black is the new white

Jason Whitlock is a sports writer for the Kansas City Star Telegram, but he was also a prominent fixture on ESPN.com and ESPN televsion for the last five or so years. He speaks often about a variety of topics as they relate to sports, but frequently, race has become a big part of his platform. Recently when Don Imus made his remarks about Rutger’s women’s basketball team (called them nappy head hos to be exact), Whitlock took little notice because he knew the guy was an idiot and left it at that after Imus apologized. But then Vivian Stringer, the Rutger’s coach, hosted a press conference and Whitlock came out firing. Personally, I read Whitlock regularly, at first on ESPN, but then directly in the Kansas City Star once he left ESPN.com for AOL Sports. The guy is not only whip smart, but among the most rational, level-headed sports journalists out there. The guy runs rings around the other hacks on ESPN on both cultural and athletic topics.

Whitlock believes, as I and a lot of other folks do, that hip hop culture has long been the aspect of the black experience that has prevented true economic and cultural equality. It presents black americans as simply thugs looking to pimp and ho for bling… of course, that is 5% of the black population setting the table for the other 95%. It is ridiculous to think that glorifying gangsta or thug life is elevating the culture, but there are some people who do believe that and we as a society are the worse for it.

Whitlock once said in an interview:

What’s even more dangerous, the Ignorant 5 are telling black kids, “It’s cool to be locked up. It makes a man out of you. And don’t embrace education. Dealing dope and playing basketball are better career choices.” The Ignorant 5 is the new KKK and twice as deadly. That�s why you don’t hear ’bout the KKK anymore. The Klan is just sitting back letting 50 Cent and all the other bojanglers do all the heavy lifting.

He is amazingly perceptive and unfortunately he is constantly being maligned by people who want to obscure the issues simply because it goes counter to their agenda.

Thanks to Frank for reminding me how cool Whitlock is.