Roxane Gay is exhausted you're not furious Britney Griner is trapped and alone

When unspeakable tragedies occur, people often call for unity. They’ll say, “We are Boston Strong” or “Je suis Charlie” or “We are [insert wherever or whomever the unthinkable has happened to].” It’s a laudable instinct to claim solidarity with those who have suffered, to imagine we truly understand the ways we are all connected, to proclaim that what affects one of us affects all of us.

With the W.N.B.A. star Brittney Griner wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four months because a small amount of hashish oil was allegedly found in her luggage, I’m wondering why we haven’t seen more of a groundswell of demands for her release. In the attention economy, Ms. Griner’s predicament seems as if it’s being somewhat ignored.

The media is, at least, covering the story, and some rights groups and athletes have spoken up, but that isn’t enough. More public pressure for action is necessary. “We are B.G.” should be a viral rallying cry, but it isn’t — and why? Is it misogyny? Racism? Homophobia? The unholy trifecta?

Ms. Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges, but explained she did not intentionally break Russian law. Now she faces up to 10 years in a penal colony. She is trapped and alone, her plight unimaginable. There are, in fact, reportedly more than 60 Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad, all wondering when or if they will be saved. They have families who are working tirelessly for their return. They all deserve our compassion and attention.

Ms. Griner is receiving more attention than most, but that’s not saying much. I suppose I have a particular empathy for her because as a tall, tattooed, Black, queer woman, I understand that we are often invisible and overlooked despite standing out.

Each time Ms. Griner is transported to court, a two-and a-half-hour journey each way, she is put in a cage too small to accommodate her large frame, according to Ms. Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner. She communicates with her family through letters. In the few images of Ms. Griner released since her detention, she looks ashen.

No one should be treated this way, famous or not. But Ms. Griner is famous, a highly decorated basketball player­ — an eight-time W.N.B.A. All-Star. She won Olympic gold as part of the U.S. team in Rio in 2016 and in Tokyo in 2021. During the several years she played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia, she helped lead the team to EuroLeague titles.

Although a Kremlin spokesman has denied that Brittney Griner’s imprisonment is politically motivated, President Vladimir Putin surely knows her value as a pawn. There has been talk that Russia may be willing to trade Ms. Griner for a Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, who’s serving a 25-year sentence in the United States. Given Ms. Griner’s relatively minor infraction, the political cost of making such an exchange for a man nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” is incredibly high. But the human cost of doing nothing would be even higher.

The longer she remains a pawn, the more her humanity is erased. Recently, Ms. Griner wrote President Biden a letter in which she expressed her fear. “Please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees,” she wrote. She also said that she had a new understanding of freedom now that hers has been taken. After months of tireless advocacy, Cherelle Griner has finally spoken with Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both of whom pledged to do everything possible to bring B.G. home. (cont.)

(cont.) At 6-foot-9, the muscular and tattooed Ms. Griner cuts an imposing figure. But when I spoke with Cherelle Griner, she told me, “B.G. is just more than a basketball player. Right now people just see her as No. 42, the person that goes out there and is aggressive on the court,” she said. “She is a person with feelings just like everybody else. And so she cares about her family, her friends. She’s very intentional with any and everything that she does with the people in her life. And for over 130 days, they’ve stripped her of that.” Cherelle’s words were a stark reminder of what’s at stake for Brittney, of how increasingly vulnerable she is.

This infuriating situation also highlights the problems with the economies of women’s sports. W.N.B.A. players are paid a small fraction of what their N.B.A. counterparts earn. To supplement their income, many women play abroad during the American off season. During a post-game news conference, Coach Vanessa Nygaard of the Phoenix Mercury, Ms. Griner’s team, remarked that if Ms. Griner were LeBron James, she would already be home. The painful truth is that he would not be in this situation with the fame and remuneration that far eclipses what female players receive.

At the W.N.B.A. All-Star game this month, players on both teams wore Ms. Griner’s number during the second half, reminding the audience of her detainment while honoring her. LeBron James and other N.B.A. players have used their platforms to bring attention to her situation, but too many others have stayed quiet.

We should all be calling for action. Write your senators and representatives, encouraging them to lobby the Biden administration on Ms. Griner’s behalf. Demand action on social media. We must not forget about Ms. Griner’s detention, nor the other Americans in similar circumstances, amid the challenges many of us are facing in our own lives.

We are B.G. We need to repeat that mantra until there is enough of a groundswell to bring her home. We are not free until all of us are free.

Griner's plight does seem very unfair, on the other hand, she went to Russia, not Cancun. Surely she understood (or should've understood) the risks involved. Moreover, she went there as a private citizen, not representing the US government. While organizations like the State Department clearly play a role, I don't think it's necessarily the job of any president to bail out individuals who get in trouble in foreign countries, particularly going to repressive countries like Russia, North Korea & China

Oh shut up already.

