State Rep. Garofalo Apologizes for NBA Tweet

So here is the Tweet,

Rep. Pat Garofalo @PatGarofalo
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Let's be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in streetcrime

6:33 PM - 9 Mar 2014


Is it worthy of the publicity? Is it worthy of an an apology? Is it really a racist statement?

Probably not.

For those who choose to make this a racist thing, there have been one or two or even three players who were not African-American in the NBA. I know this even though I would probably not notice if the entire NBA folded tomorrow.

As far as street crime, I watch the news and keep an eye out for who is causing trouble in my own neighborhood and my eyewitness accounts could never be "tweeted." But then I don't use Twitter. I also don't believe that certain groups are being systematically discriminated against on a wide scale in 2014 the way they may have been in 1960.
I think that when more of a certain demographic are being incarcerated, or less are achieving high test scores that it might go back to the family values that were instilled in the people involved. I believe this because my in-laws came from a war zone to the USA and they didn't have money or special treatment; yet they believed in education and the law and it shows.
But there will always be people who say dumb things and they have the right to say dumb things in the USA. If it is a TV or radio personality, just change the channel. If it is a writer, close the book. That is your prerogative. Insisting that someone be ruined for saying something dumb is also dumb.
Will we never grow up in this country? Will we never grow up in this world? Perhaps it would be best if we didn't—because children learn prejudice from adults. That, my friends, is not only dumb but it is sad.

You will not like everything that everyone says. Everything that you do not like is not racist even if it is probably dumb.

But to be fair to the NBA, plenty of other professional sports people have been convicted of crimes.

Most of us can probably agree it isn't a racial thing. I, however, will argue that it has more to do with the values that people grow up (being taught and) believing in.
We owe our children so much more than this.