Conservative America Posts Hashtags for Kobe Bryant, Silence for George Floyd

On January 26th, 2020, sports fans and average citizens alike were dumbfounded as they stared at their TVs and smart phones  with expressions of shock and dismay. The beloved basketball player Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter, Gianna, and friends had tragically passed away in an helicopter accident.

The incident sent shockwaves through Twitter and all other social media platforms in the form of heartfelt posts and trending hashtags, such as “#RIPKobe,” “#8,” “#24.” However, some of the same people who publicly lamented Kobe’s death on social media were slower to take to their keyboards in reaction to the unnecessary murder of George Floyd.

The difference between the outpouring of support over the death of Bryant and the controversy sparked by Floyd’s death highlights the selective racism of our society that glorifies black figures as long as they do not present a threat to some whites previously held belief systems––as demonstrated by Candace Owens’ response video to the Floyd protests.

Candace Owens explains that George Floyd had a criminal history and should not be seen as a martyr.

Owens, an African American conservative political commentator and pro-Trump activist, posted a video about the protests on YouTube on June 4th that has since gotten more than 5 million views. In her 20-minute rant, she makes a number of bold claims about the “myth” of police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, and most importantly, that she does not support George Floyd.

Owens attributes her vehemence against Floyd’s rise to notoriety to the fact that he had an extensive criminal background prior to his murder at the hands of former Minneapolis, Minn., police officer Derek Chauvin. According to Owens, his list of offenses includes aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, possession of drugs, and possession of a firearm. After explaining how Floyd is a “non-upstanding black citizen,” she goes on to list several other black figures that she considers to be “upstanding.” Her heroes include Dr. Ben Carson, Kanye West, and of course, Kobe Bryant.

Owens implores viewers, saying, “If you want to hang up posters of criminals on your wall and talk about them as your martyrs, do it! Do it! You can do it! Kobe Bryant was my idol. I’ll keep a photo of Kobe Bryant.”

Her selection of “upstanding black citizens” is ironic because they are not wholly innocent. West was arrested in 2008 for charges of felony vandalism and a second time for assault. Carson’s adolescence was punctuated by violent acts, such as attacking his mother and stabbing a fellow classmate. Bryant was accused of sexual assault in 2003. Owens herself was arrested for harassment in 2007.

Her hypocrisy of the denunciation of Floyd on account of his criminal record begs the question: Do Owens’ feelings towards Bryant vs. Floyd have less to do with their individual attributes and more to do with what each individual represented in society?

The death of Bryant, a five-time championship-winning basketball player, marked the loss of a living legend, but it had few lasting effects on society beyond a sustained sense of grief in his fans. During his lifetime, Bryant was what mainstream culture could classify as a “non-problematic” black person. He did nothing to actively challenge systemic racism in America, and as a result, white people readily accepted and adored him. On the other hand, Floyd’s death signified a pivotal moment in history when the black community decided they had had enough and demanded justice for the countless lives lost to police brutality.

NASCAR announced a ban of the Confederate flag

As a result of the recent Floyd police brutality protests, the four officers involved in the case have been charged with varying degrees of crimes. The mayor of Louisville, Ky., suspended “no-knock” warrants, which contributed to the death of Breonna Taylor. In addition, the removal of a number of confederate monuments across the country has been ordered, and NASCAR announced that it is banning the Confederate flag at races. Thus, Floyd’s death represented a change in the status quo.

In 2018, Fox News show host Laura Ingraham told NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant to “shut up and dribble” after they criticized Pres. Donald Trump. That’s the same attitude of many conservative white Americans, including Owens, who cheer for black superstars as long as they don’t challenge their notion of racial and social inequality.

Reacting to comments made by NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant that were critical of President Donald Trump, Fox News host Laura Ingraham slammed the two as uneducated and recommended they “shut up and dribble.”

With protests in all 50 states, over 700 U.S. cities, and 18 countries, the selective racism that pervades society is being challenged in a major way. Americans can no longer praise black individuals for their entertainment  value but reject the notion of them being devalued in the justice system.

Americans can no longer mourn the social significance of Bryant’s untimely death without recognizing the moral significance of Floyd’s untimely death.