Dear Al,
I can totally understand why you would want to put the picket line out on chick for making the lynching comment. If it were most any other athlete I would be in total support but I can't see the point of going out on a limb for Mr. Woods. NO doubt that to many of us he's "black." He's a Golf phenomenon and many people are proud of that. I understand. But lets be real here. When Woods went on national TV with Oprah and declared himself "Cablanaisian" I decided to allow him to make his peacable exit from "the race."
Why should I get worked up about someone who clearly does not nor wants to identify with me and mine? Seriously. This isn't the first time one of Tiger Woods' "friends" made derogatory remarks about him. I recall the fried chicken commentary that followed his victory at the Masters. Woods said that was his friend and it was a joke. Fine by him? Fine by me. Since Tiger Woods doesn't have problems with his white "friends" making jokes about lynching, then you know what, I'm not going to be upset either. I'm not picketing for him I'm not going to complain for him either. Clearly he's happy with his white "friends", his white wife and is clearly doing all he can do to make his exit from "blackness." Cool by me. Let him go.
Should he happen to find himself in a situation where a white mob is beating his ass for sitting on the wrong car in the wrong neighborhood, lets not run to his defense then either. I mean, if he's cool with his white "friends" making fried chicken and lynch jokes, a baseball bat to the head ought not be an issue either.
Also, should some 30 years from now, he end up in a situation similar to OJ Simpson, we ought to remember that he was cool with his white friends making lynch jokes about him (and us) and discussing fried chicken and watermellon at his victories. So should some racist cop call him out his name on the side of the road or attempt to frame him up for a murder, we ought to simply let him go about his business.
So thanks for registering your complaint, but I'm not interested in sticking my neck out for someone who clearly has so little respect for his black father as to not be upset at someone joking about kidnapping and lynching.
(17 years of informed commentary)
2 comments:
You can bet that Tiger Woods experiences far more racism than you, or most any other black person in the world. He was the first person of color to earn success in the sport of golf, a sport that has cherished its upper class, affluent white culture.
Imagine the amount of hate mail or death threats that he got. He's the most recognizable athlete in the world, and approaching the wealthiest. The white bigotry aimed in his direction has to be astounding.
You say he has removed himself from his blackness, like he is ashamed of it. I don't think that is true at all. Maybe he is just tired of being a huge lightning rod for racial tension?
Anonymous: You have no clue. Comment may be deleted depending on my mood at the end of the day.
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