Even if the Pistons and their fans get off light, those facts do NOTHING to absolve Artest, Jackson, and O'Neal for the blame they've rightfully been assessed for this situation.
Some around here act as if there is an immutable, God-given right to kick some ass if you're mad or feel disrespected. Unfortunately, THAT'S NOT THE LAW. Jermaine, Ronnie, and Jax VIOLATED THE LAW on Friday night. The fans did, too, but the fans' violation does not create an excuse for those punks to act like they did.
It's ego and ego never justifies criminal activity.
I'm beginning to understand why jails are so overcrowded these days. . . . .
If you read my original thread, I made no apologies for what Artest or Jackson did.
In fact, I am disappointed and a little despondent over it.
However, I'd like to see what each and every one of you holier-than-thou posters in this thread would've done in the same spot.
Have you ever lost your cool?
Have you ever been in a fight with your boys?
Didn't think so.
i had a good friend who started talking and "swoll" up on me in college. i beat his ass. i didn't know he was doing the cocaina, and was thus prone to paranoia and hyped up...oh well.
i don't what I would do if i was in artests shoes. a beer? no big deal...find out who, and make sure he gets removed/banned from the arena. ON THE OTHER HAND, if someone spit on me...i would act just like artest did. but I don't think artest "lost" it as many say. i think he is smarter than most give him credit for. sure he threw away a few million, but I know he wanted that time off and was looking for a reason. and I know nothing sells an album like "street cred" or willingness to fight.
Since I'd imagine you're directing some of that at me, I'll engage you: I've been in positions to lose my cool plenty of times. But I also realize that I have responsibilities because I live in a civilized society. My responsibility is to respect the rights of others, even if they don't respect my rights. I also realize that if I don't hold up my responsibility, I have to face punishment, which would mean criminal charges, maybe jail time, and probably losing my job. I have a choice to make, and every time I've faced that choice, I've decided that it's better to keep my poise -- my status as a person and a man has nothing to do with whether I kick someone's ass when I'm upset; in fact, I have much more respect for those who turn the other cheek than I do for those who lose their cool and act irresponsibly.
Want an example? I took my mom, a huge Spurs fan, to Staples Center for the Mother's Day Debacle this spring. As we left Staples, Lakers fans were shouting all kinds of horrendous things at us and one even spat at us. What did I do? I certainly didn't charge after any of those people. I continued walking, escorting my mother out of the building, trying my best to ignore what said and done. Did it make me mad? Sure. Did I feel like I needed to kick some ass to vindicate myself? Absolutely not, because I had no justification for doing so. Trust me, had someone given me provocation by touching or actually threatening me or my mother, I would have been happy to engage. But since that didn't happen, I had no justification. It's really a pretty simple matter. Being pissed doesn't give you a right to commit a crime.
I stopped fighting about the same time I got out of college. No profit in it.
No I have never attacked any of my customers no matter how mad they got me, I was always able to maintain my cool and professionallism.
I guess that's what makes me different from you GW, I always think about the results of my actions. I guess Artest, Jackson and O'Neal just dont like to think.
the guy who threw the beer in artest's face while he was in the stands already is who jax went after. i think it was justified.
The beer was thrown at Artest because he was trying to KICK SOMEONE'S ASS.the guy who threw the beer in artest's face while he was in the stands already is who jax went after. i think it was justified.
How does that justify Jackson wailing on him?
You people have ed up concepts of manhood.
It was only a matter of time before Ghost accused those who disagreed with his expectation that all young African-Americans are violent of never being in such a situation before.
Next he'll challenge you on the toughness of your upbringing and your ethnicity.
After that, he'll accuse you of being a Klan member.
And so on.
"Fantasy teams across the globe got killed, too"
As if this should be a consideration. Of all the stupid justifications for these millionaire idiots, for giving these players a lighter sentence, this must be the absolute worst.
Yeah but who cares if the fans got off light, you should never run into the stands, thats the last thing a player should do.
But i dont blame Artest that much, if a fan threw a cup at me, i would go kick his @$$ like Artest did. You dont throw cups at players, filled with ice n beer. The fan that threw the cup at Artest and the fan that threw a chair shouldn't be allowed in an NBA arena ever, that chair could have knocked someone out, who knows.
But i do agree with whoever said that Artest's adrenaline was pumpin after the shove from Ben Wallace, so he just reacted like any other human being, and went furious.
One thing i dont understand which was already mentioned by someone, is that why didnt Ron react in fury when Big Ben shoved him. Now, its only obvious that he has no chance with Ben Wallace.
What Artest and SJax did cannot be justified no matter how hard you try.
Lost their cool? These guys have been told over and over again to ignore the fans no matter what they do. These guys are hired to be professionals, are told how to be professional, and should act like professionals instead of punks. They are getting millions to act like professionals. In fact, they should be prepared in advance to know how to react in that kind of situation.
Far be it for me to defend Ghost, but I seriously don't think he was saying that should be a reason for a sentence reduction. I believe he was simply making a point that we all probably mentioned as soon as the initial shock wore down.
Kori and I even went back and forth since she has SJax in some leagues and I have Artest in FSP1.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
