The Holy Ghost of Racism
Everything is a nail when one wields a hammer...
The witch hunt for racism and supposed white supremacy continues to become more over the top daily. Here is a story on NBA player Lebron James admonishing the press after a game for not asking about Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys.
Why did he want to talk about Mr. Jones? Well, a photo from 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas shows a 14-year-old Jones standing in a crowd watching the Arkansas National Guard escort a group of black students into the high school. This was the forced integration decreed by the SCOTUS and President Eisenhower. Is Jones holding a protest sign? Is he up in front yelling epithets at the students? No. He is a kid watching a spectacle unfolding in front of the school. The observation of the school being de-segregated was attended by thousands; some in support, others to protest. By all accounts of the day, including Mr. Jones himself, he was there to watch. This is where we are at in society? Being in a crowd watching a historical event condemns one…65 years later? Some in the media act as if it is a picture of Mr. Jones on top of a watchtower in Auschwitz, or a participant at a Mississippi KKK rally. It was a teenager in a crowd watching the spectacle of numerous state agencies enforcing the desegregation of a high school in Arkansas in the 50s. Simple as that.
Whatever opinion one holds regarding Jerry Jones, it cannot be denied that the man created more black millionaires, provided business opportunities to former players, and by all accounts continues to have contact with past players by having them in the owner’s box during games and personal friendships. If he is racist against black people, he did not do a very good job at demonstrating a commitment to oppression. Judging actions vs judging people is a more appropriate and objective measurement. This is a good article that explains out the process.
https://www.atlassociety.org/post/judging-actions-vs-judging-people
The unpleasant truth is that Lebron James is not a smart person, and without his talent bouncing a leather ball probably would have been lucky to be a manager one day at Lowe’s. Harsh assessment? Not really. Today’s society commits the blunder of belief that individuals with fame are granted some mantle of authority, whether moral deference, or a wellspring of knowledge and wisdom somehow granted to them through being famous.
This level of inquisition we currently see to root out fake racism is a farce. Just waiting for the day when they start digging up the graves of people who are deemed unworthy to desecrate them. Furthermore, the audacity of a professional basketball player who is worth 100s of millions of dollars trying to point out a picture from 65 years ago as some sort of proof of injustice, while currently earning income from slave labor in China is the height of hypocrisy. No to mention the oddity of the present age where too many try to find a gotcha moment in people’s past to crucify them on the altar of virtue-signaling. Jerry Jones, a billionaire, will of course be fine. This cultural witch hunt will not result in his demise, certainly not financially. But, the real-world consequences for everyday people who get caught up in these kangaroo court accusations can have devastating effects to their livelihoods and reputation. Real pain, real people getting hurt.
Those of us who are over 40 years old remember the empty promises made from media, activists, and politicians decades ago regarding race relations in America. They spoke platitudes about equality of opportunities, and not equity or equal outcomes.
Yet many of us saw firsthand in grade school how minorities were treated if they aspired for more by taking challenging academic classes. It was not the whites standing at the doorways of AP or IB classes telling them to stay out as there was in 1957 Little Rock. No, it was fellow minorities, either mocking them or outright shunning those individuals. Still, the mantra was that given equal footing, they would rise to levels of achievement comparable to whites. Any discussion of cultural differences, levels of importance on education or other factors being a possible culprit are shouted down. Year after year, the mantra is that the statistical disparities are obviously due to racism. (It should be noted, just as it is today, Asians, Africans, or Caribbeans are rarely mentioned in these statistics.)
Instead, the 21st century brought forth more grievances, more excuses, and even worse statistics for crime, education, and income. Now the main culprit is the “Holy Ghost of Racism.” We cannot see it or truly prove it existed, yet it is the blamed for all that ails the minority community. Any disparity is blamed on this invisible force that somehow surrounds us in everyday life. Meanwhile, other ethnic groups continue to arrive and thrive in America academically, and financially. How is this possible?
Do we live in a society brimming with racial harmony and good will towards all? Of course not. There are still injustices, discrimination, and other issues that require attention. Yet one doesn’t drive along the highway and hit a pothole, only to declare that the entire road needs to be torn up and rebuilt anew.
Many of us on this side of the divide thought that these issues would have at least been manageable in the past. This is no longer the case as demographic changes, regime media, and other forces seem to have decided for us that they want the destruction of Western Civilization by way of ethnic strife. This cannot end well for society if these trends continue. History paints an unpleasant picture of how ethnic unrest can spin out of control if left to fester and grow. Bosnia, Rwanda, and a score of other conflicts lit off by fomenting grievances between ethnic groups should teach us this.
Your description of Lebron James is overly generous. He is a wretched fool and an ungrateful bastard. And even that is overly generous.