.is that you Burt?
Posted on 01/06/2007 5:47:26 AM PST by indcons
"Wrong place at the wrong time."
Who knew the wrong place to be on New Year's Eve was at a party welcoming in the new year? Who knew the wrong time to be murdered was now – when people are so callous about death that it's almost as if we're asking the victim, "Just what did you do to get yourself murdered?"
There are many words to describe the senseless killing of Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams. Unfortunate. Heartbreaking. Sad. But here's the one word we can't use in describing such a death: Unexpected.
Over the past 12 months, three NFL players have been shot, and in the past couple weeks, police discovered one NFL player, Bears defensive lineman Tank Johnson, had enough weapons in his home to mount a terrorist attack. University of Miami lineman Bryan Pata was shot to death at his apartment complex in November. In Denver alone, three notable athletes have been shot since 2003 – Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, Denver Nuggets guard Julius Hodge and now, tragically, Williams.
One unavoidable commonality about these episodes of gunplay: all of the athletes are black.
It leads to an inevitable question from all of us, but particularly mainstream America: Why do black athletes often seem to find themselves either holding a gun or staring down the barrel of one?
Real talk for a moment.
Contrary to stodgy opinions, young men have a right to go out. They want to hang with their peers. They want to talk to women. They want to show off a little of their success. Nothing wrong with any of that – as long as they're careful.
Who they're with, what time they're out and what they have is only a small part of the issue. The larger problem here is the one no one is ready to openly discuss.
While America is generally a violent place, no culture in this country glorifies violence more than the African-American community. And consequently, no other racial group is as disproportionately affected by it.
This isn't to say black people invented violence or have a penchant for it. But far too many of us glorify shooting people for revenge, perceived slights or to prove toughness. Two things you almost always see when "MTV Cribs" features a black superstar: a poster of Tony Montana and a poster of the Godfather. Montana and Michael Corleone, though fictional, are considered heroes by young black men everywhere. Montana and Corleone had one thing in common: both killed people to gain respect.
BET, the same network that saw fit to cut its nightly news program, has a new show called "American Gangster," which "chronicles the life and times of some of Black America's most notorious crime figures." It's explained that the program has a strong moral component and doesn't seek to glorify violence, but on BET's Web site the show is promoted by showing Ving Rhames, the king of cool, in slick gangster apparel – as if he were promoting a music video, not a show about violent criminals.
And sure enough, right beneath Rhames' promo ad, a BET dot.commer says, "Young, black males will look at this [show] as an inspiration."
Now, criminal biographies appear on The History Channel all the time, but the difference is that violence is often marketed to blacks in a way that makes it appear more sexy and daring.
Black men constantly receive the message that they can't make it in life through using legitimate means, and the only way they gain society's respect is through the street game.
This is the mentality black athletes greet when they go to the club. A recent Public Library of Science Medicine study shows black men living in urban America have the shortest life expectancy of any other racial group in the country. The life expectancy of a black man in Cleveland is closer to that of West Africans than the average white American. So wearing a jersey every Sunday doesn't protect you from anything.
Of course, movies and songs don't make people kill people, but they can influence the way people think and live.
But ultimately, if we want to see fewer black athletes as victims of violence, African-Americans must stop worshiping at the altar of their own demise.
Jemele Hill, a Page 2 columnist and writer for ESPN the Magazine, can be reached at jemeleespn@gmail.com.
Exactly!
Please see my post 59. Since we had kids, we don't go out on New Year's Eve. And we have a lot of fun.
I live back in the woods you see,
My woman, my kids and my dogs and me
I got a shotgun, a rifle and a 4 wheel drive
A country boy can survive
Ditto
Not blaming the victim, but realizing a fact that we all face; The more dangerous situation we place ourselves, the more likely we are to have unfortunate results."
And yes, there are risk in every thing... getting up, driving, slipping in the tub.
However, the bouncer in the club was quoted as saying that the club was full of hip-hop personalities, know gang members, as well as the high profile athletes.
These same situations seem to have produced similar and not unexpected results all too often.
I'll have to admit that my wife and I usually stay home too, and try not to even stay up 'til midnight. OTOH, the kids are usually out celebrating somewhere!
Darrent Williams' killer used a common anti-life, Internal Enemies Device.
Thank you for your enlightening post!
And welcome to FR. :)
Not where I live.
The inventory of firearms included: a .44 Magnum Smith and Wesson, a .50 caliber Desert Eagle handgun, a .45 caliber handgun, a .308 caliber Winchester rifle and two assault-style rifles including a Colt AR-15 and a .223 caliber.
I knew it. This guy is a piker. I've got five times as many guns as that. And he only has 500 rounds of ammunition. Hell I keep that much in my car. Some "terrorist" he is.
Maybe his ammo is low because he actually shoots his.
but who spends New Year's eve at home with their kids?
*quietly raises hand* We're probably in the minority, but my husband and I do. LOL!
It's what real families do, although they may sometimes share it with other families.
Some of us prefer to focus on our family every day.
LOL! I know what you mean. At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, I just don't really see the appeal anymore. :)
OTOH, the kids are usually out celebrating somewhere!
My kids are still too young for that, but I'm sure I'll be worried about them when they're out there. I'm dreading the teenage years. :)
Hey, thanks for post 44. I'd never thought of the jealousy angle playing into some of these incidents but it does make sense.
WHY?
My kids are in their mid to late 20's now, and fairly responsible people. I still worry on New Year's Eve, though. But not like I did when they were teenagers. I guess being a parent of teenagers is nearly as stressful as actually being a teenager ;-)
wow, did you forget your prunes this morning?
You quoted me as saying "just our life choice" then went on to say "But I don't preach at and expect everyone else to abide by my personal choices. This is the USA. People do have their freedom."
A bit contradictory, ain't ya? Where did I say I expected everyone else to abide by my personal choices?
Now, go drink your prune juice or see a proctologist to remove that corncob.
"You're right...Jesse and Al, race baiters extraordinaire, never discuss the stark realities faced by Blacks today, namely the collapse of family and the glorificaiton of violence.
The problem is putting the blame where it really belongs doesn't translate into political power, so poor blacks will continue to be exploited by the left to their detriment. It's what they constantly accuse corporate America of doing.
LOL! The Chicago news media made a big deal that the police also found alot of ammunition, a bit over 500 rounds!!
.is that you Burt?
I would hazzard a guess that YOU are part of the solution.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.