Josh Hader's Tweets

[KirbyDome89]

Just in case anybody needed another reason to avoid/delete Twitter. 

 

https://deadspin.com/serving-up-a-three-run-homer-is-somehow-only-the-second-1827676441

 

Can we be at least a little honest with ourselves here? Does anybody really need an apology for Tweets made 7 years ago while Hader was a 17 year old high school student? 

 

Younger kids use the N word. More than people realize, and not necessarily in a derogatory way. That doesn't mean the word should be used, but the reality is that the word has been popularized.

 

Ditto for the use of "hoe." Honestly I've heard that word used regularly both online and in person by college aged students (female and male.) Again, not the best idea to tweet it, but a little context is important. 

 

The tweet about murder is a quote from the movie Semi-Pro. 

 

The "white power," tweet is a quote from Arrested Development. 

 

The "I hate gay people," tweet is just dumb. Pretty indefensible other than it's a stupid comment made by a 17 year old kid. 

 

Nobody likes any of the tweets, but IMO these reports labeling him has a racist, sexist, homophobic, white nationalist are purposely ignoring background info in favor of a sensational story. Not that age should matter, but at 28, I don't find this to be either shocking, or the horrible offense that some are making it out to be. 

 

 

[TheLeviathan]

I guess that's one reason for people to vaguely talk about the All-Star game.

[Vanimal46]

Nothing ever dies on the internet. Kids don't realize this until it comes back to haunt them later on in life.

[Mr. Brooks]

Kids do say dumb things. We all say things in small groups that would sound controversial if broadcast to the public at large.

But, IMO, that's what you are doing when you post something on social media. You are making a public declaration. It's not the same thing as saying something to an enclosed group.

Social media is the average Joe's version of a publicist. So a person does have to be more responsible and measured with what they choose to post.

 

But, he apologized. And yes, I think he should have, and I'm glad he did, and that's good enough for me. It's perfectly reasonable to me that he's a different person, with more perspective now than he was then, as nearly every human is.

[Vanimal46]

Kids do say dumb things. We all say things in small groups that would sound controversial if broadcast to the public at large.

But, IMO, that's what you are doing when you post something on social media. You are making a public declaration. It's not the same thing as saying something to an enclosed group.

Social media is the average Joe's version of a publicist. So a person does have to be more responsible and measured with what they choose to post.

 

But, he apologized. And yes, I think he should have, and I'm glad he did, and that's good enough for me. It's perfectly reasonable to me that he's a different person, with more perspective now than he was then, as nearly every human is.

Teenagers really don't understand that what they post on Twitter can spread to a huge audience.

 

At the time he was just a kid who was good at baseball and probably thought he was broadcasting to his high school friends that followed him. Little did he know he would blossom into an all star pitcher and become a public figure.

[Mike Sixel]

I don't know....do most teens say they hate gays and white power is awesome? Mine didn't, neither did their friends. I doubt most do, even privately, let alone on social media......

 

As for if he's changed or not? No idea. Probably, but not necessarily for the better, we just don't know.

[notoriousgod71]

Well, we've found the one instance where people care what kids say.

[Mike Sixel]

Plus, he was 17, not 12 or 10 or 5.....

 

that said, I don't know if I care or not, but the "apology"? I don't think that's what he did....

 

As for training, data shows it is not all the helpful, only putting people in position to be around people different from them really changes things....

[D. Hocking]

 

Nothing ever dies on the internet. Kids don't realize this until it comes back to haunt them later on in life.

 

My sister works in the career resource center at a college, and says as much as she tries to warn kids that this stuff does not completely disappear and future employers might be looking, she cannot convince them to think before posting.  While employers should not really be looking at potential employees personal social median - some do, 

 

I don't think he should be branded for life or you should be accountable for everything you did as a minor, I do think since it became public he had to address it and make some sort of statement.  He was also 17 and not 7.  You are not an adult, but you still have to accept some responsibility for your words and actions and how you view other people.  Whether he has really changed or not, time will tell.   Hopefully being exposed to a broader range of people as an adult has changed his views on women, gays, and people of color etc.

[Doomtints]

 

The "white power," tweet is a quote from Arrested Development. 

 

The "I hate gay people," tweet is just dumb. Pretty indefensible other than it's a stupid comment made by a 17 year old kid.

 

OK. But why did he choose these quotes instead of something from Bruce Almighty, Forrest Gump, Groundhog Day, Rocky, etc.? I don't think you can deflate it by saying it's a quote. Everybody chooses what they quote.

[Vanimal46]

OK. But why did he choose these quotes instead of something from Bruce Almighty, Forrest Gump, Groundhog Day, Rocky, etc.? I don't think you can deflate it by saying it's a quote. Everybody chooses what they quote.

He didn't grow up in that era of movies you mentioned... The movies he quoted are cult classics for kids in their mid to late 20s.

