[Husker] Neal's account of the slur (fwd)

[Brendan Patrick Crilly]

> I tend to agree that the PC folks have made it impossible to use certain
> words, regardless of context.  I'm less sure if that's a positive
> development in society.

I'm not sure either.

On the positive side I'm glad that our culture has finally arrived at a point
where a John Rocker-type message is no longer considered socially acceptable
in the mainstream.

But on the negative side, political correctness tends to slow down the process
of getting at the true character of a person.

I'm mostly just frustrated that we spend so much time on the PC infraction and
so little time on the substance behind the message and the human being that
delivered it.

If I say something that ends up being proved ignorant, I shouldn't apologize
for having said it (or more truthfully, being caught saying it), I should
apologize for BEING it; ideally, formerly being it.

And if you don't feel what you said is ignorant, even upon reflection of other
people's opinions, then don't apologize - CLARIFY. Then perhaps we all learn,
not only about the subject matter, but about the character of the person who
delivered the message.

In this instance it sounds like this coach was using -- knowingly or not -- a
portion of Chris Rock's standup routine as the basis for his evaluation of one
of his black baseball players.

Whether he heard it directly from Rock or heard it second, third or fourth
hand, he appears ill-equipped to appropriately handle the humor.

I've run into a few people over the last couple of years who -- more than
likely directly or indirectly due to this comedy routine -- now feel that they
have a license that not only makes these types of comments appropriate (after
all, a black person said it), but that even makes them complimentary.

Ironically it's this very type of subtle racism that probably inspired the
comedy in the first place. The idea that you're presumed guilty in some
people's eyes until you prove yourself innocent due to the ignorant stereotype
derived from some of the most ignorant people who share your same
complexion/ethnicity.

And despite this coaches use of the "honky" analogy, it's is highly unlikely
he'd ever feel compelled to say the same thing to a reporter about one of his
white players.

And of course no one actually thinks they hold racist views or feelings, 
outside of extremist groups such as skinheads, neo-nazis and KKK members who 
would proudly admit it.

And so therein lies the complexity of getting out of this quandary we find
ourselves in.

So is this baseball coach racist? Probably not. But he sounds like a person
who knows just enough about race to hang himself on a fairly regular basis.

So what are we left with? A possibly good man's career terminated and a
lawyer-composed apology.

In other words, we've seen nothing more than a PC infraction followed by a PC
response. We don't know if anyone has really learned anything about anything.

Oh yeah, we do know that you shouldn't give your true opinions in front of
people who might not keep them private or might challenge your viewpoint.

What a waste.

Brendan