群起围攻詹姆斯，美国的“言论自由”何在？| Free to blame China, not free to defend it
NBA player LeBron James said in an interview that Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey "wasn't educated" before he sent his tweet in support of the protesters in Hong Kong.
"I believe he wasn't educated on the situation at hand, and he spoke," James said ahead of a preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
Saying that the tweet could have harmed many people financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually he called on people to be careful what they tweet and say and do, "even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative that comes with that, too."
His remarks have aroused quite a stir with many criticizing him on Twitter. Some even said that he "bowed to China for commercial interests", an accusation also made against Houston Rockets player James Harden, who tweeted an apology to China for Morey's ill-informed tweet.
It seems that speaking against China has become a kind of political correctness among some in the US public opinion field. Among US media outlets, when riots happen in Hong Kong, it is politically correct to call the rioters "freedom fighters". When such unrest happens in the West, it is politically correct to call for restoring of order. When the Western media cover the achievements of China, it is politically correct to stress the negative effects of them.
When did this phenomenon emerge? Why did it emerge? The answer is too complicated to state here. However, one thing is certain: Such a trend of intentionally describing China in a negative way will only curb people of the two countries from exchanging their views, which in turn harms the US' interests.
In the case of Morey, specifically, James and Harden have right on their side. Morey's tweet in support of those who wish to separate Hong Kong from China was endorsing an illegal act. He should know that the majority of his colleagues, including the basketball players and the other managers, do not support the secessionists but they too are paying the price for his gung-ho approach to an issue he later admitted he had no knowledge of.
James and Harden are right to complain about Morey's rashness in not considering the consequences and ramifications of his tweet. As a commercial institution, the NBA's best interests lie in staying out of politics, not uttering irresponsible words that harm a friendly country's core interests.
Please do not demonize James and Harden only because they are friendly to a friendly nation.
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