Jalen Johnson

[Skip Intro]

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But going to Durham is a solve?  Ok

We have a society so ginned up to take people down in MeToo and Racial stuff that isn't there, it will ultimately destroy society. 

People that made a tweet comment when they were 14 will be denied jobs or ostracized even if they cure cancer.  It is amazing to watch the insanity.

"Destroy society" - that's some hyperbole.  And all I'm saying is that when a high school kid is making his choice on where to play, a hometown / home state where he feels unwelcome is pretty easy to cross off the list.  It doesn't matter if we agree with his reasoning or not. 

[The Sultan]

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We have a society so ginned up to take people down in MeToo and Racial stuff that isn't there, it will ultimately destroy society. 

But the actual racism or sexual harassment won't?

Don't get me wrong, it seems what these kids did was just a stupid idea that is being looked at the wrong way, but to say the criticism around this is what's going to "ultimately destroy society" seems a bit much. 

[wadesworld]

Well let's hope Jalen doesn't get wind of this thread.  He wasn't happy with what the Port Washington fans did, so I'm sure all the posters talking about how soft society is will go over very well.

[Cheeks]

"Destroy society" - that's some hyperbole.  And all I'm saying is that when a high school kid is making his choice on where to play, a hometown / home state where he feels unwelcome is pretty easy to cross off the list.  It doesn't matter if we agree with his reasoning or not.

Hyperbole maybe, but innocent people's lives ruined because of false accusations and no corroboration is troubling at the least, and has long standing societal implications at the worst.  If one can make a charge with no evidence to destroy someone, that is a huge societal problem.

If a kid is making a choice based on the actions of other 16 and 17!year olds, well that's just life.  Kentucky hasn't had the best racial history nor has Alabama, and yet lands great athletes all the time.  I think overthinking what a crowd doing with a picture of him that he posted and was not doctored in any way will influence his decision is a stretch.  Most are predicting he is leaving the state, regardless of yesterday's actions. 

Looks like a giant nothing burger.

[wadesworld]

Hyperbole maybe, but innocent people's lives ruined because of false accusations and no corroboration is troubling at the least, and has long standing societal implications at the worst.  If one can make a charge with no evidence to destroy someone, that is a huge societal problem.

If a kid is making a choice based on the actions of other 16 and 17!year olds, well that's just life.  Kentucky hasn't had the best racial history nor has Alabama, and yet lands great athletes all the time.  I think overthinking what a crowd doing with a picture of him that he posted and was not doctored in any way will influence his decision is a stretch.  Most are predicting he is leaving the state, regardless of yesterday's actions. 

Looks like a giant nothing burger.

Well, he doesn't think it's a giant nothing burger so maybe we should just show the kid some respect and if you want to think of a 16 or 17 year old kid as a snowflake because of that maybe that's something to keep in your own little mind.

[MuMark]

https://twitter.com/robertzizzo/status/1096146927584972802?s=21

[Mr. Nielsen]

Nicolet superintendent Robert Kobylski issued a statement that said the picture was taken from Johnson's Instagram account and that he was wearing a charcoal facial mask to care for his skin.

[Skip Intro]

Well, he doesn't think it's a giant nothing burger so maybe we should just show the kid some respect and if you want to think of a 16 or 17 year old kid as a snowflake because of that maybe that's something to keep in your own little mind.

That's exactly it.  These aren't random internet people being offended on his behalf - he's personally offended, as is his family.  At the end of the day, it doesn't matter why, and reactions like Cheeks' basically read as "lighten up, kids will be kids, your feelings are wrong". 

And regardless of these kids' intent with the photo itself, the WIAA has been abundantly clear that taunts like these (especially personalized ones) aren't tolerated.  I doubt they see suspensions, etc., but wouldn't be surprised if they're barred from remaining games.

[We R Final Four]

Nicolet superintendent Robert Kobylski issued a statement that said the picture was taken from Johnson's Instagram account and that he was wearing a charcoal facial mask to care for his skin.
So, it's Johnson's own picture!!

Despicable!

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

This reminds me of a story I was told by a professor during one of my advertising classes. He said a while back, Chevy was trying to increase the amount of cars it sold in Mexico. They decided that the car that they were going to try and promote in Mexico was the Chevy Nova. After months of marketing, sales were impossibly low. They couldn't figure out the issue so they did some assessment of the locals. It was only then that they realized that Nova translates in Spanish to "No go" or "not going", not exactly a positive endorsement for a car. I don't remember if they changed the name of the car in Mexico or started marketing a different car but that fixed the issue.

Now I have no idea if that story is true or not, it was the example the professor gave to drive home an important lesson. It does not matter what message you intend to send, it matters what message your customer receives. The poor Nova sales were not the fault of the locals not understanding Chevy's message, they were the fault of Chevy not realizing what impact their message would have on the locals.

