Jason Whitlock made some interesting points in his latest article for FOX SPORTS about how the “white media” jumped on Don Imus’s recent comments about Adam Jones not wanting to be referred to as “Pacman” from now on.
The hosts are generally clueless about the topic and, worse, scared to death that they’ll say something that provokes Sharpton to call their boss. The other guests are generally just as clueless, afraid they’ll say something that provokes Sharpton to call them an Uncle Tom or a bigot and are primarily concerned with demonstrating they’re worthy of an invite back or their own TV show.
Imus suggested Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones’ six arrests were rather predictable given his African-American heritage. A day later, Imus clarified his statement — and tried to avoid trouble — by stating that he was making a sarcastic point about America’s unequal criminal-justice system.
Imus was right both times. But Imus being right doesn’t make for good television and certainly does not pay for the conk in Rev. Sharpton’s wig.
No, sir. This was a full-blown racial controversy, a Nielsen-ratings-mover, a chance for white talk-show hosts to climb into the Octagon and let Kimbo Slice and Jimbo White Rice knuckle up until the viewers tapped out.
I digress. My point is that what Imus said warrants discussion. We just don’t need to discuss Imus. He is not our problem. Pacman Jones, with his off-field antics and stupidity, has done more damage to the image of American black men than Don Imus could ever hope to do.
I know this wasn’t Whitlock’s main point, but he hit the nail on the head when he wrote about media hosts and guests being scared when the topic of race in sports is approached. But they’re not only scared because of Sharpton – they’re scared because there are too many sensitive people in this country. It’s gotten to the point where you can’t even have a reasonable debate nowadays because some people just roll out of bed offended at something or somebody. It’s a shame we as a society can’t talk more openly about the topic of race without the discussion turning into one big defensive mechanism.
