so the worldwide leader in sports has decided to air a 2-week series about the achievements of black athletes this month. and while it's certainly commendable on several levels that they recognize the contributions to of lesser known athletes (or those who are better known for coaching like temple's john chaney), i'm irked by a couple of key points.
1. why air this in march? black history month is traditionally in february. in fact, i think it's always in february. i'm not black. i'm sure that comes as a shock. and frankly, i think a black history month is a terrible idea, since it essentially ridicules the advancements of society and achievements of blacks throughout our history by attempting to encapsulate them all into one month. nevertheless, we all know when black history month is. so wouldn't make the most sense to air this mini-series during the time when black achievement is at the forefront (well, closer to it anyway) of our minds? not a huge issue, but an issue nonetheless.
2. of all the famous blacks, of all the well-respected living professionals from all walks of life, of all the people in the world ESPN could have asked to host and narrate this series, they choose the Reverend Jesse Fucking Jackson. oh. my. god. this is the equivalent--if we had a "white history month"--of having david duke or the late and not-so-great strom thurmond host and narrate a series on the achievements of whites. are you kidding me? the series is an okay idea to start with. but, sweet mother of mercy, how could anyone make such a galactically stupid decision to hire this race baiter and news chaser to host? wow. simply wow.
dedicating a singular month to any one race is ridiculous. but, let's face it, no matter how hard we try to erase it, slavery actually did happen. i suppose this latest guilt-riddled attempt to try and wipe away the evils of the past is an acceptable homage, in theory, to black athletes and their contributions. but if you're going to take the time and spend the energy to piece together some rather poignant and powerful stories, at least have the decency to select somebody that EVERYONE respects to host it. at least then maybe we'll watch it and appreciate it.
2 comments:
i'll disagree with part 1 being extreme. jackson and sharpton together have done more damage to the black cause (if you will) than anyone has done good. they are race baiters and news chasers and insert themselves--often negatively--into a storyline. see the duke lacrosse rape case, for example. david duke, however, was just a piece of shit.
as for the programming part...it's not that i have an issue with it being dedicated to black athletes, it's that having a month dedicated to a race is a backhanded compliment to their achievements. it minimalizes crowning achievements and historic landmarks.
the combination of a horrible choice in hosts and the inherent laughability of a singular month being sufficient for highlighting accomplishment is what makes "black magic" an embarrassment.
well...we are all coming from obvious progressive mindsets, so to us, yes, why not make the borders dissolve and black history just be history. but unfortunately there are many David Duke confederate flag waving idiots out there. so until we elect a black president...hint hint...I am afraid there will be only one month allocated to black history. (and why is it the shortest month too?!)I find it sad that sports figures are the majority of what is focused on.
and I agree about Jesse Jackson, but I think Al Sharpton has done more to demean black contributions. he is an absolute idiot!!
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