Shaq - Racism IMHO

I found Shaq?s statement racist in nature, regardless or in spite of the fact that Shaq or Yao Ming or anyone else publicly viewed it differently. I found the NBA?s lack of intestinal fortitude to be reprehensible.

1. The measure of maturity for any culture is found in how it collectively presents an attitude towards others. Tolerance and maturity go hand in hand. Any demeaning statement or action that denigrates another person by disrespecting that person?s race/culture is promoting intolerant racism. Sorry, but that is the heart of the matter. You don?t have to try and measure your position with gray area explanations. No need to throw your spin out there to feel more comfortable with why you are not outraged. You don?t have to soften the degree of harm or hurt by comparing ?******? with ?honkey? or ?camel jockey? with ?kike?. It is racism. There is no degree of racism. There is no gray area of argument.
2. Bias is a common behavioral trait in all living things. And, as humans we will never rid ourselves of individual bias or self-based prejudiced actions. However it is not the single act of racism or any isolated social prejudicial act that harms this nation, it is the wanton disregard by the observer(s) to recognize that this act, and others are indeed racist in nature and therefore, unacceptable.
3. This country is young and sometimes it shows more of it?s national immaturity than it?s enormous cultural growth in situations such as the one being discussed. Historically this nation?s political solution for making itself comfortable with ?racial equality? is usually aimed at attempting a ?make-up call? for past atrocities and previous poor decisions. It endorses racial favoritism like Monopoly?s ?Free Get-Out-Of-Jail? card. A Do-Over. A Mulligan. Unfortunately what that leads to is further disenfranchisement within our collective multi-cultural makeup. Unacceptable behavior for one is unacceptable behavior for all.
4. The subtleties of racism are what make it so insidious and difficult to combat. It does not even have to have a specific target. It starts with minimal interaction and progresses rapidly to everyone who observes. Calling me a honkey in traffic because you are angry is not acceptable. Calling me a ******-lover in joking banter is not acceptable. Belittling my multi-racial family because they are Irish (?drunken mick?), Black (?lazy spade?) and Asian (?sneaky gook?) is not acceptable. It does not matter that I have heard this before or that I may have steeled myself from the attack. No matter how well you hide the wink-wink, the rib-jab or condescending nod from me? someone else has observed it and has adjusted their behavior because of it.

We have family, we have friends, we have neighbors and we have unknown players in the drama. As observers of ANY racist behavior we should remember what we are saying when we don?t stand up and point a finger to say ? ? That is not acceptable!?. We should be cringing with horror at what our ?mature? silent society is teaching our children about racism.

Shaq?s halfhearted apology was a perfect example of how we have learned to accept racism. I am sure he felt embarrassed at his own subtle, insidious racist behavior. Some of us should be too.



PS Isn't it interesting that the "N"
word is not acceptable (and thus edited) but there are no similiar proclivities to edit kike, mick, camel jockey. Could it be that in here racism does have it's degrees or shades of acceptence. Mmmmmm.

PPS: Soryy about the type face and the punctuation, I just cannot get this laptop to convert in some internet text boxes.

 

" ... stupid, moronic, dumb, insensitive, stereotyping or possibly even prejudiced, but hardly racist ... "

Isn't that an oxy????? heh,heh.

"... No need to start a new thread ..."

Actually I thought they took the first umpteen threads as far as they could and wanted to add my two cents too. And, well ... the other threads did have to stretch after the first page to have any "Rockets" relivance.


" ... By denying racist speech that can be potentially harmful, we're denying all speech about race, but it's only privately do we say what's really on our minds.

By allowing potentially harmful racist speech, we allow some greater understanding towards cultural sensitivities. Stereotypes are always in our minds. If everyone is striving to be a better person, then the ignorant mistakes and gaffs that happen can be learned and changed.
... "

I don't deny, in fact I volubly and determinedly guard, Shaq's right to say what he wishes to say. I just think that he should be willing to defend his own words just as vociferously when he is challenged on them.

Which brings me to my points(and I do thank anyone who took the time to read my rantings above):

1. We as a culture should not accept inappropriate behavior unless we are willing to support the premise it defines.

2. I would no doubt get complete board support here if I stated that Shaq or anyone publicly called my children a "niggggggggeeeeeeerrrrrr", "chink", or "spic-b****". However, the subtleties and insidiousness of racism ... which apparently are well-hidden even from world travelled O'Neal and the august body (Stern,et al) that provides him with a living ... is not something many people are blind to. Especially those that may be targeted.








Look, I am not being oversensitive here, I would merely like to see some reaction other than .... "just joking..." " ... it didn't/shouldn't bother Yao ..." " ... I'm just being a comedian ..." ..." oops,sorry,chuckle ..." and with the support those comments seem to be laying in front of him, to justify "overreaction by some people".


Thanks for the read, cheers