Originally Posted by
Stray Gator
At the risk of being pilloried by his admirers and sanctioned by the moderators, I'm going to weigh in here with a few observations and opinions from my perspective.
1. Kyrie Irving is a remarkably talented basketball player. No fan cheered louder for him when he played at Duke. No fan was more disappointed for him and the team when he suffered an injury that kept him on the bench for nearly the entire season. And no fan was more grateful for his enthusiasm in touting "The Brotherhood' as a means of promoting the Duke basketball program after he left. But over the years since he reached the NBA, it appears to me that Kyrie's hunger for attention has led him to exploit his celebrity by making outlandish statements and adopting controversial positions that, in my opinion, have caused him to become an embarrassment to Duke.
2. I understand the concept of "standing by your friend," and I appreciate the underlying sentiment that motivates one to maintain steadfast loyalty when it comes to "supporting" a friend who is taking flak for a "personal decision." But the appropriate form and degree of such "support" should depend on the extent to which that friend's decision is truly "personal" in scope -- that is, whether the potentially negative consequences would be confined to the person making the choice, or could result in harm to other people. In this case, Kyrie Irving's choice not to be vaccinated, and his participation in generating widespread publicity about that choice, renders this much more than a purely "personal" matter. In fact, his decision could have multiple adverse impacts on others -- not only recklessly endangering those with whom he directly or indirectly interacts, but influencing some segment of his massive fanbase to believe that refusing the vaccine is just fine.
3. Under these circumstances, I believe that those who express "support" for Kyrie's "personal decision," either affirmatively or tacitly, have gone too far, because they are effectively endorsing a dangerous stance. This is not some silly game of innocuous foolishness, like proclaiming that the Earth is flat. Kyrie's behavior is sowing distrust and fueling resistance to the only remedy we have with proven reliability. Discouraging COVID vaccinations, whether actively or only by example, perpetuates the spread of the virus, and thereby facilitates continued unnecessary suffering -- physical, psychological, social, and economic. "Standing by your guy" is fine when it doesn't adversely affect anyone else; but in my opinion it cannot it be justified as a mere affirmation of friendship when it promotes a position that results in people suffering and dying. For that reason, I would really like to see Nolan walk back his statement to make clear that he does not support vaccine resistance for people who are eligible.