That was for Roxane Gay.

I very much want her home and believe she’s been treated unfairly.

The price is the release of an evil, dangerous Russian.

It’s a very difficult situation.

I'm angry about the Griner situation, and I'm furious at Russia, as any sane person would be. However, Gay's comparison of this to the Hebdo massacre or the Boston bombing is way out of line. She makes her living being a contrarian and a commentator, but sometimes she goes too far, and this is one of those times.

I hope they go ahead and to a prisoner swap so Brittany and that other guy with all the passports (which is strange) can get back.

“Griner's defense team submitted to the Russian court a letter from a US medical center issuing a permit in Arizona in 2020 for the use of medical cannabis for Griner to treat her chronic pain caused by sports injuries.“

She had a prescription. And the sentence for this in Russia is up to 10 years in prison.

We wish Roxy were invisible.

Roxane has BALLS to mention invisibility given that she and the Great Wall of China are the only two things on Earth that are visible from space!

[quote]With the W.N.B.A. star Brittney Griner wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four months because a small amount of hashish oil was allegedly found in her luggage, I’m wondering why we haven’t seen more of a groundswell of demands for her release. In the attention economy, Ms. Griner’s predicament seems as if it’s being somewhat ignored.

I recall the endless columns and tweets from Roxane in support of American Paul Whelan, imprisoned in Russia on dubious charges since 2018.

Oh, wait ...

Yes, Paul Whalen is also suffering a 16 year sentence and claims he was set up by a friend of 10 years, who visited his hotel room and put a USB drive in his pocket. He could have been set up, I guess, if the friend was blackmailed or as a way to arrest an innocent person to get a prisoner exchange. But he missed the wedding he supposedly had gone to Russia to attend. On the surface of it, he isn’t making a good case that he wasn’t a spy.

But then the Russian spy Maria Butina was only detained for 18 months by the U.S. and then released back to Russia. Imprisoning Mr. Whalen for 16 years is cruel and unusual punishment, especially in a maximum security facility for dangerous criminals.

To agree with the poster above, comparing Griner’s situation, which she placed herself in, to those innocent members of the public that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and through no fault of their own were victims of terrorists, is just beyond the pale.

Gay is an opinion writer and needs to offer lots of opinions by nature but this opinion is just wrongheaded.

Russia is so homophobic and racist - I would be very careful going over there for work. And I would be even more careful bringing marijuana oil....

What is going on is horrible, but it's Russia. Horrible place. You couldn't pay me $1 million to go over there.

[quote] With the W.N.B.A. star Brittney Griner wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four months because a small amount of hashish oil was allegedly found in her luggage, I’m wondering why we haven’t seen more of a groundswell of demands for her release.

Good heavens! this type of thinking is shear stupidity. Let me spell it out for you. This woman brought illegal, contraband drugs into a country that has difficult political relations with the United States.

There are many countries in the world, looking at you Arabia, who would have either chopped off her hands or killed her without any political remorse.

Britney Griner may never make it out of Russia alive. Perhaps, she will be an inspiration to others to check their luggage more carefully before they make the same mistake.

She's such a neoimperialist. "Why should anyone follow any laws overseas - we're Americans!"

As a YT Cis Male, I fear that declaring We Are BG would be seen as multiple appropriations at once, and I would be lined up for execution for the amount of exhaustion that I would cause.

The Great Wall of China is not visible from space r11. Not sure about Roxane's ego though.

Someone on another thread about this astutely pointed out that huge public outrage would actually impact the case negatively because Putin would get off on it and be even less likely to release her.

But god forbid Roxanne Gay consider that.

R16, ADHD medication is also illegal in Russia; it can’t be prescribed and could have also led to an arrest if found at customs even with a prescription.

So since Griner actually had a legal prescription from a U.S. clinic, I’m guessing this wouldn’t be happening if not for marijuana being a controversial political issue. If it were any other generic thing that is legal here and not legal there, as a prescription medicine, it would probably be seen differently.

[quote]shear stupidity

You can always be counted on for a laugh, Tallulah.

If you are traveling abroad, make sure you follow the rules and don't do anything illegal. It might be okay in the USA but definitely not there.

Don't get me wrong - I do want her back but you really need to follow other countries' rules.

The situation is horrible all around. I have a medical card for weed but I know I cannot take my mmj products on a plane to Mexico much less to a hostile foreign country. I take my ibuprofen pain pills instead when I have to leave my home state. Russia hates gays so why would she even take a job there? The whole thing doesn't make sense. If I go with the theory that it wasn't really her weed but it was planted on her she still chose to work in Russia. It's hard for me to have empathy in this case.

When you’re busted over there, you’re in for the hassle of your life.

R24, the thought on why she was over there was that she was in need for money. Also, the inequity of men and women's pay in sports.

