This week, Stephen A. Smith made controversial remarks about domestic violence. The comments seemed to insinuate that women are just as guilty of “provoking” violent action as men are in committing it. Of course these remarks are problematic and fundamentally incorrect. While we can agree that people are often and regularly provoked into committing violent acts, one can never say that the provocation is as harmful as the violent response itself. This could be said about Marissa Alexander’s decision to get a gun in response to whatever angry words came out of her husband. There just is no excuse for being violent toward your mate. If the situation makes you feel violent, you should probably just walk away.
So, while there might be nuances to discuss and debate regarding whether or not Stephen’s remarks about domestic violence were completely misguided (such as whether or not a man has a right to hit back if he’s been hit first), I am not the one to try to defend anything he said. My advice to young black men on domestic violence is simple: ”Don’t ever hit woman, ever, even if she hits you first. The only exceptions are when your life is threatened or you have to use physical aggression to get yourself out of a violent situation. When the police come knocking on the door, your black ass is the one that will typically be put in handcuffs. People are conditioned to think of black men as violent animals anyway, so most juries aren’t going to believe your side of the story.”
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’d like to ask for silence from those who are conditioned to believe that an article defending black men means that I am OK with violence toward women. That’s silly.
After his untimely remarks, ESPN then forced Stephen to apologize in a recorded and rehearsed segment. They didn’t even give him the courtesy or liberty of a live microphone due to their fear of him “messing things up.” Right after his contrite, boyish, unconditional apology, the show moved in another direction as quickly as possible. I found that to be interesting.
Just a month ago, Stephen disrespected millions of African Americans, and the punishment was minimal, if not non-existent. Stephen effectively argued that black men should be careful about provoking whites into treating them in a discriminatory fashion by thinking about the way we speak, behave and dress in public. I didn’t disagree with Stephen’s remarks entirely, since I constantly speak to young black men about similar issues. But I couldn’t help but notice that Stephen seemed to push the issue so far that it was almost as if white racism was being washed away by a conversation about black male irresponsibility.
In other words, he was making his white bosses feel comfortable.
In this video (below), we candidly and honestly discuss and explore why Stephen A was forced to apologize on an issue that affected white females, but when the conversation involved black men, he was allowed to continue his tyranical rants. No matter how much protest came from the black male community, ESPN executives seemed to feel that this wasn’t a matter worthy of any sort of apology, and was instead a time to let their man go even harder on the issue. I am a fan of free expression, but I can’t help but notice that the show First Take suddenly mutes its commitment to free expression when it comes to issues that upset white people. Seriously, if you’re going to talk about racism at all, you can’t just discuss the matter when you’re blaming black people for bringing oppression onto themselves.
Part of the reason for this disparate treatment is that black men are considered to be the bottom of the totem pole in the socioeconomic hierarchy in America. Black males are regularly mistreated by society, and because we do not have the political and economic power of white women, our needs are typically dismissed relative to those of white females. In fact, statistical studies show that the easiest way for a black man to go to prison is by harming a white woman. It’s also the easiest way for a black man who “doesn’t know his place” to be fired from his job at ESPN.
Another issue that comes to bear with this situation is the fact that even though shows like First Take have a predominantely black cast and large black male audience, it is mostly run by whites who ensure that their agenda is given precedence over the African Americans they serve. So, chronic black male unemployment is an inconvenience to discuss when it comes to helping to solve the problem, but it is highly convenient for a daytime sports show seeking to profit from it. It is because so many black men are at home without jobs that the show has such a massive audience.
As a result of this power imbalance, if remarks are made that are disrespectful or insulting to black people, you will typically see the network give it a pass. But if comments are made that insult white women, Jews, or whites in general, you will see either an apology, suspension or dismissal. There is no better example than when Rob Parker openly questioned Robert Griffin III’s marriage to a white woman and was fired just a few days later. I dare ask anyone reading: Can you remember any time in the last year that a network host has issued an apology for insulting black people? If so, please tell me, I need to study that too.
To some extent, Stephen A. is treated like the angry, roaming dog with the invisible leash in the background. ESPN loves his energy, his candor and his raw willingness to tell it like it is. But when it comes to making remarks that might upset feminists and white women, their policy suddenly changes. This is not to say that feminists don’t have legitimate issues that should be taken into consideration, but black men have issues and challenges too.
Final advice to ESPN: Please stick to sports analysis and funny side shows. You should probably stay away from the sloppy, ad hoc, severely misinformed social commentary. One day, black men are going to be empowered enough to challenge you on your words, and it won’t be pretty. Stephen A has the right to speak his mind, and he always will. But you should avoid the temptation of making him your negro representative.
