Racism A-Go-Go

A popular trope that developed around the time of the Obama election in 2008 was the notion of a “post-racial” society (Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? or check out a whole list of recent books in this “genre” here). I’ve already written about the rather absurd claim, made among white and black social critics, media pundits and politicians of a particular ilk – considering the Trayvon Martin case among a host of others just this year. But the last week has brought more anecdotal evidence that any nod to a “post-racial,” or more specifically “post-racist” society is a long way off. And these examples don’t even need reference to the reality of dramatic income and wealth differentials, incarceration rates, unemployment rates, educational and testing gaps and life expectancy differentials. A few examples should suffice to show the way race continues to dominate particular frames within the news cycle:

§  A high school football game was cancelled in a suburb North of Boston because racist graffiti was painted on the side of a black player’s house: ESPN. The graffiti read “"Knights don't need n------," aimed at the eighth-grader playing for the freshman and JV teams.

§  Jason Whitlock of ESPN wrote this troubling article in response to recent debates about the use of “n****” by black athletes, after an incident in the NBA, with Charles Barkley and Michael Wilbon among others claiming white people should not have the power to frame this issue. I agree with the latter two, particularly as we could argue the capture of the n-word is a perfect example of transcoding, taking a derogatory term and undermining its power by redefining it and using it yourself. But notice the general tone of the article, including the following argument: “lack American culture has been turned upside down and corrupted by mass incarceration, the destruction of the traditional family unit and commercial hip-hop music. The impact of these corrosive forces can be seen in the values and perspective of African-Americans across economic and class lines. We have a new normal. As it relates to the N-word, Barkley and Wilbon, like many African-Americans, have adapted to the new normal. The N-word is a cherished possession.”

§  Last week, Richard Cohen of the Washington Post wrote the following editorial piece regarding Christie’s chance of gaining the GOP nomination for president in 2016. The following passage caused an uproar, particularly as the editor decided not to redact it in any way: “Today’s GOP is not racist, as Harry Belafonte alleged about the tea party, but it is deeply troubled — about the expansion of government, about immigration, about secularism, about the mainstreaming of what used to be the avant-garde. People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York — a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children. (Should I mention that Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, used to be a lesbian?) This family represents the cultural changes that have enveloped parts — but not all — of America. To cultural conservatives, this doesn’t look like their country at all.” Notice how he attempts to use the old rhetorical device of saying what something isn’t, right before he says something that is? It’s an old trick, but one that still works with those too lazy to think much.

§  Debates continue to rage around the bullying incident between the troubled Richie Incognito and black player Jonathan Martin, who walked away from the team after Incognito’s racially charged hazing and threats. Incognito has been trying to justify his actions by claiming everyone does it in a Fox interview, while others argue that Martin is the one to blame in the incident for allowing it to get “out of the locker room” or not reporting Incognito earlier (see here, for example)

§  As three of the four incidents are from the world of sports, this might be a good time to note how often racism finds its way into sports – even those dominated by black athletes. I already wrote about the racism in European football several months ago, but there are plenty of examples here in the U.S., beyond those noted above. For one, is the tendency to focus on the athleticism and, often, animalistic features of black athletes while talking about the intelligence and hard work of white athletes. This is truer at quarterback than any other position, with the record-breaking freshman season by Cam Newton largely ignored last year while Colts wunderkind Andrew Luck receives treatment seemingly one step below that afforded a football deity. We saw the divergent treatment of Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire in their homerun hunts, even as there appears to be increased embrace of difference in the sport in recent years. And then there is basketball, where the few white athletes in the entire league worth talking about are again deified as “geniuses” who are the “smartest guys on the floor,” have “basketball smarts” or other epithets that define them as more intelligent than their black peers. Finally, is the world of sports announcing, where a white announcer tends to be the host among the black athletes that surround him – with the most ridiculous case being Terry Bradshaw – thus reinforcing the notion that blacks can entertain us, but only with a white guide to keep them under control (much like those “white savior” inspirational films about white teachers civilizing the “savage barbarians” in their classroom).