The same lesson can be applied here. I'm willing to believe that the intent here was to tease Johnson about getting a facial. The impact that it has seemed to have on Johnson and others was that it was racially motivated which I think isn't an unreasonable impact to have. You can explain the intent all you want but that doesn't change the impact that it had on this student. These kids shouldn't be "destroyed" (I think that's the word Cheeks used), I'm not sure they should even be punished. Everyone makes mistakes, especially high schoolers. I think this is a teachable moment about being accountable for your actions even if you had a harmless intent. I think a genuine apology from the students involved would send a powerful and positive message.

[mu03eng]

This reminds me of a story I was told by a professor during one of my advertising classes. He said a while back, Chevy was trying to increase the amount of cars it sold in Mexico. They decided that the car that they were going to try and promote in Mexico was the Chevy Nova. After months of marketing, sales were impossibly low. They couldn't figure out the issue so they did some assessment of the locals. It was only then that they realized that Nova translates in Spanish to "No go" or "not going", not exactly a positive endorsement for a car. I don't remember if they changed the name of the car in Mexico or started marketing a different car but that fixed the issue.

Now I have no idea if that story is true or not, it was the example the professor gave to drive home an important lesson. It does not matter what message you intend to send, it matters what message your customer receives. The poor Nova sales were not the fault of the locals not understanding Chevy's message, they were the fault of Chevy not realizing what impact their message would have on the locals.

The same lesson can be applied here. I'm willing to believe that the intent here was to tease Johnson about getting a facial. The impact that it has seemed to have on Johnson and others was that it was racially motivated which I think isn't an unreasonable impact to have. You can explain the intent all you want but that doesn't change the impact that it had on this student. These kids shouldn't be "destroyed" (I think that's the word Cheeks used), I'm not sure they should even be punished. Everyone makes mistakes, especially high schoolers. I think this is a teachable moment about being accountable for your actions even if you had a harmless intent. I think a genuine apology from the students involved would send a powerful and positive message.

Question for the thread generally, we know Jalen and his family/friends are upset/offended.....do we know if they are offended because they believe it to be racial in nature or because it is a personal attack (took a picture from Instagram to taunt him with)? If it's the former, I agree it's teachable moment about "think of it from all perspectives" and I don't think there is any punishment or action to be taken beyond that. If it's the later, and it's a violation of WIAA policy then there should be some sort of action because of the violation.

Tough spot for the kids who did it and tough spot for Jalen because he's going to get backlash for being sensitive. I'm kind of glad I'm not a kid in the current era.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Question for the thread generally, we know Jalen and his family/friends are upset/offended.....do we know if they are offended because they believe it to be racial in nature or because it is a personal attack (took a picture from Instagram to taunt him with)? If it's the former, I agree it's teachable moment about "think of it from all perspectives" and I don't think there is any punishment or action to be taken beyond that. If it's the later, and it's a violation of WIAA policy then there should be some sort of action because of the violation.

Tough spot for the kids who did it and tough spot for Jalen because he's going to get backlash for being sensitive. I'm kind of glad I'm not a kid in the current era.

That's a good point, I didn't consider the angle that it could be against WIAA rules to do something like this.

[Cheeks]

Well, he doesn't think it's a giant nothing burger so maybe we should just show the kid some respect and if you want to think of a 16 or 17 year old kid as a snowflake because of that maybe that's something to keep in your own little mind.

Kids think lots of stuff is doomsday, watch how they react with no internet for an hour....the world is ending and they start to go through withdrawals. 

I don't think of him as a snowflake, I do think a lot of others are acting that way and of course going "there" before having any of the story...which happens way too often.  Kid is under 18, I never understood why adults follow minors to begin with.  I do get why other minors do, and they took a picture he put up there in the public space and used it publicly.  No alteration, public domain photo, shocking. 

[Jockey]

Even if this is not racially motivated, it still speaks volumes about every kid holding up the posters. Do they even know if Jalen has any kind of skin condition where he needs to do this? 

This was - at best - a mass action by a student body to bully and make fun of a student from a different school. It speaks volumes about the students. That they would do it openly speaks to the community where they live, and the teachings in the local school.

[jesmu84]

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But going to Durham is a solve?  Ok

We have a society so ginned up to take people down in MeToo and Racial stuff that isn't there, it will ultimately destroy society. 

People that made a tweet comment when they were 14 will be denied jobs or ostracized even if they cure cancer.  It is amazing to watch the insanity.

People standing up to others who sexually harrass them or sexually abuse them is a bad thing?

[BrewCity83]

People standing up to others who sexually harrass them or sexually abuse them is a bad thing?

No, he said "We have a society so ginned up to take people down in MeToo and Racial stuff that isn't there"

It's a bad thing when people are being punished for things that are assumed to be racially or sexually abusive or harrassing, but when the public takes the time to hear the whole story, there's no racial component, or no sexual abuse, etc.  It's the public's increasing tendency to jump to conclusions based on a single first impression of an incident without bothering to get all of the facts.

[DoctorV]

My take is this-
If it bothered the kid and the family then it definitely bothered me.