I explain more in the video below. Please forgive the profanity. But wait…I don’t work for anyone, so I don’t have to apologize for what I’ve said.
http://www.brothersonsports.com/dr-...nd-espn-removes-his-testicles-on-national-tv/
So, while there might be nuances to discuss and debate regarding whether or not Stephen’s remarks about domestic violence were completely misguided (such as whether or not a man has a right to hit back if he’s been hit first), I am not the one to try to defend anything he said. My advice to young black men on domestic violence is simple: ”Don’t ever hit woman, ever, even if she hits you first. The only exceptions are when your life is threatened or you have to use physical aggression to get yourself out of a violent situation. When the police come knocking on the door, your black ass is the one that will typically be put in handcuffs. People are conditioned to think of black men as violent animals anyway, so most juries aren’t going to believe your side of the story.”
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’d like to ask for silence from those who are conditioned to believe that an article defending black men means that I am OK with violence toward women. That’s silly.
After his untimely remarks, ESPN then forced Stephen to apologize in a recorded and rehearsed segment. They didn’t even give him the courtesy or liberty of a live microphone due to their fear of him “messing things up.” Right after his contrite, boyish, unconditional apology, the show moved in another direction as quickly as possible. I found that to be interesting.
Just a month ago, Stephen disrespected millions of African Americans, and the punishment was minimal, if not non-existent. Stephen effectively argued that black men should be careful about provoking whites into treating them in a discriminatory fashion by thinking about the way we speak, behave and dress in public. I didn’t disagree with Stephen’s remarks entirely, since I constantly speak to young black men about similar issues. But I couldn’t help but notice that Stephen seemed to push the issue so far that it was almost as if white racism was being washed away by a conversation about black male irresponsibility.
In other words, he was making his white bosses feel comfortable.
In this video (below), we candidly and honestly discuss and explore why Stephen A was forced to apologize on an issue that affected white females, but when the conversation involved black men, he was allowed to continue his tyranical rants. No matter how much protest came from the black male community, ESPN executives seemed to feel that this wasn’t a matter worthy of any sort of apology, and was instead a time to let their man go even harder on the issue. I am a fan of free expression, but I can’t help but notice that the show First Take suddenly mutes its commitment to free expression when it comes to issues that upset white people. Seriously, if you’re going to talk about racism at all, you can’t just discuss the matter when you’re blaming black people for bringing oppression onto themselves.
Part of the reason for this disparate treatment is that black men are considered to be the bottom of the totem pole in the socioeconomic hierarchy in America. Black males are regularly mistreated by society, and because we do not have the political and economic power of white women, our needs are typically dismissed relative to those of white females. In fact, statistical studies show that the easiest way for a black man to go to prison is by harming a white woman. It’s also the easiest way for a black man who “doesn’t know his place” to be fired from his job at ESPN.
Another issue that comes to bear with this situation is the fact that even though shows like First Take have a predominantely black cast and large black male audience, it is mostly run by whites who ensure that their agenda is given precedence over the African Americans they serve. So, chronic black male unemployment is an inconvenience to discuss when it comes to helping to solve the problem, but it is highly convenient for a daytime sports show seeking to profit from it. It is because so many black men are at home without jobs that the show has such a massive audience.
As a result of this power imbalance, if remarks are made that are disrespectful or insulting to black people, you will typically see the network give it a pass. But if comments are made that insult white women, Jews, or whites in general, you will see either an apology, suspension or dismissal. There is no better example than when Rob Parker openly questioned Robert Griffin III’s marriage to a white woman and was fired just a few days later. I dare ask anyone reading: Can you remember any time in the last year that a network host has issued an apology for insulting black people? If so, please tell me, I need to study that too.
To some extent, Stephen A. is treated like the angry, roaming dog with the invisible leash in the background. ESPN loves his energy, his candor and his raw willingness to tell it like it is. But when it comes to making remarks that might upset feminists and white women, their policy suddenly changes. This is not to say that feminists don’t have legitimate issues that should be taken into consideration, but black men have issues and challenges too.
Final advice to ESPN: Please stick to sports analysis and funny side shows. You should probably stay away from the sloppy, ad hoc, severely misinformed social commentary. One day, black men are going to be empowered enough to challenge you on your words, and it won’t be pretty. Stephen A has the right to speak his mind, and he always will. But you should avoid the temptation of making him your negro representative.
I explain more in the video below. Please forgive the profanity. But wait…I don’t work for anyone, so I don’t have to apologize for what I’ve said.
http://www.brothersonsports.com/dr-...nd-espn-removes-his-testicles-on-national-tv/
fuck she on for she's not funny and when she was on back in the g Colin carried it and she was there as fluff and to curve some of his self righteousness