Is BG a trans man? Or a trans woman? Where are her breasts? I'm so confused.

Do these woke assholes actually go around interviewing white people regarding how they feel about a particular situation or do they just make assumptions that make good sound bytes for woke media outlets? “Well, of course those evil white people don’t care about this basketball player.”

[quote] If it were any other generic thing that is legal here and not legal there, as a prescription medicine, it would probably be seen differently.

It depends. I worked for the Department of State in embassies for 25 years. These issues come up all the time in the Consulates.

Technically, a traveller is suppose to know everything there is to know about entering a foreign country, especially if there are laws governing items in your luggage. Ignorance of the law is not a defense, anywhere.

Unless you are an accredited Diplomat to that country and not just on the support team, you are not exempt from local law. Of course, there is much more to it and you are right, if the substance was essential for life support leniency might happen. However, not for recreational drugs.

Nevertheless, once you enter a foreign country and do something illegal, you are at the mercy of their law... unless, you have lots of money and political pressure justice doesn't always happen as we wish.

R26, she is the highest paid WNBA player, making $250,000 a year, and has million dollar endorsement deals. Her “needing” the money doesn’t ring true to most Americans.

Her wanting more money is most definitely true, but “needing”? Not so much.

I feel bad for the other guy who had been there lots longer. The President spoke with her family but nothing for him.. I also think his arrest ) was more innocent (drummed up) assuming she did have drugs with her.

Yeah $250k a year is not bad........

Her $1M endorsement was in 2014, Tony. There was only one.

Sorry, the Nike $1M endorsement was 2013, not 2014.

[Quote] Russia hates gays so why would she even take a job there?

This. Coupled with the drugs = nobody is surprised or gives a fuck.

The complaints about women's sports not being as well remunerated (which RG brings up here, too) are so stupid.

Her salary is $664,544 for 3 years, so not $250K a year, and of course she didn't get the 3rd year salary.

Her salary before that was $138K a year.

On any of the numerous financial threads, people would be saying that these salaries aren't really that high. On these threads, suddenly it's enough to make her a hated multi millionaire who deserves to have her human rights violated.

So, as others have repeatedly asked... what is she?

[quote]The complaints about women's sports not being as well remunerated (which RG brings up here, too) are so stupid.

Yes. "The NBA generates $9 billion a year, the WNBA loses $10 million -- but men and women players should make the same."

R31, Whalen had been involved in a financial crime in the U.S. before this happened. I don’t want anything bad for him, but to compare Grindr unfavorably to him isn’t fair to her. “And yet, unknown to those closest to him, Paul had been court-martialled for trying to steal more than $10,000 from the US government.“

-I meant Griner. It auto-corrected. -R40

$138k plus bennies per year just isn't enough. Want more.

R42, most athletes get paid a lot for a short period of time and then they retire on it. She won’t be playing basketball for $138k/yr at age 60.

I feel like Roxane thinks international diplomacy should just be the way she goes about things. You just march over there and you scream and yell and eventually they just give in and they do what you want. So simple! Just do it!

Of course it doesn't really work that way.

Where was Roxy during the Otto Warmbeir situation? Was she outraged then? The fact this myopic creature is lauded as a feminist intellectual when all she does is swipe at the low hanging fruits of racism, misogyny, etc etc 100% of the time is truly a sign of the times. And I say this as a woman.

Thus Always To RudeCunts

R45, but there is misogyny and racism in the news coverage of this. A lot of coverage doesn’t even mention Whalen’s criminal history. It’s being set up as a white Marine getting ignored while a lesbian black woman is helped.

R43 oh well, she and her lawyer wife will have to figure out a suitable second career path then. You know, like most everyone else.

r23 when I was living in China, Slate (I think) did a story on American ex pats living in Beijing who were dealing marijuana.

I could not believe their recklessness. If I were even in the same room as an illegal substance in China as an American (never mind as a Chinese person), I would be filled with unbearable anxiety every moment of the day.

Yes, R19, I know that but I just had to use the common misconception that it *is* visible from space to make a joke at this ludicrous giantess' expense.

That just isn’t how it works. Not intentionally breaking the law is still breaking the law. I want her home and I feel terribly for her but wouldn’t the first thing on your mind if you were traveling to a place such as China or Russia be “what do I have on my person that can get me into trouble, because these places do not operate like the United States”? You can’t even fly with it to some places in the US. She may have forgotten but if you do any sort of drug, then would have been the time to start rifling through things making sure you are clear. When I go through security at an airport I am paranoid a lone keybump or something had been forgotten from long ago, in some nook or cranny, and I triple check. A friend of mine almost got a felony charge for a cartridge in Austin just a few years ago.

