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Sports InsiderNBA Legend Actually has Intelligent Comments in Regards to Gay Marriage and More.
September 7th 2006 11:13
NBALOUD has always admired Charles Barkley as a player, he is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest power forwards
to have ever shot a basketball, making the most of his talents. Barkley was also one crazy mofo on and off the court, indulging in loony antics that have both endeared and disgusted fans and foes alike.
Although NBALOUD is a big fan of Sir Charles as a player, this writer was never a fan of Barkley off the court, particularly in regards to politics. Charles had always expressed an avid interest as running for the position of Governor in his home state of Alabama – as a Republican.
The fact that Charles was a Republican is disturbing on so many levels, especially when we consider that he is African-American. Besides Abraham Lincoln, the Republicans have had a lousy track record in regards to race relations, so it is both disappointing and scary that anyone, let alone black Americans would support Dubya’s party.
However, in recent years Barkley has finally seen the light and ditched Republican admiration and embraced the idea of free political thought, instead of supporting either of the two lousy major parties that are part of the American political landscape.
The funny thing about Charles is that NBALOUD agrees with a lot of his views
and they are actually progressive, which seems to be the general theme of the majority of the American population. On a superficial reading the Republicans and their views are clearly on both the minority and fundamental spectrum of American society. What makes the Republicans so prominent is that they are so good at playing politics they basically have hoodwinked the population into voting against their personal and financial interests. Bastards.
Back to Charles, who gave an interview on a wide range of topics that included denouncing the Republican party as a group that has lost their marbles. Sir Charles also stated that religious fundamentalism is a scary development in American society and that: "Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me," he said. "My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is" (Yahoo Sports, 2006).
The most surprising thing to come out of the recent interview with Charles is his view on gay marriage, which is a concept he actually supports. Barkley is the epitome of an alpha male so it is both shocking and refreshing to hear him
state his support for gay unions: "I think if they want to get married, God bless them," Barkley said. "Gay marriage is probably 1 percent of the population, so it's not like it's going to be an epidemic. Hey, trust me, I'm never going to kiss you and say, 'Chris, you're sexy"' (Yahoo sports, 2006).
Barkley has always had a political bent throughout his playing career, showing no fear in expressing his views on any topic no matter how controversial.
In recent years he has been more vocal especially since Hurricane Katrina last year where he donated $1 million to help rebuild houses in New Orleans. Also, he has been increasingly frustrated with American society and the fact that if he doesn’t do anything, than nothing will be done. Sir Charles hates political parties and that people shouldn’t be hamstrung with particular affiliations and that the Republicans suck hard, while the Democrats suck a little less. Word!
Let’s hope that Charles does run for a gubernatorial position and not sell his soul along the way.
Vote for Charles in 2014! (Image from wikipedia)
Although NBALOUD is a big fan of Sir Charles as a player, this writer was never a fan of Barkley off the court, particularly in regards to politics. Charles had always expressed an avid interest as running for the position of Governor in his home state of Alabama – as a Republican.
The fact that Charles was a Republican is disturbing on so many levels, especially when we consider that he is African-American. Besides Abraham Lincoln, the Republicans have had a lousy track record in regards to race relations, so it is both disappointing and scary that anyone, let alone black Americans would support Dubya’s party.
However, in recent years Barkley has finally seen the light and ditched Republican admiration and embraced the idea of free political thought, instead of supporting either of the two lousy major parties that are part of the American political landscape.
The funny thing about Charles is that NBALOUD agrees with a lot of his views
Charles was a monster on the court. (Image from cnnsi.com)
Back to Charles, who gave an interview on a wide range of topics that included denouncing the Republican party as a group that has lost their marbles. Sir Charles also stated that religious fundamentalism is a scary development in American society and that: "Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me," he said. "My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is" (Yahoo Sports, 2006).
The most surprising thing to come out of the recent interview with Charles is his view on gay marriage, which is a concept he actually supports. Barkley is the epitome of an alpha male so it is both shocking and refreshing to hear him
Charles the author. (Image from amazon.com)
Barkley has always had a political bent throughout his playing career, showing no fear in expressing his views on any topic no matter how controversial.
In recent years he has been more vocal especially since Hurricane Katrina last year where he donated $1 million to help rebuild houses in New Orleans. Also, he has been increasingly frustrated with American society and the fact that if he doesn’t do anything, than nothing will be done. Sir Charles hates political parties and that people shouldn’t be hamstrung with particular affiliations and that the Republicans suck hard, while the Democrats suck a little less. Word!
Let’s hope that Charles does run for a gubernatorial position and not sell his soul along the way.
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My memory is blurred on the actual circumstances surrounding his regular opinions in the past - I think the most controversial was his joking at Christian Laettners sexuality in the first Dream Team, then other miscellanous potshots at other basketballers like Dikembe Mutombo etc.
A question of NBALOUD - what is he doing these days after his tenure with the Rockets, and furthermore, why isn't he coaching?
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cajun - he actually has some very perceptive things to say on societal issues. i have to give him some credit - he isn't a complete meathead.
justin - sir charles now does tv work for tnt in covering the nba. he won't ever coach because that is too demanding. the man makes continual jokes of loving having to work only one day a wekk while the rest of his time is dedicated to golf.
he has been a very bad boy in the past such as getting into bar brawls and making comments in regards to racial issues. the one that sticks to mind the most is when he was playing for philly and there was one white player on that roster and charles stated that the only reason he was around was it was racially motivated.
sisi - ah-nold is the leader of cali! and dubya is the prez. i think charles is more intelligent than both of them combined! but the difficulty for him would be trying to become governor of alabama and for the population in that state to vote a black person into that office.
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