Thursday, July 29, 2021

Race, Race, Everywhere Race





Walter Shaub has a strong sense of priorities.

I

I had intended to say nothing about Simone Biles other than roughly what Shaub did. She is not a villain and she is not a hero. She is merely a great young athlete who did what she believed she had to do. The end.

But unlike Shaub, who understands Biles should not consume our thoughts, some people cannot let go. Naveed Jamali, though possessing an admirable professional biography, fails to understand that Simone Biles' world is sports, not real life, and that her actions affect only her teammates, her family, and herself.


It must be comforting neither to think hard not to evaluate news events in the context of their circumstances. Reducing all of them to race would save us the effort of considering anything objectively and allow us to stereotype and stigmatize individuals critical of Biles.

Sincere feelings and beliefs need not be suppressed in a misguided effort to avoid further alienating individuals we're convinced are insufficiently tolerant of blacks or other minorities. Canceling ourselves is not a worthy option.

It's simply that Jamali is flat-out wrong. It's not "all about race." Some people form their opinions of other people or issues based upon race, an affliction affecting right, left, and center. Thankfully, they constitute a minority.

Individuals should be permitted their views about Biles without a strong inference that they are racist. An individual who is racially biased or hostile should be called out with the action or statement cited. However, people should be permitted their views about Simone Biles without an assumption that it is determined by race. Condemning as biased, prejudiced, or racist everyone on one side of an issue is, well, plainly ignorant.

 


No comments:

For Some, It's Turmp, Not Republicans

This tweeter is on the right track but makes one major error. If I wanted a Republican in office or in power, I would have voted for them! ...