Just because it is regarded as medicine here doesn’t mean those places see it as such. It was a bad move. Roxanne ignores personal accountability and reliably jumps to the racism / sexism trope immediately. She wants to believe people of a different race are completely void of empathy for those of a different color; a juvenile take that shows her own misery more than anything else. Roxanne was born with an axe to grind because of her physical appearance and her misery has to be made everyone else’s burden to bear.

I was too nervous to bring CBD gummies from LA to NY last summer. MARY!

There were only traces of hashish oil in the cartridges. They weren’t filled with it. They were vaping cartridges that she could also use for tobacco. It was an inconsequential trace amount.

Specifically, the traces were .7 grams, which equals .024 ounces. She is being railroaded.

Whelan’s glow is visible from space and shouldn’t be talked about alongside Griner.

Poor Roxane needs a kick in the twat.

There is a school of thought that these developments in her trial — first, pleading guilty and, today, presenting proof of a prescription — are a sign that perhaps a deal is being struck and they’ve agreed to certain actions that allow her to accept responsibility and provide a quasi excuse.

R44 Well, she’s black. That’s how they get things done here in the US. They yell and scream until they get their way. Don’t get me wrong, I think this whole case is ridiculous, but at the same time, I have to wonder what Brittney Griner was thinking. “I’m traveling to a backward, authoritarian country. I think I’ll bring my vape cartridge.”

Interesting that the Times isn’t allowing comments. Probably for the best.

R58, it was in her toiletries bag; and it’s legal in the US. She didn’t check everything twice. But Whalen committed attempted grand larceny in the US and was court martialled for attempting to embezzle $10,000 - no, he shouldn’t have a 16 year sentence in a maximum security prison. But the idea of racist slanders against Griner being just fine for having a trace of hash oil in a vape? It’s ridiculous.

It’s my MEDICINE maaaaaaan 💨

Sure, Jan.

Pot smokers are the pits. If she was arrested for being lez, I would care. For a bullshit “script” because she has to be a stereotype when it comes to weed? Pfft.

It’d be illegal if she flew through OUR customs with it too.

[quote]She makes her living being a contrarian and a commentator,

And she's not really good enough at either of these things to justify a lot of what's she's saying.

[quote]Do these woke assholes actually go around interviewing white people regarding how they feel about a particular situation or do they just make assumptions that make good sound bytes for woke media outlets? “Well, of course those evil white people don’t care about this basketball player.”

It's such low-hanging fruit, as others have said. She doesn't have to really construct a proper argument if she can just blame it on a group of people like this. It reminds me a bit of a woman I work with who is lovely, but is ALWAYS saying whenever she has the chance how "men don't understand this" or "men never have to worry about this like women do", or "men can't work as well as women can" etc. She says these things and I always think: "well as a man, I know exactly what you're talking about, if you would just let me tell you how I feel instead of you telling us how all men feel". Roxane argues in this same way - she KNOWS white people, or men or whatever feel a certain way and she doesn't have to see any nuance that way. It reminds me of how, when a white person does something idiotic she says things like: "white people - keep your people under control!" or something, as though any of the rest of us have anything in common with that stupid person either. But she seems to think people in certain racial groups are a hive mind or something.

[quote] I feel like Roxane thinks international diplomacy should just be the way she goes about things. You just march over there and you scream and yell and eventually they just give in and they do what you want. So simple! Just do it!

I want to see a TV show based on this premise!

How about this? We pray Brittney gets released real soon and when it happens, we will allow Roxane to take credit while coming here to roll our eyes.

[quote]“We are B.G.” should be a viral rallying cry, but it isn’t — and why? Is it misogyny? Racism? Homophobia? The unholy trifecta?

I seem to recall that after Charlie Hebdo happened, Roxane made a big point of saying: "Je ne suis pas Charlie". She seemed pretty pissed off at that rallying cry - now she's demanding everyone else do a rallying cry that she wants.

Comments are never open for her articles. It's too exhausting for her to hear reactions to her ridiculous columns.

[quote]You just march over there and you scream and yell and eventually they just give in and they do what you want. So simple! Just do it! Of course it doesn't really work that way.

Griner's defenders are pointing to how Trump got ASAP Rocky out of Sweden by publicly threatening a trade war if he wasn't released. Meanwhile, Biden and Harris haven't publicly commented on the situation.

And it amazes me that people would buy the official story on anything concerning this. She pleaded guilty, what else was she supposed to do?

How about we send Roxane to Russia to negotiate Britney's release.

And then plant some marijuana in her pocket.

Then Roxane will be stuck there forever!!

[quote]It's too exhausting for her to hear reactions to her ridiculous columns.

For someone who fancies herself a public intellectual she is way too thin-skinned and can't justify her own opinions satisfactorily.

I just checked the Twitter post and while I can't see all the responses (Twitter doesn't seem to allow lurking more than a few scrolls now), no one seems to be agreeing with her there. I said on another thread recently that I think Roxane is rapidly losing a lot of that support she had for a long time.

