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Originally posted by JRutledge
I consider your point of view just as dumb and stupid. Not because you have a different opinion than I do, but you are trying to make it seem that everyone should always act in the best possible way when in their mind they are threatened. I guess if someone threw beer on his family members, you expect him to just walk away if that happens too?
I would expect him to act in a way that is not physical violence. There are many ways to react. Getting wet with beer does not equal getting pounded with fists. He was never in any danger. Once he went into the stands, everyone was in danger.
This is not about honor or how big anyone is. This is about what I would have done and expected most people to do.
Well we most certainly run in different circles because I don't know anyone who thinks that getting wet gives someone a right to start throwing haymakers.
This is not even about morals. Because when we are provoked, morals can go completely out the window under the right circumstances. Just because I say I do not blame him, does not mean I think he should not be prosecuted or take any responsibility for his actions. That includes Artest's teammates as well. But I do understand and do not blame them for defending themselves regardless of how far they had to go to accomplish that goal.
They were never threatened until they went into the stands. If Artest felt threatened by the fans, why would he lay down on the scorer's table all relaxed. Suddenly some beer splashes him and now he feels threatened. Give me a break. It's not like people were coming down and threatening them. Somebody tossed some beer from 12 rows up. And I suppose Steven Jackson was fighting for his life too. Oh yeah, that's right... we're in a society where some people think it's acceptable to start swinging if you get "disrespected."
You are not my moral compass. You are not the person I look to for guidance on these issues. Stop trying to tell me what your opinion is when it does not matter.
This isn't about morals. It's about the law and common sense. The NBA has a strict guideline that players are never to go into the stands for any reason. Ron Artest is FAR, FAR from being the first player or coach to ever get hit with beer from an idiot fan. He's just the first idiot to start a freakin' riot over it.
This is a discussion board. People give opinions. Take your own advice. Usually the more moronic points of view are the ones that get the most defensive.
I was just giving my point of view; I did not and am not attacking the way you feel. The fans that participated got what they deserve. They were not killed or hurt seriously from all accounts. They were hit for being stupid. I never asked you to like it.
Getting wet and getting pounded do not equate. Self defense from liquid refreshments has never been tried by any lawyer that I've heard of. Everyone involved deserves punishment. The beer throwers deserve punishment, but certainly not permanent impairment or death from blows. The players who left the floor deserve punishment. The fans who came onto the floor deserve punishment. I know someone personally who died from a punch. A punch is in a totally different realm from tossing beer. You are right in that it is lucky that nobody got killed or hurt seriously. In that case, Artest would not just be in jeopardy of assault, but possibly murder.
Z