There is no need to have a dialogue or intervention or put phil on oprah's tender loving couch. Nor do we need a linguist or professor of whatever to explain the history of urban slang and how it can be used inappropriately and become hurtful to others. No, this is lebron using his power not to fight back but to bully.

nixluva wrote:I don't know why some are focusing on the racial aspect of this more than the fact that using the term Posse was not used a term of respect. It was used as a diss. If you have respect for someone then you would use more appropriate terms like Representatives, Team, Management etc. When you use a term like Posse that isn't an accurate word to describe these men nor one of respect for the positions they hold. It's not so much about RACE as it is about Respect.

I hear you nix, but would he have referred to a group of white men of similar age as a "posse?"

Something seems odd about the use of the word in context. It's subtle, but I'd argue there, and I know I'm not the only person who thinks this, and most who are against thinking this to be a problem, not all, are going to be white. Should that mean nothing at all then?

Knixkik wrote:

PresIke wrote:The question to me is would Phil have used the word if he was referring to a bunch of white people?

I kind of doubt it.

I think it was a poor choice of words, speaking as a white person. Perhaps it is not my place perhaps to say how bad it is, but if I was Phil I'd apologize for the mistake and acknowledge the potential impact.

I'd argue pretty much all white people at some point have slipped in such a manner, including myself, in their past. Using it in this way, even if he didn't mean it this way, is what psychologists call a "microagression." The impact that racism/white supremacy/sexism, etc. has on us as a society is that, unfortunately, some words and phrases said by a person of the dominant cultural group (white people, men, straight identifying folks, etc.) can be a sign of our own stereotyping and/or when heard by others, especially a less powerful group/oppressed group member, as insensitive or lacking in empathy to even when we don't mean it.

martin, to answer your point about the word "posse," respectfully, the word was commonly used in the late 80's and early 90's to describe a group of young black men in hip-hop, right?

"My posse's always ready, and they're waitin' in my zone"
"The posse always ready - 98 at 98/My posse come quick, because my posse got velocity."

"Too Much Posse" - Public Enemy

"Posse" - Marvin Van Peebles 1993 "black" cowboy movie with Rakim and Big Daddy Kane titled quite clearly as a double entendre.

These are just some examples I can think of immediately.

I don't think it can be proven one way or another, but i also don't think "posse", "entourage", "crew", "group" or any other word that can be used in a similar fashion is specific to race. All of them can be used for any race without second thought. If i were to use any of those words in a sentence, i would not factor race into which word i used. I don't think he was either.

Can't be proven? If we are being honest with ourselves I think we know the answer. Denial is also one of the most common responses to racism, because there is so much stigma associated with it, and it's hard to accept that one can engage in racist activities when one sees themselves as a "good" person. Good people engage in microagressions and other forms of racism all of the time.

There are so many cases of white people saying words or phrases IN CONTEXT (especially) that they don't mean to be racist or offensive about people of color or other oppressed groups that I am quite sure you can ask practically anyone in such groups to provide examples. It happens ALL OF THE TIME.

"You are so well spoken"
Biden even did this once about Obama.

"You're one of the good ones"

Referring to groups of black people as "thugs"

There was even a recent movie, "Dear White People" intended to address this entire topic (microagressions).

PresIke wrote:

KNICKSdom wrote:This is basic human interaction stuff. Lebron's jimmies were ruffled by Phil's use of the word posse. I don't see racial tones in Phil use of word posse. Group of friends, families, animals, whatever that hangs together and clearly make decisions together is a dear group aka posse. Anyone can have a posse. Phil hit this home to Lebron. It shows how irresponsible LBJ is and his reaction is because of racial tones from use of word posse? Crybaby like those easily offended by WORDS. Words are powerful my friends. Ask Phil

If your argument and several others here is so accurate then where did Lebron this notion from? He made it up out of thin air?

http://time.com/4573913/phil-jackson-is-wrong-about-lebrons-posse/

Jackson bares the blame here. According to academic experts who’ve closely studied race relations, James had every right to be offended. At its most benign, “posse” calls to mind hangers-on orbiting a celebrity or athlete, particularly an African-American basketball player. So by referring to James’ business team as a “posse,” Jackson linguistically derides their credentials, whether intentional or not.