Miss gay should go on a hunger strike

Griner made a conscious choice to break the law.

Now she wants us to believe that it "accidentally" fell into her suitcase. Isn't that comparable to someone's eye punching you really hard in your fist?

[quote]Miss gay should go on a hunger strike

Oh god, someone PLEASE "innocently" suggest that as a course of action to her on Twitter!

[quote] Miss Gay should go on a hunger strike

[quote] Oh god, someone PLEASE "innocently" suggest that as a course of action to her on Twitter!

You will immediately be BANNED.

[quote]Griner made a conscious choice to break the law.

You were there?

The exhaustion NEVER stops!

[quote]I am drowning in requests. It’s so much work.

I can teach her, or anyone else, how to survive a hunger strike and still remain energetic and semi-healthy.

Will be blocked by Roxy in 3... 2... 1...

[quote]Her words: "“Please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees" There are other detainees? I've read articles about Griner just about every day for weeks. Yet you say that she is the one being "erased." It seems you have it backwards.

What is it about Roxane Gay that fascinates and titillates you queens, so much?

Perhaps I don't understand the physiology of long-term starvation but something tells me that, with her vast reserves, any hunger strike of Roxane's would be in with a chance of breaking all records!

I want Roxane to sit on my face!

^ Believe me, you don't want that. I know only too well.

Honestly I’m tired of being “outraged” all the time. I have to start parsing it for my sanity. I wish the best for Griner and hope she can come home soon.

I smell naiveté. When One gets on a flight in the USA One drops Ones weed in the garbage can in front of the entrance to the airport. Nobody will say anything. Just do it. you probably need a break from smoking anyway. Airports are Federal zones and weed of any amount or concentration is not legal to possess in Federal zones. She could have been jailed by customs as she got on the airplane In the good ole USA had they cared to do it. Who would bring a vape pen on a flight to Russia sheesh. My guess is She is somebody who though Laws didn't apply because they are special.

That you didn't know your actions were illegal is not a legal defense. Not even in the US.

That and the medical prescription can be mitigation at sentencing but not a defense.

[quote]Honestly I’m tired of being “outraged” all the time. I have to start parsing it for my sanity.

This is so important. And this 24-hour news cycle we are living in pushes things for us to be outraged by constantly.

Roxanne writes for the most elitist and entitled newspaper on earth and yet feels free to lecture us lessers on her outrage of the day. Check your privilege Madame.

If she's waiting for Biden to rescue her, she might as well plan on spending the next ten years in the Siberian Salt Mines.

[italic] No Basketball For YOU !

Is Tony Ritter a DLer? Hehehe.

[quote]Butt Out Roxy.

No one on the NYTimes Twitter thread thinks very highly of Roxane's article.

[quote]Not intentionally breaking the law is still breaking the law.

You all keep saying this, and pretending as if she's simply a regular prisoner going through a normal criminal system.

She's a political prisoner being used by a fascist regime who wants her as a bargaining chip to get a terrorist out of prison so he can commit more acts of terrorism.

AND YOU ARE ALL FINE WITH IT.

Some of you make a few comments here and there like, "well, she should be home" but your bottom line is always "she's greedy, she broke the law, this is what she deserves, I'm glad it happened to her."

It's insane. The reason trolls flourish here is because so many of you are very open to their fascist ideas.

[quote]Now she wants us to believe that it "accidentally" fell into her suitcase.

She said she accidentally picked it up when packing in haste.

This board is full of 60-something old men making shit up and then getting enraged by it. Astonishing.

R89 Sure, Jan!

My outrage is exhausted by mass shootings, evil Supreme Court decisions, Mitch McConnell, Republicans attempting to steal future elections, Ukraine and raped 10-year olds who MAGAs believe should be forced into motherhood..

I feel bad for Britney Griner but not on the same level as all of the above.

What about what the US regime has done to Assange and Snowden?

r88 people can feel two things at once.

I felt this way during the Otto Warmbier ordeal. I know that's not exactly the same situation; however, I both 1) hate NK and believe the regime is committing some of the most egregious human rights offenses in the history of the modern world AND 2) wonder the fuck why any American would travel to North Korea.

And to clarify, I ABSOLUTELY did not want anything bad to happen to Warmbier. I was horrified watching the footage of him in court, and his case effected me deeply, especially as I was living in China at the time and knew some ex pats who were planning a trip to North Korea (I think they ultimately pulled the plug on it).

R62 Precisely.

R88 No one is fine with it. Have you read any of the comments here whatsoever? As R62 states, stop telling us what we think and where we stand on this. This is more about Roxanne being Roxanne and everyone here has said they hope she comes home soon and how horrible things must be for her. She is a young human who made a mistake. It was terrible what happened to Otto but perhaps an etiquette seminar should have unfolded before they went to North Korea, of all places, on what not to do as an American in their country. It must be stressed these Authoritarian countries are not to be messed around with.