[Vanimal46]

My sister works in the career resource center at a college, and says as much as she tries to warn kids that this stuff does not completely disappear and future employers might be looking, she cannot convince them to think before posting. While employers should not really be looking at potential employees personal social median - some do,

 

I don't think he should be branded for life or you should be accountable for everything you did as a minor, I do think since it became public he had to address it and make some sort of statement. He was also 17 and not 7. You are not an adult, but you still have to accept some responsibility for your words and actions and how you view other people. Whether he has really changed or not, time will tell. Hopefully being exposed to a broader range of people as an adult has changed his views on women, gays, and people of color etc.

I listened when people like your sister warned us about potential employers looking at your Facebook. I deleted all of my college party pictures years ago.

 

Bad social media decisions aren't made by just kids... I'll always remember this story when I was an executive recruiter. I was helping a fortune 500 company search, source, and hire a Plant Manager for one of their large facilities. One guy had the experience and interviewed well where they wanted to make an offer. Until they saw his FB page filled with scorching hot political takes.

 

"The Liberals aren't going to take my guns!"

 

Because of that they rescinded his potential $175k + bonus offer, and I had to tell him why. He didn't take it well and thought they invaded his privacy checking out his personal FB page.

[Doomtints]

 

He didn't grow up in that era of movies you mentioned... The movies he quoted are cult classics for kids in their mid to late 20s.

 

Puhleaze. Just because I picked movies from my era doesn't mean the only movies in his era were about being white trash.

[Vanimal46]

Puhleaze. Just because I picked movies from my era doesn't mean the only movies in his era were about being white trash.

They weren't the only movies, but you would be surprised. Quite a few comedies in the early-mid 2000s were filled with a lot of gay jokes. I also thought they were funny at the time, but they have not aged well, obviously.

[one_eyed_jack]

His tweets were disgusting, but as best I can tell many of the worst ones were quotes from rap lyrics.  (Odd that it's perfectly OK with most folks if you make a bunch of money selling music with said lyrics, but if they discover you quoted them in a tweet in your youth they want to burn you at the stake.)

 

And he was 17.   Legally a minor.

 

Before you grab your virtual torches and pitchforks and join the Twitter mob against him, pause to consider whether punishing adults for bad things they said as kids is really a good direction to go.

 

Thanks to modern technology, many adolescent thoughts are published and preserved forever.  But that doesn't mean that you should be forever judged by them.

 

 

 

 

 

[TheLeviathan]

 

His tweets were disgusting, but as best I can tell many of the worst ones were quotes from rap lyrics.  (Odd that it's perfectly OK with most folks if you make a bunch of money selling music with said lyrics, but if they discover you quoted them in a tweet in your youth they want to burn you at the stake.)

 

And he was 17.   Legally a minor.

 

Before you grab your virtual torches and pitchforks and join the Twitter mob against him, pause to consider whether punishing adults for bad things they said as kids is really a good direction to go.

 

Thanks to modern technology, many adolescent thoughts are published and preserved forever.  But that doesn't mean that you should be forever judged by them.

 

Quoting stupid and offensive rap lyrics is one thing, but the context is important and you're giving him a pass on basically being a despicable person for awhile.  He chose those lyrics as a reflection of the kind of thinking he had.

 

He doesn't have to be forever judged, but I hope (some day) others realize just how short-sighted it is to post every obnoxious thought you have to social media.  

[notoriousgod71]

 

I listened when people like your sister warned us about potential employers looking at your Facebook. I deleted all of my college party pictures years ago.

Bad social media decisions aren't made by just kids... I'll always remember this story when I was an executive recruiter. I was helping a fortune 500 company search, source, and hire a Plant Manager for one of their large facilities. One guy had the experience and interviewed well where they wanted to make an offer. Until they saw his FB page filled with scorching hot political takes.

"The Liberals aren't going to take my guns!"

Because of that they rescinded his potential $175k + bonus offer, and I had to tell him why. He didn't take it well and thought they invaded his privacy checking out his personal FB page.

 

I guarantee this company wouldn't have made the same decision if his political beliefs were the opposite, however.

[KirbyDome89]

 

Teenagers really don't understand that what they post on Twitter can spread to a huge audience.

At the time he was just a kid who was good at baseball and probably thought he was broadcasting to his high school friends that followed him. Little did he know he would blossom into an all star pitcher and become a public figure.

Not only that, but Twitter was in its infancy. I don't know if anybody at that time realized the potential the platform had for both good and bad. 

[PseudoSABR]

 

He didn't grow up in that era of movies you mentioned... The movies he quoted are cult classics for kids in their mid to late 20s.

It seems like you're intentionally missing his point.  He picked the quotes and is relaying the substance of those quotes.  He could have quoted all kinds of other pop culture that it isn't offensive.

[Mr. Brooks]

I don't know....do most teens say they hate gays and white power is awesome? Mine didn't, neither did their friends. I doubt most do, even privately, let alone on social media......

 

As for if he's changed or not? No idea. Probably, but not necessarily for the better, we just don't know.

I said all kinds of shameful things when I was a teenager. Hurtful things regarding women, minorities, disabled people, and people with a different sexual orientation.

I didn't say those things because i believed them, I said them because I was trying to fit in with people I desperately wanted to be my friends, and I lacked the courage to say how I really felt.

I wasn't 17, i was considerably younger, but that's not my point.

