Paul Shirley on Haiti: Another Idiot Speaks Out

Former NBA player Paul Shirley has a lot to say, regarding whether he will donate any money to the people of Haiti since the Jan. 12th earthquake.

According to the NY Daily News, Shirley blogged on flipcollective.com:

"I haven't donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not. I haven't donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don't give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don't think the guy with the sign that reads "Need You're Help" is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don't think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either.

... Shouldn't much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of that disaster?"

During his brief stint as a basketball player--he only played 18 games--Shirley played with the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Pheonix Suns. He used to spend part of his time blogging for ESPN, up until he blogged these comments yesterday:

"Shouldn't there be some discourse on how the millions of dollars that are being poured into Haiti will be spent? And at least a slight reprimand for the conditions prior to the earthquake? Some kind of inquisition? Something like this?:

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?

Sincerely,

The Rest of the World

How this former basketball player can sit around comparing the people of Haiti, who, by the way, were hit with a severe natural disaster, to "homeless men on the street," is both insensitive and insulting. Are people so removed from humanity that basic suffering is tossed off in ignorant rants?

With the onslaught of comments from Pat Robertson, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Clinton, (South Carolina Lt. Governor) Andre Bauer and even Harry Reid, as of late, it seems as though folks really don't give a damn what they say and how they say it. I guess in this time of having a black president, folks are feeling gangsta. In other words, while there are some people in this country who may have always felt a particular way about so-called minorities, immigrants and the poor, now it just seems like undeclared open season to vent on all of those aforementioned groups, without regard for cataclysmic events, facts or even a modicum of understanding of history.

I'm going to need people to stop with all of this blatant disrespect. If this had happened to Shirley's grandparents in Europe, for instance, I bet he'd be all for sending money to help the cause, but when it comes to helping black people in their time of need, all of a sudden the conversation is whisked back to "victims" who somehow bring devastation on to themselves. These victims do not deserve to be helped like human beings? Are these victims even seen as human? Yes, Haiti has a long history of indigence and suffering, but so does Israel, Kosovo, Pakistan and Sudan, and what does that have to do with being hit with a 7.0 earthquake?

While Shirley is quick to give "kudos" to Haiti for "developing the poorest country," I say, Kudos to ESPN for not wasting any time and relieving Shirley of his paycheck in real time. Even if he can never comprehend the vitrolic, hateful implications of his statements, I hope that one day he gets a good whiff of hardship and sees what it feels like to be insulted in his time of need.

By the way, Shirley, the people of Haiti don't need your money, but you clearly do now that you are out of a job. ESPN had this to say:

"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."

Amen.