R92 Great point.

R92 That would entail the average American looking further than Mainstream News and well, that just isn’t happening.

Hi Roxanne. Good to see you going back to the well

It confirms my opinion of you. Old, tired and struggling to become relevant.

That window closed a few years back. But hey, no such thing as bad press. You just keep telling yourself that

R99 she will always have elite liberal white women to fawn over her.

That’s a man baby !

Now is the time for Britt to announce he is transitioning.

R89 Making shit up? Would you pack essentially what is seen as drug paraphernalia with traces of drugs on it, however small, to a flight to Russia? China? Would you? I think you are making things up in order to downplay how things really work in order to suit your fantasy world. Im curious if you would. You can answer.

I see her friend Saeed Jones is trawling through her Twitter, leaving sarcastic comments to people who are explaining why they disagree with her like: "Thank you for your valuable contribution". THIS is what passes for intellectual discourse these days?

R88 Who used the word greedy or even implied that?

Poor Brittney was only earning $250K a year in the US because nobody is interested in women's basketball and it makes very little money. So of course she had to go to Russia to get a million from a Russian mafioso pal of Putin's. Fuck Brittney.

R104 Yes; intellectual discourse has been replaced with snappy reactionary comments, via and thanks to social media. Bonus points if they are cruelly clever in any way.

[quote] During the trial on July 7, Griner pled guilty and then said, "But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law." Griner requested to give testimony to the court as soon as she has had sufficient time to prepare.

Poor thing. Off with her head! Or, at least, chop her hands off.

R108 [fist bump]

[quote]How about we send Roxane to Russia to negotiate Britney's release. And then plant some marijuana in her pocket.

I would guess that Roxane has a very long list of medications that she takes to help her get through the incredible hardship of each day, some of which would preclude travel to to "non-sophisticated" places like Russia.

Sorry we all know not to pack drugs that are illegal to other countries. That’s called American privilege.

Griner also played in China at one time. She seems to love those communi$t countrie$.

Do we really need to spend so much time on this stupid woman who as an athlete had the audacity to bring drugs into a country whose athletes we banned everywhere for their use of drugs?

Fuck her.

Brittney should just be happy she isn't in a Turkish prison.

--- Peter Graves

Roxane needs to sit on Putin's face!!!

[quote]Roxane needs to sit on Putin's face!!!

Down! Down! Down! Down!

Griner should be happy to live out her days in Russia, the homeland of her kind: titless, hormonally-imbalanced giantesses.

My goodness. It sounds like everyone has already given her up for sacrifice!

Here you you, missy! Hope this helps!

[quote] I recall the endless columns and tweets from Roxane in support of American Paul Whelan, imprisoned in Russia on dubious charges since 2018. Oh, wait ...

Yes in this post racial meritocracy (where white males are 30% of the population and hold 60% of the elected offices), (where black people are 14% of the population and are still fighting the same 1960s civil rights battles), how dare Gay use her platform to advocate for another black woman and not give white males equal attention. How dare she!

Both things can be true: - Griner's treatment is cruel & is about to become even worse because she's being used as a pawn by a Hitler wannabe. - Comparisons between the misfortunes of people who made dubious choices that went south and blameless people who were the victims of cruel attacks is disproportionate & a disservice to those victims.

Putin doesn't care about human rights, as he has made that quite obvious to everyone. If she makes it out alive, or with all her body parts in tact, it will be a miracle.

Cooper Roberts, the eight-year-old Highland Park victim, is near death. That outrages me. Britney evokes sympathy but not outrage.

r103, the guy I quoted said she claimed the pot accidentally fell into her suitcase.

She did not claim any such thing. That guy was lying. She said she accidentally took the cartridges because she was packing in haste.

It's been reported in numerous news articles. Explain to me why you said I'M the one making it up.

^^^ Does she have any titties, or were those chopped off?

😂😂😂 Oh, it's okay, comrade, no, really, I have a prescription.

[italic] Haste Makes Waste !

Will she go to man jail or lady jail?

r125 Not anymore

The reason that one guy got so mad at what I posted at r88 is because it's true. Most people here are saying "She did something stupid and she's paying the price. I never would have done something stupid."

Point out that "paying the price" in this case means being held as a political prisoner by Russia, who hopes to use her to get a terrorist out, so he can commit more terrorist acts, and you get mad because the truth is inconvenient.

It's also really pathetic that so many of you are siding with Russia, when Russia's government and most of its citizens would happily imprison you for being gay. They'd say, "This педик did something stupid, and now he's paying the price."

R130 Who hasn’t done something stupid in life? But the men of DL are all perfect.

R130 No dear, I don't think you do get it!

