bear the consequences of what one idiot under their management said.
Such retaliation should be delivered against the individual who made the outrageous remarks in the first place.
Let's hope this teaches people to show a bit more respect in future. After all... celebrities' screw-ups are always amplified when detected! The whole world is almost bound to hear about any big foul-ups they make!
The celebrity life is a two-edged sword in many ways.
In my perspective, you're still a little shit.
And quit trying to be charming, you unwanted thing. I'd prefer Sergey over you any day. And that says something.
blackdog4444 wrote:In my perspective, you're still a little shit.
And quit trying to be charming, you unwanted thing. I'd prefer Sergey over you any day. And that says something.
You think I'm charming... O_O... You're not flirting with me, are you? We don't even know eachother IRL. I'm sorry, but this won't work out.