“I watched Dr Fauci on Capitol Hill yesterday, and the person I thought about most was Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving stood out in my mind because of the heat that he was taking… He refused the vaccine. New York City’s mandate made him ineligible for home games, and he linked his stance to people losing jobs over vaccine mandates. In my opinion, particularly hindsight-wise, it didn’t make him stubborn or selfish. It made him brave. His willingness to stand up and say, ‘Nah, I’m not doing that.’ It’s just a time for reflection — to look at things differently.” – Stephen A Smith, after using his enormous platform to call Irving selfish when people everywhere were warning about the jab. The reflection is welcome, but many people lost livelihoods, relationships, and reputations while the media helped make dissent the worst of crimes. All of us err. The question is what Smith – and others arriving years late – are willing to give up in reparation for parroting such marching orders from the powers. Those they mocked gave up a great deal. Hindsight reflection that costs nothing does not begin to balance the scales.