Have you ever travelled to a foreign country? Other countries run by their rules and laws and really don't care about American laws, at all. Standing on your soapbox screaming at us doesn't do anything but make you look uninformed, narcissistic and foolish for having no awareness of how worldwide legal systems operate.

This woman was never intended to become a political prisoner. She is locked up because she smuggled contraband drugs into a foreign country, regardless if she was aware, asleep, drunk or doped up when she did it.

She testified she did it! Russia now says she may pay for her crime, somehow. Frankly, I think it would be foolish for Biden trade a Grade A political prisoner for a someone who pled guilty of trafficking in illegal substances.

R132 You are absolutely right, but it’s still possible to have empathy for someone. She did something very stupid. And you have done stupid things in your life, and so have I. No one is perfect at all times. We’ve all done stupid things, made bad choices, and made stupid mistakes. Now, I do agree with you 100% that you have to be extra careful when you’re traveling abroad. For example, if I’m going to be driving in a foreign country, I do not drink any alcohol. But you should have a little empathy. It’s a lot easier for your life to be turned upside down in a split second than you think it is.

^^^ Of course, I have empathy and sympathy! But, I no longer weep any tears for stupidity. I am too old to deal with foolish tears.

Now, tears for the poor people who will suffer needlessly for our arrogant SCOTUS decisions ~ they come everyday.

Don't do the crime if you won't do the time, yeahhhh...

(Don't do it!)

Roxane needs to SIT ON MY FACE right now!!

Outrage and fury is a high bar. Only a fiend would think she deserved this. She's a political pawn.

^^^ Nobody deserves anything, but sometimes thats what we get.

Why are black lesbians calling themselves “queer” now? Have they had a falling out with the honkey lesbians?

[quote] Only a fiend would think she deserved this.

[italic]Mary!![/italic]

R132, to be clear, “trafficking” by legal definition is the sale and distribution of illegal drugs.

And she did not plead guilty to that. She pleaded guilty to the possession of .024 ounces of hashish oil, legally purchased in the U.S.

If you are magnifying the crime of possessing a vaping pen to selling illegal drugs, you are definitely not an unbiased party. Sure, it may be illegal in Russia, but why does your commentary magnify what she actually did?

Drug trafficking is selling, TRANSPORTING, or importing illegal drugs. Another name for this crime is drug distribution. Drug trafficking is:

A federal crime (the laws are decided by Congress and apply to the entire nation) A felony crime (involves very serious penalties or prison time) Not the same as "drug possession"

No need for mixing semantics. It is what it is.

R142, as you said, “another name for this crime is drug distribution.” Drug possession and drug distribution are not the same crime and do not have the same punishment. It is actually drastically different.

A description of the difference between possession and distribution is below. Griner possessed an extremely small amount of hashish oil, .7 grams.

WHO CARES!!!! IT'S HAPPENING IN FUCKING RUSSIA!!!

R146, possession of cannabis in Russia is punishable by a fine or 15 days’ detention. So…10 years?

^Something about that picture of the farmer lady solemnly holding her cannabis plant tickles me.

LOL.

WADE: Are you trying to quietly imply it is due to racism?

ROXANE: No. I am loudly declaring, Wade.

WADE: I would expect nothing less from anyone who uses such a myopic framework to view every aspect of the world through. Bitterness, resentment, and cynicism is a hell of a drug to be possessed by.

Britney Griner is a social justice story for slow news days to fill time. She's not an a-list sports celebrity.

Add to that world news about The US Insurrection hearings, excessive heat/climate change, Russian war in Ukraine, rising energy costs, school shootings / random acts of large scale violence , and the overturn of Roe v. Wade she's not a priority. She just isn't.

Now if it were me sitting in that Russian jail or my family trying to get me out, yes, it would be the only thing on my mind. But I don't think it is treated the same by people outside her immediate circle.

[quote] Roxanne was born with an axe to grind because of her physical appearance and her misery has to be made everyone else’s burden to bear.

Exactly. They way she looks has a lot to do with her personality.

[quote] Roxanne was born with an axe to grind because of her physical appearance and her misery has to be made everyone else’s burden to bear.

[quote] Exactly. They way she looks has a lot to do with her personality.

She's a 6ft 4 inch 300+ pound bi racial female.

I don't think she had many options.

Walk a mile in her shoes, cunts.

Then you can talk.

^ I doubt I'd be able to walk a whole mile if I was carrying 300 lbs. with me. (Roxane certainly doesn't look like she walks much.) And if I did walk a mile, there certainly wouldn't be any shoes left to walk in by the end of it: they'd have disintegrated.

You're fucking hilarious, R153.

But this is reality, you stupid cunt.

QUEEN!

She is way more than 300lbs.

I’ve never seen full-body shots of her before. I am much less inclined to dislike her now. She deserves a lot of pity.

