Whitlock hits it out of the park

Damn good read.

 

The tone of this thread bothers me a tiny bit, or makes me uneasy. What I get from this board sometimes re: Whitlock's columns is this:

1. When he stands up for the black community or charges institutional racism (Charlie Weis column last fall, Barry Bonds stuff), he's a race-baiting buffoon.
2. When he challenges the black community to improve itself or when he exonerates white people from charges of racism, he's "dead on."

Anyway ... I like this column to a point - I believe what needs to be attacked, bottom line, is the thought in the black community that it isn't honorable to pursue intellectual careers, only athletic ones. I think adults feed this. I think Jason realizes this, and that's what he was getting at with his criticism of Scoop's NBA argument.

I also think that it should be up to the government, local and federal, to put some real programs in place that help the black community in whatever ways help it to begin to come to these kinds of conclusions. If that makes me a leftie or a socialist, so be it.

 

wow i enjoyed this, and normally i can't stand reading whitlock

 

Apparently, you have Whitlock confused with someone else.
That never has been his M.O.
Did you read his writings on the Duke case?
The point he makes is applicable not only to sports pages, but across all elements of sports. He ties it into the constant talk of minorities in coaching positions, as well. If they don't care in KC about this, then all they're going to care about is who is playing free safety for the Chiefs. How many times can you write THAT column?

 

Scoop Jackson, a black columnist at America’s best and most influential online sports section (ESPN.com), filed a rant so juvenile and flawed on this topic that I nearly broke down in tears after reading it. His “column” perfectly exposed the problem within my industry and the sports industry when it comes to diversification.

I nearly broke down in tears from laughing so hard.

Doubt that that one's going into the Disney/ESPN Corporate Synergy Hall of Fame.

 

The government's been "helping" the black community longer than most of us have been alive. That's part of the problem. When you're told you're a victim on a daily basis after awhile you start to believe it.

 

Generally, I liked this column because I think Mr. Whitlock said some things that African Americans have not dealt with. So he deserves credit because many black columnists are afraid to criticize their own communities -- especially in print.

But like 85Bears stated, I am also bothered by the tone of this thread because there are some people who will look at this column and say, "Well, Whitlock is black and he said black people aren't prepared and that's why they aren't getting jobs. There's our proof!"

It's important that everyone be accountable for their role in fixing diversity issues -- white, black, whatever. This board routinely murders Scoop Jackson, but you know who really should be held accountable? ESPN. They hired Scoop. And I fear the reason they did is because whoever is in charge felt Scoop was an accurate caricature of black people. Stuart Scott, too. You can't help but look at them and then draw conclusions about why someone as credible as David Aldridge couldn't survive at the network.  Aldridge wasn't a minstrel show, which doesn't fit in well at ESPN.

Anyway, the column was solid. But I caution everyone to not just hone in on the things that make you feel comfortable about your racial views. I am choosing to focus on the parts of the column I disagreed with because that is, perhaps, where I need to make the most growth.

 

Damn, Chick/Armchair. That's some solid back-to-back posting. Do we have a category in the end of year voting for best consecutive posts? This wins hands down. Probably touched a nerve with some folks, but you speak the truth.

Whitlock did a great job and this has been my arguement all along. There's no way to make the hires if the candidates don't exsist and/or aren't willing to put in the work on the ground floor. There is no fast-track for most of us in this business and as we're reminded on a daily basis, you can make a hell of a lot more money in other professions than a first or second newspaper gig.

 

Ding. ding. ding.

A lot of Leonrad Pitts columns are the same way. About a third of the time, he's white America's favorite black columnist. The rest of the time, they want nothing to do with his opinion because it crushes their comfort zones. It has got to be frustrating as hell to keep presenting all sides of a complex situation, only to have the public treat you like an intellectual Morrison's, picking and choosing what they want out of the cafeteria line and to hell with the rest.

 

Wow. I don't know if his readers care, but I sure enjoyed that column. VERY well done.

 

That's the journalistic equivalent of a kick in the crotch. Ouch!

 

i tried the best i could to tell both sides of the story... i know many solid, passionate minority journalists who were devastated when they learned the hard way that newspapers don't want diversity, they want different color faces.... as soon as someone speaks up and starts offering "true diversity" they get labeled a problem.... but the issue is complex... in journalism, if you want to move up, you have to be willing to relocate whereever the next good job is.... and i know too many brothers and sisters who refused to start out at a little hick newspaper or quit the bizness the first time they got a job offer (outside of newspapers) in their hometown and away from the hick newspaper..... if you love this game, you gotta put the work in no matter which corners they give you to police....