Tag Archives: Racial Matters
Why Stephen A. Smith and Others Like Him Should be Silenced “By Any Means Necessary”
I am sure that no one is surprised that ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith has once again become ensnared in a seemingly made for TV controversy. This time around it deals with the on-going saga of colluded against Quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Let’s be honest about Stephen A. Smith, he is basically paid to “talk shit” about Race to an audience that knows little more about racial matters than he does. I cringe at much of what I hear that he has said on some episode of ESPN.
In many ways, Stephen A. Smith is the luckiest Black man alive for the following reason. He is not unique in his penchant to “talk shit” for hours, if not weeks and months at a time. Truthfully, he is not much different from the droves of Black men who spend hours upon hours “talking shit” about Race, women, and sports in barbershops, sports bars, strip clubs, and any other place where loudmouth Negroes are found. It would be a gross overstatement to say that Black men such as Stephen A. Smith are a dime a dozen. His kind is much, much, much more common than that.
The latest reality-TV debate that Smith has manufactured via his over the top style involves all people, Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens. In response to a recent show regarding Colin Kaepernick’s latest ingenious escape from what appears to be the National Football League’s attempt to depict him as a washed-up quarterback whose skills have eroded to the point that his playing again is a ludicrous proposition, Owens proffered that Stephen A. Smith’s argument directed at Max Kellerman revealed him as a “company man” willing to do the bidding of ESPN. Owens’ words were intended to reveal Stephen A. Smith as the latest in a long line of Negroes willing to fight against the fight against racial bigotry and institutionalized racism on behalf of entities that have made such matters the most impactful element in the lives of Blacks. Smith responded to the charge with a to be expected dimwitted tweet that his position did not cancel his blackness. Despite what those who are new to serious discussions regarding Race may think, neither Owens’ charge nor Stephen A. Smith’s rebuttal is new arguments.
Terrell Owens’ charge is as common as the counter-argument issued by the ESPN commentator. This matter raises the following question. Is there an expectation for Blacks to adhere to a particular viewpoint? Are those “free-thinking” Blacks who refuse to do so destined to be ostracized by their contemporaries? The answers to the above questions are not clear cut.
Blacks such as Candace Owens, Clarence Thomas, and Stephen A. Smith whose perspective appear to resist what Khalid Abdul Muhammad termed “the liberation and salvation of the Black nation” have sought cover under a flimsy argument resting on calls for the need for a diversity of thoughts and voices within Black America. The words, ideas, and ideals of such figures who often classify themselves as Black Conservatives have repeatedly opposed politico-economic progress within Black America. Please do not consider the above an indictment against all Black Conservatives as it is intended to address the few who serve as a vocal minority whose ideologies malign the entire political perspective.
Despite the outcries of some, certainly not all, Black Conservatives who present themselves as the most recent victims of Stockholm Syndrome (they identify with and work to advance the agenda of those who dedicate their energies to the further exploitation and denigration of Black America) should be criticized, denounced, muted, and curtailed “by any means necessary.” The advised action has nothing to do with political censorship or calls for conformity and everything to do with the development of a political agenda aimed at advancing Black America’s interests.
I do not need to tell you that it is late in the game for Black America to entertain political voices that work against their interests. Those voicing political programs that threaten to keep progress for racial equality derailed are foolish. Experience has taught me that they are actually too foolish to be ashamed of their actions. Yet, they are comforted by the ransom that they are being paid by those who continue to devise strategies and seek alliances necessary to maintain their selfish stranglehold on precious resources.
Regardless of the venue, it is clear that figures such as Stephen A. Smith and Candace Owens will tell you that the show must go on because they have bills to pay. To hell with the rest of us as we continue to fight for the uplift of all.
Dr. James Thomas Jones III
©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2019
It Will Never Be That Easy: Why A Childish Belief Reveals So Much About How Little Americans Know About Race
My feigning of ignorance is a tool frequently used to avoid discussions regarding Race. Yes, believe it or not, I frequently avoid discussions of racial matters. The reasons for such avoidance are listed below.
- I don’t think that the person I am talking with has a firm understand of Race in America.
- I do not feel like having the same conversation that has been occurring for the past two decades.
- I believe that a person has already made their mind about things and there is no room for the consideration of new information.
I have always found it peculiar that America, a nation incubated in the ironies and inconsistencies of Race, is filled with so many people that know so little about the social construct. Although unfortunate to say, ignorance regarding racial matters and the history of Race on the North American continent is one of the few ties binding the majority of citizens together.
I am stating such because I hope that they will make the following more palatable.
I recently received a story via social media that revolved around two kindergartners (one Black and one White) who convinced themselves that they “looked exactly alike.” This duo felt that their resemblance was so uncanny that they wanted to dress alike on a school-sponsored “Twin Day.”
Having read similar stories before, I knew that many would read the story with an optimistic lens that led them down a foolhardy path that for some inexplicable reason with them believing that the naïveté of these children contains a crucial piece of subduing American racial discord. I take no pleasure in dousing your fanciful dreams with a dose of reality.
Let me be clear on this matter, the solution to American racial strife will not be solved by such a trivial display of childhood innocence. Those who disagree are ignorant of the fact that Race is interwoven into the very fabric of this nation.
I understand those who wish that the subduing of prejudice, discrimination, bigotry, and institutionalized racism was as easy as two five-year-olds dressing alike on “Twins” day. Unfortunately, we do not live in that world. Anyone who has studied the history of Race and the voluminous problems that flow from it can attest to the fact that for many citizens, Race is the most impactful determinant in their lives. For far too many, Race determines where they will live, how they will live, which elementary school they attend, and the quality of education and health care that they will need and more importantly receive. In many ways, racial matters are a continuous storm that does not subside even with the changing of the seasons.
The fact that this cutesy story made national news reveals much about the desires, hopes, and dreams of so many Americans. Most Americans are “sick and tired of being sick and tired” about Race. I can remember an exchange with such an individual who shouted at me during a lecture covering American racial injustice, “If people like you would just stop talking about it, racism would fade away. It is people like you who keep it going.” I retorted, “Try that with any form of Cancer and tell me what happens.”
Although I understand how uncomfortable discussions regarding Race can be for all involved; however, I adhere to James Baldwin’s infamous quote that “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Trust me when I say that although the cutesy stories about children solving racial problems may provide a fleeting reprieve from the harsh reality of harsh realities in this nation. The wise among us realize that the alluded to reprieve is merely a slight break in a raging storm that will continue to toss and turn this nation into eternity.
Dr. James Thomas Jones III