#Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calls out lack of outrage over anti-Semitism

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Lakers star, is not happy with the lack of outrage against anti-Semitism in both sports and Hollywood.

“When reading the dark squishy entrails of popular culture, meh-rage in the face of sustained prejudice is an indisputable sign of the coming Apatholypse: apathy to all forms of social justice,” Abdul-Jabbar detailed in his column for The Hollywood Reporter. “After all, if it’s OK to discriminate against one group of people by hauling out cultural stereotypes without much pushback, it must be OK to do the same to others. Illogic begets illogic.”

Throughout his column, Abdul-Jabbar points out several recent instances of anti-Semitism, while emphasizing that “others defiantly marinate in their own prejudice.” He specifically mentions Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson’s recent social media posts falsely attributing quotes to Adolf Hitler, and also mentions ex-NBA player Stephen Jackson defending the posts as well as “his support for the notorious homophobe and anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.”

Abdul-Jabbar — who also called out Chelsea Handler and Ice Cube — further suggests that the apologies from these prominent sports stars fell flat, and explains that the lack of condemnation of anti-Semitism is very troubling when compared to the rise of the support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Recent incidents of anti-Semitic tweets and posts from sports and entertainment celebrities are a very troubling omen for the future of the Black Lives Matter movement, but so too is the shocking lack of massive indignation,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. “Given the New Woke-fulness in Hollywood and in the sports world, we expected more public outrage. What we got was a shrug of meh-rage.”

He concluded his article by emphasizing that “No one is free until everyone is free. As Martin Luther King Jr. explained: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.’ So, let’s act like it,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. “If we’re going to be outraged by injustice, let’s be outraged by injustice against anyone.”