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RG III Gets 'Uncle Tom' Treatment
Townhall.com ^ | December 27, 2012 | Larry Elder

Posted on 12/27/2012 4:42:49 AM PST by Kaslin

To a black ESPN sports analyst, this is the critical question: Is Robert Griffin III, aka RG III, the black rookie sensation Washington Redskins quarterback, "a brother, or is he a cornball brother?" What has RG III done or said to raise a suspicion about his bona fides as a black person? More importantly, what does this have to do with appreciating -- or choosing not to appreciate -- Griffin as an athlete?

Turns out RG III fancies himself as a quarterback who happens to be black -- as opposed to a black quarterback. When asked for the millionth time about his status as a "black quarterback," Griffin responded: "I don't play too much into the color game, because I don't want to be the best African-American quarterback, I want to be the best quarterback."

And, when asked at a press conference about Martin Luther King Jr., RG III said: "For me, you don't ever want to be defined by the color of your skin. You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person that you are, your character, your personality. That's what I've tried to go out and do. I am an African-American in America. That will never change. But I don't have to be defined by that."

Holy color-blindness!

Such an attitude doesn't cut it with ESPN's Rob Parker, who in addition to the "cornball brother" comment, said: "OK, he's black, he kind of does the thing, but he's not really down with the cause. He's not one of us. He's kind of black, but he's not really, like, the guy you want to hang out with because he's off to something else. ... We all know he has a white fiancee. Then there was all this talk about him being a Republican."

Griffin is a winner so popular his jersey set a single-year NFL record for sales. Elected high school class president, RG III ranked seventh in his class, graduated a semester early and began college at 17. He graduated from Baylor University in three years with a degree in political science, a 3.67 GPA and two appearances on the Dean's List. He took graduate courses during his fourth year. He is the youngest of three children -- his mother and father both sergeants in the Army. He's had the same girlfriend since college.

Yep, RG III's practically a degenerate.

Parker's comments got him suspended for 30 days. He wrote this apology: "I blew it and I'm sincerely sorry. I completely understand how the issue of race in sports is a sensitive one and needs to be handled with great care. This past Thursday I failed to do that. I believe the intended topic is a worthy one. Robert's thoughts about being an African-American quarterback and the impact of his phenomenal success have been discussed in other media outlets, as well as among sports fans, particularly those in the African-American community. The failure was in how I chose to discuss it on 'First Take,' and in doing so, turned a productive conversation into a negative one."

But what Parker said about RG III is standard operating procedure for the hosts and pundits on MSNBC and other outlets, who question the "blackness" of "inauthentic blacks" like Herman Cain, Allen West and Clarence Thomas.

Where's the apology from, let alone suspension for, the following?

MSNBC contributor Karen Finney, who said about Republican Herman Cain: "I think he makes that white Republican base of the party feel OK, feel like they are not racist because they can like this guy. I think he is giving that base a free pass, and I think they like him because they think he is a black man who knows his place."

MSNBC's Martin Bashir, who said: "Mr. Cain was supposed to attend the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial on Sunday ... but he failed to attend. Now there's been some surprise at his absence. But being honest, isn't this consistent for a man who really doesn't want to be overtly associated with African-Americans?"

MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who told black former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele that his party was "the Grand Wizard crowd."

HBO's Bryant Gumbel, who on his "Real Sports" program, said that he wouldn't watch the Winter Olympics: "Try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention."

It took the bigoted treatment of RG III to make some people wake up and smell the ideological totalitarianism. Maligning a black person for "not being black enough" is a hideous form of bigotry, the antithesis of what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for.

Will ESPN send Parker to "sensitivity training," where many companies send their white bigots?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: athletes; bigotry; larryelder; lsm; msnbc; racism; redskins; rgiii; robertgriffiniii; robparker
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To: JimRed

Don’t know their Poly-Sci leanings but Ken Starr is the President of Baylor.


21 posted on 12/27/2012 7:32:36 AM PST by Starstruck (Washinton is presently building a diving board on the fiscal cliff)
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To: Kaslin

He apologized while saying “I believe the intended topic is a worthy one” so then it becomes an unapology. He’s worse than a maroon. He’s an unapologetic racist, the shame of it is he is so immersed in his racism that he doesn’t even realize it. Thank you public education and MSM!


