Paul Shirley, whose brief NBA career included 18 games and 33 points with three teams over three seasons, is not in the giving mood. At least not when it comes to the people suffering in Haiti after an earthquake devastated the island nation on Jan. 12.
Shirley writes on flipcollective.com why he won’t be joining the millions from around the globe sending money to support the Haitian relief efforts. “I haven’t donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not.
“I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don’t give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don’t think the guy with the sign that reads “Need You’re Help” is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don’t think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either.
… Shouldn’t much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of that disaster?”
Shirley, who played at Iowa State before his short NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns, knows his opinion makes him part of a “miniscule minority.”
He continued: “Shouldn’t there be some discourse on how the millions of dollars that are being poured into Haiti will be spent? And at least a slight reprimand for the conditions prior to the earthquake? Some kind of inquisition? Something like this?:
Dear Haitians –
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.
As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?
Sincerely,
The Rest of the World
The essay, posted on the FlipCollective Web site on Tuesday, has already cost Shirley one job. Shirley was fired from his freelance gig with ESPN on Wednesday.
In a brief statement announcing the firing, the cable sports giant wrote: “The views he expressed on another site of course do not at all reflect our company’s views on the Haiti relief efforts. He will no longer contribute to ESPN.”
The magnitude-7.0 earthquake killed as many as 200,000 people, leaving hundreds of thousands of survivors homeless, hungry and injured.