She has a huge platform and uses it partly to abuse people. She has personal problems clearly but a leading intellectual she ain't. I feel sorry for her personally since the weight causes a lot of problems for her, but her personality makes it difficult.

How can Roxane's wife (yes of course she's white and blonde) even find that pussy? It's gotta be like a cave spelunking expedition.

May I please lick her extensions for moisture?

Outside of her weight I wouldn't call her an unattractive woman. I'm not exactly slim Jim myself but Is there a special reason why she's so obese? If not I see no reason to feel sorry for her.

She works out of an all-you-can-eat restaurant.

Roxane needs to sit on my face!!!

[quote]Is there a special reason why she's so obese?

There is, and it's pretty distressing. As people say, it's an explanation for her body and her behaviour, but not really an excuse. I have a couple of friends who've been through similar, or on one occasion something most people would say is much worse than her, and they are lovely people. As said above, Roxane uses her platform to bully others, try to get some people to lose their jobs even, and can just be all around unpleasant.

I've avoided reading about the specifics because I don't want that in my head, but I know others here have, and I believe she was showing signs of a kind of fucked up childhood before the thing happened.

The other thing I should say is, for me personally anyway: I find much of what she says to be quite hilarious, not intentionally, you understand, but she can be sp ridiculous. She irritates me a lot too. But, and this is weird, I also kinda feel fond of her in some ways. She's the gift that keeps on giving (the laughs). We're (generally) on the same side of things. I think she wants to do right, even if she fucks it up a lot. I make fun of her, but I reserve my actual scorn and anger for those who are trying to damage the world. Roxane is a damaged person lashing out, I would say.

Anyway, sorry to get all serious there. Back to giggling at her silly statements!

R164, what happened to her? Your comment is interesting but vague.

Why the FUCK would she go anywhere near Russia after 2014? A paycheck? A mistress? Or just pure stupidity?

They're gay-bashers and hostage-takers who feed radioactive soup to their own people. They have no freedoms, no legitimate legal system, and no future. But this bitch went anyway, and now we're supposed to feel bad about it?

Athletes are so goddamned dumb!

This trend of carrying around pot pens is stupid. Everyone acts like if they don't have it every day, they can't be "normal". And yes, it makes you stupider, at least while you're on it.

If Roxanne wasn't tattooed would she have less sympathy for this person?

It certainly is a problem if someone can't give it a rest when doing certain other activities (like travelling). I have a friend who can't go to a concert without doing it beforehand. And that is not helping her cope with life in any way.

Her whole post is a "how can I make this about meeee" complaint.

R169 yeah they are effectively self-medicating.

I tried self-medicating depression once with St. John's Wort, and it just made me fat.

What an idiot she is. A giant lesbian going to Russia and packing hash oil for a vaporiser? What could she have been thinking? Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

Here is the story as I break it down:

I feel sympathy for Griner and I believe she is being railroaded and used as a political pawn by a megalomaniacal dictator.

I also believe she brought it upon herself.

Yes, I would like to get freed and returned home.

Do I necessarily think we should trade a convicted Russian arms dealer for her return? That is something I'm not so certain is a good trade. Just like I thought Obama was wrong to trade five Taliban for one traitor.

^^Yes, I would like to SEE HER get freed and returned home.

r172 I wrote on the other thread that if I were traveling to Russia I wouldn't even pack so much as a bottle of aspirin in my suitcase. It's a backward shithole country and they can get you on anything. If you go over there you unfortunately have to abide by all of their idiotic rules. That's just the way it is.

Bringing cannabis oil into Russia is a reckless idiot, although I do feel sorry for Griner and it's horrible she's going to prison for this.

ANYBODY bringing cannabis oil into Russia is a reckless idiot.

Sorry.

Whoopi wants to keep Britney's name in the news

Has she had top surgery?

No scar

R18 "As a YT Cis Male..." What are you?

Did you hear her voice? She even sounds like a guy.

Most recent Roxane:

[quote]This is a travesty in every way. Nine years for trace amounts? The whole thing has always been a sham and political theatre but there is a very real woman at the center of this wondering if she will be spending the next 9 years of her life in a Russian prison.

I am furious but she is also a stupid bitch. You don't make deals with states like Russia and pretend that while they are tyranies, their rules somehow don't apply to you. Putin users her as a chip to extradite a mass murderer. I don't hate Griner but I would like to fetch a step ladder to bitch slap her. She doesn't deserve imprisonment though. No one does for a victimless crime like this.

I get that, all things considered, this is not an offense that merits 9 years in jail.

HOWEVER, as a black and queer person what did she expect to happen if she was caught? A slap in the trout? She sticks out like a sore thumb on the best of days and best of behavior. Of course the Russians would look for a way to make her an example given the opportunity. She's an outlier even in the best of circumstances.

... and I'll just "Oh Dear!" myself. I think I fell on my keyboard.