22 posted on 12/27/2012 7:33:06 AM PST by pepperdog ( I still get a thrill up my leg when spell check doesn't recognize the name/word Obama!)
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To: pepperdog
He’s worse than a maroon

Hey! What's the University of Chicago have to do with this?!


23 posted on 12/27/2012 7:37:30 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("C'est la vie" say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell. -- Chuck Berry)
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To: pepperdog
Griffin is a winner so popular his jersey set a single-year NFL record for sales. Elected high school class president, RG III ranked seventh in his class, graduated a semester early and began college at 17. He graduated from Baylor University in three years with a degree in political science, a 3.67 GPA and two appearances on the Dean's List. He took graduate courses during his fourth year. He is the youngest of three children -- his mother and father both sergeants in the Army. He's had the same girlfriend since college.

Yep, RG III's practically a degenerate.

That needed posting again.

24 posted on 12/27/2012 7:54:31 AM PST by cpdiii (Deckhand, Roughneck, Mud Man, Geologist, Pilot, Pharmacist. THE CONSTITUTION IS WORTH DYING FOR!)
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To: Kaslin
RG III said: "For me, you don't ever want to be defined by the color of your skin. You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person that you are, your character, your personality. That's what I've tried to go out and do. I am an African-American in America. That will never change. But I don't have to be defined by that."

And this is the problem with the bruthas. If you accept responsibility for your own actions, you can no longer claim victim status based on skin color.
25 posted on 12/27/2012 8:16:10 AM PST by crosshairs (It's all about good vs evil. In the end, evil is destroyed.)
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To: Venturer

Right now I am sure the liberals are searching for any dirt they can find on the newest Republican senator. He is going to get the Judge Thomas treatment big time.


26 posted on 12/27/2012 8:48:07 AM PST by Pining_4_TX (All those who were appointed to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48)
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To: JimRed

Baylor was and still is a Baptist school. I don’t know specifically about their PoliSci department and its politics, but in general the school is socially conservative (comparatively).


27 posted on 12/27/2012 8:54:55 AM PST by JustaCowgirl (Revolutions are not born out of success, they are born out of despair)
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To: Kaslin

RG III,
Can’t be allowed to be come a House N******!
Even when he is better than the one in the White Hut!

How ’ya gonna keep ’em, down on the farm(Plantation),
After they’ve seen Pa-ree(DEE-CEE)?
How ’ya gonna keep ’em away from Broad-way;
Jazzin’ a-’round’,
And paintin’ the town?
How ’ya gonna keep ’em away from harm?
That’s a mistery;
They’ll never want to see a rake or plow,
And who the deuce can parleyvous a cow?
How ’ya gonna keep ’em down on the farm(Plantation),
After they’ve seen Paree(DEE-CEE).


28 posted on 12/27/2012 9:06:24 AM PST by GOYAKLA (Waiting for the Golden Screw to be removed from Obama's navel!)
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To: Kaslin

RGIII appears to be a fine young man. I bought my grandson an RGIII shirt for Christmas. He was thrilled with it.


29 posted on 12/27/2012 9:18:52 AM PST by Marathoner 244
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To: cpdiii
Yes, he is an outstanding young man and should be recognized for accomplishments. This whole thing is really about his religion and his refusal to be defined by race. Hopefully some young people will realize what he stands for and choose to emulate him rather than the race pimps who are criticizing him.
30 posted on 12/27/2012 10:32:36 AM PST by pepperdog ( I still get a thrill up my leg when spell check doesn't recognize the name/word Obama!)
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To: DTogo
If Obama had a son, he wouldn't be RG III.

Ain't that the truth? With the Steelers folded early, I'll be rooting for the Redskins and RG III all the way to the Super Bowl, by which time the guy who got to where he did on merit and hard work with the affirmative action faux president couldn't become any more clear.

31 posted on 12/27/2012 11:12:38 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: atc23

RGIII is too short to be a classic pocket passer. Just look at the guy when he stands next to Luck. RG3 is listed at 6-2 and looks 6-1 to me. Plus, he releases the ball at about ear level. His release point is too low, and that means his passes will have a bigger arc than the taller passers. Bigger arc means more time for the defense to attack the ball.


32 posted on 12/27/2012 12:42:15 PM PST by staytrue
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To: staytrue
RGIII is too short to be a classic pocket passer.

Play it smart and he can have a career like Fran Tarkington.

33 posted on 12/27/2012 12:45:09 PM PST by eddie willers
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