A 2002 Sports Illustrated story exploring the growth and dynamics of NBA entourages noted that, “they’re often viewed with suspicion–and sometimes it’s justified–but many NBA players couldn’t cope without their posses.” The story touched on the racial elements:

Then there’s this nettlesome question: Would there be any such angst if the entourage members weren’t black and didn’t wear billowy jeans and copious jewelry? No, says [Alvin] Poussaint, the Harvard psychiatrist, “these are African-Americans making lots of money, and having these entourages looks like loose spending, and I think that turns people off.”

So who to believe when it comes to understanding human behavior, random folks on a message board or a Harvard psychiatrist??

Bottom line is many whites seek to avoid responsibility about our own participation in such behavior quite regularly. It is uncomfortable and often feels stigmatizing, so we prefer to deny at first.

How ironic (and pathetic) that the Time magazine writer (and editor), in an article lecturing on the meaning of the word "posse" undermine their credibility as a "word authority", by saying in the same breath that Jax "bares the blame" rather than the correct "bears". So what other finer nuances of language would you like to teach us about today?

Knixkik wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:entourage is the same as posse, I think they are way to sensitive.

No matter what word he used, they would have taken offense to it. Bottom line is they are insecure to the idea that they rode LeBron's coat-tails to get where they are today. While they deserve credit for taking advantage of a great opportunity, there is a 99.9999% chance we would not know who Maverick Carter is without LeBron's need to help out his buddies. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Sure sounds like it

holfresh wrote:If Tom Brady had a group of friends he grew up with and they formed a business group and were successful as LeBron's group, they would never be referred to as a posse...Never..That's the difference..

Exactly that is the inferred connotation of the word posse in these modern times. Still they are being ridiculously sensitive and showing the world how soft they are. These are suppose to be successful grown men. They come out of this looking extremely small.

Tom Brady’s Kentucky Derby Entourage Looks Like Fun

Courtesy of Tom Brady’s Facebook
The Kentucky Derby is taking place this weekend and Tom Brady and his posse of friends and teammates are ready to party.
Every person looks like they’re ready to attend the Derby except for Rob Gronkowski (and the khaki suited gentleman to Gronk’s left), who looks like he’s ready to attend a Miami Vice theme party.
Hopefully, Julian Edelman or Danny Amendola pulls Gronk aside and gives him some fashion tips this weekend. Because, damn does Amendola look fly.
Or, considering that ex-Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker is going to be returning to the Derby this year, perhaps Tom’s entire crew could get some fashion tips from the undisputed king of Kentucky Derby wear.

VCoug wrote:I'm a white guy and I totally get where Lebron is coming from. I highly doubt that if Lebron's agent and business manager were 50 year old white guys that Phil would be referring to them as a "posse". And, for the record, here's what Phil thinks of as a posse:

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/Rachel__Nichols/status/798637656603115520

Ok that confirms this has nothing to do with race and everything to do with leeches and hangers-on and why Phil's words hit a delicate nerve

NYKBocker wrote:

Nalod wrote:From a coaching and GM/President view, a player whose needs are greater than others are not look upon favorably. Cav's were non too happy with Lebron at times in his first stint and Riles as well. Lebron has made his point many times that he is the one empowered with a franchise.
does that sit well with management at times? Likely not.
Has phil ever been "racist" in his career? if not, give him the benefit of the doubt.

I agree. Ask Clyde or Willis if they think Phil is a racist then put this to bed.

And ask Clyde what he thinks of Lebron. He's been a very harsh critic of his character outside of being the best basketball player in the universe

martin wrote:

callmened wrote:

martin wrote:I am not at all trying to pretend that Phil wasn't trying to get under that skin. It's EXACTLY what he was doing. He was 100% pointing out that LeBron was getting special treatment. That was Phil's whole point. But inflammatory because of the use of the word posse? I find that a stretch.

Also, I am not presenting any type of plausible deniability. I am presenting different takes.

that's exactly it...and a sensitive LeBron (from the racial tension) interpreted that as something it wasnt

You know what would have been a great response from LeBron?

"You know, I don't really like the characterization of posse and would have preferred that Phil used a different term, these are both my business partners and friends and family and to me the word posse is a bit demeaning to me. But for real, me and my Cleveland Cavaliers posse are concentrating on repeating a championship so I don't worry about it too much and don't have too much time to put into the **** that comes out of Phil's mouth; Phil and his posse should spend more time worrying about getting over .500 and making it into the playoffs".

BAM

And he chose not to go that route because in his heart of hearts he knows, maybe even subconsciously, that those guys aren't really his business partners and colleagues. They are his childhood hometown friends or "posse"