If nothing else it's in complete poor taste. I get trying to get into another star athletes head, we did it when I was a kid and it'll be done til the end of time.

However, you've gotta be cognizant of the times and in tune with the emotions of the current era you are living in. Even if you don't agree with the rules of what is sensitive and what isn't, you have to always be respectful. The black face thing has been all over the news and to do something like this- even if you "mask" (pun intended) it under the guise of "I'm just making fun of the kid for getting facials" is completely foolish and jackass-ish. I mean how are you gonna live in the world where blackface has been all over the news and do something like that without realizing the repercussions? You're either completely disconnected with current reality, or in my opinion you think it's appropriate and/or funny due to the current reality. Terribly poor taste at the very least.

That said, I hope Wojo gives Jalen a call tonight just to shoot the crap for a while and tell him and his brother that he fully supports them and agrees that there's no place for that type of nonsense in the game. I think the kids would really appreciate it

[GooooMarquette]

.

But going to Durham is a solve?  Ok

We have a society so ginned up to take people down in MeToo and Racial stuff that isn't there, it will ultimately destroy society. 

People that made a tweet comment when they were 14 will be denied jobs or ostracized even if they cure cancer.  It is amazing to watch the insanity.

Our society is horribly divided, but blame belongs on both sides.

On one side, we have racism, MeToo and other allegations that sometimes get taken too far. On the other, we have people condoning outright sexism, racism and xenophobia. And the sentiment comes straight from the top ("very fine people on both sides"; "grab 'em by the pu$$y", etc).

We need some common sense to narrow the gap. Regrettably, I don't sense it coming anytime soon.

Unfortunate.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Kids think lots of stuff is doomsday, watch how they react with no internet for an hour....the world is ending and they start to go through withdrawals. 

I don't think of him as a snowflake, I do think a lot of others are acting that way and of course going "there" before having any of the story...which happens way too often.  Kid is under 18, I never understood why adults follow minors to begin with.  I do get why other minors do, and they took a picture he put up there in the public space and used it publicly.  No alteration, public domain photo, shocking.

The photo was cropped to just show a closeup of Jalen's face.  The full photo shows Jalen taking a selfie next (presumably) his girlfriend, who is also wearing a facial mask.

So the full context was not shown.  The result is a picture that looks, to me, like a poor editing job depicting Jalen Johnson in blackface.

Hopefully people can learn from this.  Be aware of not just your intentions but how others may perceive your actions.

[Cheeks]

People standing up to others who sexually harrass them or sexually abuse them is a bad thing?

No

People falsely accusing others of sexual abuse is, and it happens way too much with no evidence to support claims.  That is a bad thing.

[brewcity77]

Shoot first!  Ask questions later.

You'd have to be living under a mountain to not know that this would immediately tie into the blackface discussion. Even rural Wisconsin isn't that ignorant of current events.

[Cheeks]

My take is this-
If it bothered the kid and the family then it definitely bothered me.

If nothing else it's in complete poor taste. I get trying to get into another star athletes head, we did it when I was a kid and it'll be done til the end of time.

However, you've gotta be cognizant of the times and in tune with the emotions of the current era you are living in. Even if you don't agree with the rules of what is sensitive and what isn't, you have to always be respectful. The black face thing has been all over the news and to do something like this- even if you "mask" (pun intended) it under the guise of "I'm just making fun of the kid for getting facials" is completely foolish and jackass-ish. I mean how are you gonna live in the world where blackface has been all over the news and do something like that without realizing the repercussions? You're either completely disconnected with current reality, or in my opinion you think it's appropriate and/or funny due to the current reality. Terribly poor taste at the very least.

That said, I hope Wojo gives Jalen a call tonight just to shoot the crap for a while and tell him and his brother that he fully supports them and agrees that there's no place for that type of nonsense in the game. I think the kids would really appreciate it

But it wasn't black face and it was a picture Supposedly he or his girlfriend put out.  I can totally see your argument if it actually was black face, if it actually was doctored, or not a photo of him actually with that mask.  But it wasn't any of those things.  Real photo, on HIS social media account, and NOT black face or even closely resembling anything other than a facial mask.

Las Vegas needs to crap down the Blie Man Group right away if this is the new criteria. 

[jficke13]

Weird hill to die on Cheeks.

[Cheeks]

The photo was cropped to just show a closeup of Jalen's face.  The full photo shows Jalen taking a selfie next (presumably) his girlfriend, who is also wearing a facial mask.

So the full context was not shown.  The result is a picture that looks, to me, like a poor editing job depicting Jalen Johnson in blackface.

Hopefully people can learn from this.  Be aware of not just your intentions but how others may perceive your actions.

No alteration to his face at all.  None. 

Your last paragraph, we shut down society because someone, somewhere, is going to be offended somehow by something.  It is impossible to please everyone and with so many on the prowl looking for injustices real or imagined, you might as well just stop it all.

[We R Final Four]

Do they even know if Jalen has any kind of skin condition where he needs to do this? 

This is so good.