Kyrie Irving has finally apologized in a post on Instagram but the damage is already done after previous opportunities to do so.
His apology came hours after another media session where he was unable to unequivocally say he wasn’t antisemitic. When someone asks you a yes or no question like this, the correct answer is no. The correct answer is always no. If the answer is yes, it is going to pose a major problem. For anybody wishing to bring up one’s freedom of speech, this freedom is not without the freedom of consequences. When somebody pushes an antisemitic documentary, they’re going to have to deal with the consequences. It took a few days for Kyrie Irving to get their but he finally did. Prior to his apology, the Brooklyn Nets suspended him for no less than five games. We’ll have to see if he plays in a Nets uniform again this season. It is also the final year of his contract with the team.
Prior to his Instagram apology, the ADL announced that his Thursday actions prevented them from accepting his donation. Will the ADL take his donation now that he posted what appears to be a sincere apology? We’ll see.
Let’s not let Amazon get away scot-free in the matter. Why is this film on their platform anyway? One has to wonder if they’re going to take the film off the platform after the Kyrie Irving backlash. We’ll have to see what happens but the fact that it is now their #1 seller in two different categories is making me roll my eyes. Are people watching it to see what is in it? I know that some journalists did because they wrote about it.
One factor in the equation is that American students are not getting enough education about the Holocaust. It should be a requirement for every student. A few years ago, we learned the staggering results of a poll about the Holocaust. A shocking 63% of students did not know 6 million were killed. You can view the full study here but there’s no argument that the results are depressing. Horribly depressing! With antisemitism rising, it is more urgent than ever for students to learn about the Holocaust and the antisemitism that led to such tragedies.
Kyrie Irving’s apology comes way too late and the damage may be beyond repair.
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