Charles Barkley has been known to go against whatever the popular media narrative is (see Charles Barkley: Comparing Basketball Players to Slaves is Asinine and Charles Barkley’s Epic Rant Against People Using “The Race Card”). And he has two words for the current drama over neo-Nazis and whether we should take down Confederate statues: Wasted Time.

You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to keep doing great things. I’m going to keep trying to make a difference, No. 1 in the black community because I’m black. But I’m also going to try to do good things in the world. I’m not going to waste my time screaming at a neo-nazi who’s going to hate me no matter what. And I’m not going to waste my time worrying about these statues. I’ve always ignored them.

I’m 54 years old. I’ve never thought about those statues a day in my life. If you ask most black people, they haven’t thought a day in their lives about those stupid statues.

The part about neo-Nazis is important. Are they disgusting people? Absolutely. But your outrage gives them the attention they want and need. Instead, I subscribe to taking this tact:

I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and start thinking rationally.

So we'll be here all day, waiting for that to happen.

There's a reasonable argument to be had over Confederate statues. The Confederates LOST the Civil War. We typically do not erect monuments to losers. That's fair. However, it's a local issue to be dealt with at local levels. We shouldn't use this "OMG, STATUES!" argument to excuse the antics of Antifa. Because guess what, cowboys and girls. These statues have been up for decades. Why didn't they trigger people in the past ten, twenty, thirty or forty years? Oh right, because Antifa is a thing now and there's a Republican president.

Got it.

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