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2007-08-27 Home Front: Culture Wars

Real Talk: We (Black People) must learn from Vick's fall

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Posted by mcsegeek1 2007-08-27 18:28|| || Front Page|| [7 views ] Top

#1 I see Mike found Jesus. I wonder if He's easier to find when he's holding your wallet?

Posted by tu3031 2007-08-27 20:14|| 2007-08-27 20:14|| Front Page Top

#2 for $22 million, I could find Jesus (or a reasonable, yet-less-holy, fascimile).

/jk - even I am not that cynical

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-08-27 20:55|| 2007-08-27 20:55|| Front Page Top

#3 TMK, Vick still ended up indefinitely suspended, while Travis Henry was not.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-08-27 21:51|| 2007-08-27 21:51|| Front Page Top

#4 "We have to take control of our culture and our destiny. We have to spell out reasonable and appropriate expectations for our young people and our athletes. We can no longer sit back, accept whatever behavior they offer up and blame racism when we don't like the results."

GFL on that one.

Sounds nice, but get back to me when ~~Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, et at.,~~ the race hustlers start saying - and meaning - this....

Posted by Harry R. & Nancy P.">Harry R. & Nancy P. 2007-08-27 22:28|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2007-08-27 22:28|| Front Page Top

#5 Crap - #4 was me.

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2007-08-27 22:29|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2007-08-27 22:29|| Front Page Top

#6 Worse, 16 years after Magic's announcement, there are far more average Americans chasing the lifestyle that nearly killed Magic, incarcerated Paris and drugged Lindsey Lohan But the bottom-line reaction is the same: We hope that young people, particularly young athletes and, in the Vick case, most particularly young black athletes will choose a different course of action based on lessons learned from Vick's fall.

Except that Johnsons lesson is of far more importance to black Americans. Sexual irresponsibility remains the single most poisonous factor that they face. It manifests in a host of exceptionally deleterious ways. Single parent families that are overwhelmingly headed by poorly educated and low income women. Criminal gangs that act as surrogate families for these attention starved youth. A culture that celebrates gansta rap and thinks ebonics has even a shred of merit. An almost institutionalized mistreatment of women in the forms of spousal abuse and prostitution. Hideously conspicuous consumptionin the form of bling and grillesand nearly endemic drug abuse, be it alcohol or the death knell of black America, crack cocaine.

White racism is our kryptonite. It's our excuse for nearly every malady. It's our excuse to deflect and remain in denial. Within minutes of Vick's guilty plea, ESPN's Doug Stewart could be seen and heard shouting on TV that because the police walked in the Rodney King beating, black people believe Vick is being dealt with too harshly.

The author deserves a Pulitzer Prize for having enough courage to elucidate and take responsibility for airing this long overdue load of very dirty laundry. One of the only other individuals of note to be so bold has been Bill Cosby. Worst of all is how the black community seems so disinclined to entertain any such messages. Their unwillingness to take responsibility and constant resort to denial is excelled only by this worlds Muslims. Small wonder that so many blacks find such solace in Islam.

Too many of our athletes are being reared in a culture that does not prepare them for the fame, fortune and scrutiny that is handed to them.

This could easily be a pivotal point. It is not fame and fortune that proves to be so damaging butin factsomething so many black Americans are entirely unused to; namely, scrutiny. It is lack of introspection, self-inspection, community censure or whatever you may wish to call it that has permitted black America to slide over a moral and ethical event horizon. I do not envy the steps required to salvage the real worth that lays dormant in this part of Americas citizenry. Even worse is how so much this applies to the global black community and goes far less addressed within those domains. None of this bodes at all well.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-27 22:58|| 2007-08-27 22:58|| Front Page Top

#7 #6. You say Johnson's lesson is vitally important.
The writer seems to be saying that it may be true, but that the people who need to pay attention are NOT PAYING ATTENTION

Posted by Richard Aubrey">Richard Aubrey 2007-08-27 23:41|| 2007-08-27 23:41|| Front Page Top

#8 If you feel as strongly as I do, please consider sending Jason Whitlock and email at his address: jwhitlock@kcstar.com.

This worthy man needs all the support he can get. Goodness knows that he will be lambasted by Sharptonesque and Jessie Jacksonian race war pimps to no end.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-27 23:42|| 2007-08-27 23:42|| Front Page Top

#9 Sarkozy is the most interesting individual on the world stage today. Hungarian immigrant parents, but was mayor of part of Paris for 19 years. Hated by the rabble -- always a good sign.

"France is back," Sarkozy said recently. It does look way, I'm happy to say.

Posted by Vancouver 2007-08-27 23:43|| 2007-08-27 23:43|| Front Page Top

#10 the people who need to pay attention are NOT PAYING ATTENTION

Yup, it is why black America faces such an unnecessary yet deservedly grim and self-imposed challenge. I do not relish considering what will be required to overcome such self-imposed obstacles. The situation is much like with Islam: Persistent denial. An abject refusal to accept responsibility. Unhesitating blame of all others save themselves and a cheerful resort to violence at every turn.

Again, and very sadly, none of this bodes well at all.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-27 23:50|| 2007-08-27 23:50|| Front Page Top

#11 Crap - #4 was me.

Mebbe so, Barbara, but the 'nym was still more than appropriate.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-27 23:53|| 2007-08-27 23:53|| Front Page Top

23:59 Zenster
23:53 Zenster
23:50 Zenster
23:43 Vancouver
23:42 Zenster
23:41 Richard Aubrey
23:21 rjschwarz
23:09 newc
22:58 Zenster
22:48 BA
22:45 ed
22:42 Brett
22:39 BA
22:36 BA
22:35 JosephMendiola
22:31 JosephMendiola
22:29 Barbara Skolaut
22:28 Harry R. & Nancy P.
22:26 BA
22:20 Zenster
22:18 McZoid
22:17 Bright Pebbles
22:16 Harry R. & Nancy P.
22:14 McZoid