Tim Hardaway is becoming well acquainted with intolerance. He’s both a perpetrator and a victim.
The Miami Heat star was forbidden to attend the upcoming NBA All-Star game weekend because he said some appalling things about the gay community in a radio interview, the Associated Press reported recently. Hardaway said he “hate(s) gay people” in a bigoted on-air screed, and the NBA acted quickly to distance itself from its player.
“It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours,” NBA Commissioner David Stern told the AP in a statement.
Though its tough stance against bigotry is well-intentioned, the NBA is sacrificing its players’ individual liberties on the altar of political correctness. You don’t fight intolerance with more intolerance — punishing a member of a large and diverse group for having an opinion contrary to the majority position.
Tim Hardaway has personal views that many of us find objectionable. But in a free society, we don’t banish people for being in the minority. We can try to win them over with reason, and failing that, roll our collective eyes when such outmoded prejudices are paraded about.
But we don’t shut someone up because we don’t like what they have to say.
David Stern should retract his statement to the media and issue a new one inviting Hardaway to play in the All-Star game. He doesn’t even have to compose a new comment to attribute to himself; he can just quote E. Beatrice Hall: “I disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.”