 

I don't mean to make excuses, I said what I said. I'm ashamed of what I said, and I'd apologize sincerely if it ever came up. But I certainly hope that the man I became isn't permanently judged by those things I said as a cowardice 15 year old.

[KirbyDome89]

 

I don't know....do most teens say they hate gays and white power is awesome? Mine didn't, neither did their friends. I doubt most do, even privately, let alone on social media......

 

As for if he's changed or not? No idea. Probably, but not necessarily for the better, we just don't know.

Based on the screen grabs and what little we've seen I don't think it's a stretch to assume the Tweets are teenage jokes. That doesn't mean they aren't ill conceived, but 17 year old humor isn't known for its sophistication. 

 

Do I hear people shouting "I hate gays," regularly? No, but one thing I do hear quite a bit is the use of the word gay to define something as lame. Hell, even my friends and coworkers in the community mock each other for "doing the gayest thing I've ever seen," or "being a queen." A lot of these words, phrases, quotes, memes ect. just don't carry the same weight with younger adults and adolescents, and that's being completely ignored. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

I said all kinds of shameful things when I was a teenager. Hurtful things regarding women, minorities, disabled people, and people with a different sexual orientation.
I didn't say those things because i believed them, I said them because I was trying to fit in with people I desperately wanted to be my friends, and I lacked the courage to say how I really felt.
I wasn't 17, i was considerably younger, but that's not my point.

I don't mean to make excuses, I said what I said. I'm ashamed of what I said, and I'd apologize sincerely if it ever came up. But I certainly hope that the man I became isn't permanently judged by those things I said as a cowardice 15 year old.

 

I hope everyone agrees with that last sentence. I have no idea what kind of person he is, but he should be liked or not based on who he is now.

 

I do think 17 is very different than 15 or 12 or whatever. Heck, if he is 1 year, or 6 months older, he's an adult....does that difference really matter?

[D. Hocking]

I don't think I ever said anything like that, but I am pretty sure there were times when I did not say anything when one of the "cool" kids said something homophobic or otherwise derogatory to some person or group.  Either because I wanted the cool kid to like me and/or I did not want to be on the receiving end of the taunts.  Nothing like folding to peer pressure to hope to get some approval of someone who s never going to give it to you and is a person you should not want their approval in the first place.

 

I think junior high was the worst.  By the end of high school I was a little more secure and saw certain people a little more clearly (not that I did not still sometimes fall to peer pressure).

 

[i am so glad there was no social media when I was in high school for a number of reasons.  There were pieces of paper passed around with people grading other people (that might have been more grade school) - I cannot imagine what is going on now.]

[Doomtints]

I don't think the guy deserves to have his career ruined, but I also don't think his career will be affected at all.

 

And yeah, people do grow up.

 

Nevertheless I'm never inviting him to dinner. Again, not that this affects anything at all.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Wait, so we're upset because a guy apologized for saying horrible things a decade ago?

 

Am I missing something? He apologized, good for him. It seemed like a legit apology, too.

[Vanimal46]

Wait, so we're upset because a guy apologized for saying horrible things a decade ago?

 

Am I missing something? He apologized, good for him. It seemed like a legit apology, too.

Welcome to 2018. A year where people have so much time and so little to do they comb over people's tweets from 7 years ago.

[ashbury]

Welcome to 2011. A year where people have so much time and so little to do they post racist, homophobic crap in public as though John Rocker's still in charge of things.

FTFY.

 

Hader handled this better than Rocker, by far. Kudos for hurdling that low bar.

[TheLeviathan]

James Gunn now getting the same treatment.

 

Having a Twitter account itself is a problem and what he said wasn't particularly funny....but my god people.  Let's stop with the tarring and feathering for everyone who dared to be crass, stupid, failed at humor, or was just offensive.

 

This is just ridiculous.

[ashbury]

 

James Gunn now getting the same treatment.

 

Having a Twitter account itself is a problem and what he said wasn't particularly funny....but my god people.  Let's stop with the tarring and feathering for everyone who dared to be crass, stupid, failed at humor, or was just offensive.

 

This is just ridiculous.

If only he had had the wisdom to use Twins Daily as his preferred means of expressing himself.

[one_eyed_jack]

 

James Gunn now getting the same treatment.

 

Having a Twitter account itself is a problem and what he said wasn't particularly funny....but my god people.  Let's stop with the tarring and feathering for everyone who dared to be crass, stupid, failed at humor, or was just offensive.

 

This is just ridiculous.

 

Indeed.  It doesn't appear that there are any limits to what will trigger the wrath of the outrage mob.  

 

And if you refuse to grab your pitchfork and join, they view you as defending and supporting the nonsense that the target tweeted 10 years ago. 

 

If we want people to abandon hateful prejudices and stop staying offensive things, we should let them move on with their lives after they've apologized and done so.  I don't see what's to be gained by continuing to beat them up over decades-old transgressions.  Branding them for life is counterproductive.  Especially when we're talking about what someone did as a kid.

 

And can't the mob prioritize at all?  There are people currently in power making statements and implementing policies that are disgustingly offensive every day.  But sure, let's focus on what a relief pitcher tweeted to his few dozen followers 8 years ago when he was in high school.