I'd like to give Meyers Leonard the benefit of the doubt for using the slur 'kike', but I can't get there
"Hey Kikes! Keep your fucking kike ball off my lawn and keep your fucking kike asses off my lawn, too. Now get the fuck out of here."
Those were the words I heard from a neighbor when a friend and I went to get a ball off a neighbor's lawn. I was twelve years old. It was the first time I heard that anti-Semitic slur.
The two of us laughed it off as we went back to our game. Some of it because my friend wasn't Jewish. Some of it because of our youth and we didn't know better.
When I went home, I told my parents what happened. They certainly weren't laughing. My father and a cousin who was visiting went to have a chat with that neighbor. I'm sure he also wasn't laughing after getting a tongue-lashing from two World War 2 veterans who helped save the world from the Nazis.
There is nothing new about anti-Semitism. It's been occurring since the beginning of time. While the episode I described above was shocking, it certainly wasn't surprising. The same can be said for the words that came out of the mouth of Miami Heat basketball player Meyers Leonard on Tuesday night.
If you haven't heard, Leonard, who is injured and is done playing for the season, was playing the video game "Call of Duty." He was giving live commentary during the game and let loose with a string of profanities. Included in them was the offensive anti-Semitic slur Kike. It didn't take long for this to hit social media. The shit then hit the fan. It also didn't take long for Leonard to issue an Instagram apology:
"I am deeply sorry for using an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream yesterday. My ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong. I am now more aware of its meaning and I am committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it."
Although like Leonard said, ignorance isn't an excuse, it possibly could be true. He grew up in Robinson, Illinois. It's a small town in the southeast part of the state. The population is under 8,000 people. He probably didn't grow up knowing many, if any, Jews.
His next stop was the University of Illinois. He spent two years on the Champaign-Urbana campus. My guess is he spent most of his time with the basketball team, but still there's plenty of opportunities to meet some Jewish people somewhere on the campus. After all, there are an estimated 3,000 Jewish undergrads at the U of I....about nine percent of the student population. He might not have known it but chances are he'd run into one or two...maybe.
Leonard then moved on to the NBA. You'd think he'd meet a Jew or two while playing in the league. But in the nine years that Leonard has been in the association, I can only find one Jewish player.
Geez....maybe he really didn't know it was an offensive slur! Maybe he really does deserve the benefit of the doubt?
But, in the last decade, the small-town lad has lived in two major cities. While spending seven years in Portland, Oregon, the chances are good he ran into a few of the town's fifty thousand Jews. Since 2019, Meyers Leonard has been in Miami. If you had any questions about his claim of ignorance, it ends here. Hell, even the owner of his team, the guy who signs his checks, is Jewish.
So much for the benefit of the doubt.
The NBA is now investigating the incident and Leonard will be away from the team during this. I'm not looking for him to lose his high-paying job over this, I just want him to get educated on the subject of anti-Semitism. I want him to become a better person.
New England Patriot wide receiver Julian Edelman is Jewish. When he heard about this, he posted this open letter for Meyers Leonard and the world to see:
An open letter to Meyers Leonard
So we've never met, I hope we can one day soon. I'm sure you've been getting lots of criticism for what you said. Not trying to add to that, I just want to offer some perspective.
I get the sense that you didn't use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance. Most likely, you weren't trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That's what makes it so destructive. When someone intends to be hateful, it's usually met with great resistance. Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread.
I'm down in Miami fairly often. Let's do a Shabbat dinner with some friends. I'll show you a fun time.
JE
I'm sure Leonard would have a fun time while getting some much-needed education. No one wants you to end up like that anti-Semite yelling slurs at unsuspecting young boys. Meyers, take Julian up on his offer. It'll be good for you and society. Shabat Shalom!
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