Cuban is right again!
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from The Gray Area:
When the Donald Sterling comments first came to light, Mark Cuban was quoted as saying: What Donald said was wrong. It was abhorrent. There’s no place for racism in the NBA … But at the same time, that’s a decision I make. I think you’ve got to be very, very careful when you start making blanket statements about what people say and think, as opposed to what they do. It’s a very, very slippery slope.”
Today Mark Cuban proved he was right in his observation that this area is a very slippery slope as he was being slammed for a quote he made Wednesday on the subject of race and bias during an interview at INC.’s GrowCo conference in Nashville.
Here is part of his statement: “In this day and age, this country has really come a long way in putting any type of bigotry behind us regardless of who it’s towards, whether it’s the LGBT community, xenophobia, the fear of people from other countries. We’ve come a long way, and with that progress comes a price. We’re a lot more vigilant and a lot less tolerant of different views. And it’s not necessarily easy for everyone to adopt or adapt or evolve.
“We’re all prejudiced in one way or the other. If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it’s late at night, I’m walking to the other side of the street. And on that side of the street there’s a guy who has tattoos all over his face — white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere — I’m walking back to the other side of the street. And the list goes on of stereotypes that we all live up to and are fearful of.
From Business Insider: The assumption behind the “crossing the street when you see a black kid in a hoodie” statement — that young, black men are inherently dangerous — is equally as offensive. But it’s also invisible. The impulse to stay clear of young, black men walking down the street comes from the same racist place where Sterling’s statements came from, but it’s easy to ignore as a society because it only expresses itself within our heads.
From Bruce Bowen on ESPN: “shame on you, that’s pure ignorance“
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN was quoted on TMZ actually taking up for Cuban saying: Mark Cuban’s candid statements about prejudice and bigotry were not only honest but CORRECT … I took no issue whatsoever with what Mark Cuban said … not only because he was forthright, very candid and honest … but also he happens to be correct,” Smith.
This can be a seminal moment in our understanding of where our society has come the last 50 years. Mark Cuban was right when he said this is a slippery slope and he is right again when he runs in the face of ‘politically correct’ language police that want to stop everyone from speaking the truth. I hope he stands up to onslaught.
The “ignorance” that Bowen speaks of is not in Cuban’s statement, but rather in those who refuse to see that certain actions by people do send a message to the rest of society, and people remember those messages, retaining a justifiable bias against the imagery. Like gang members with hoodies make it difficult for others to where hoodies and not be seen as potentially dangerous. And, why do those who are not violent where hoodies as a fashion statement? Because the “gangster culture” is cool! That is where the problem starts. The corrective action to be taken is not to bully people like Cuban who make the point, but to stop those who create the violent stereotype.
For someone to ignore that is ignorant on themselves. How can you possibly stay away from violence if you are not allowed to recognize a potentially violent environment. That is not bias. That is not racism. It is good judgement. Instead, we teach our children to fear the guy next door, not the guy wearing the mask walking in a bank. To be able to distinguish between a dangerous situation and one that is not, requires good judgement based in reality. Those who want to lump such judgement as racial discrimination are “ignorant” of reality and doomed to suffer because of it.
People on both sides speak of having an honest debate on racism in this country, yet they will not allow honest commentary in the debate. Until they do, we cannot have that honest debate – on any subject.
That’s what makes this a seminal moment because we can all see if we really try, the dangerous effects of a PC culture that hides truth because it doesn’t feel good. Mark Cuban made a calm presentation of reality, that those who are either ignorant or are pushing another agenda are now out in the open where we a can all see them. This should finally cast a light on what is really happening in our culture and allow us to take steps to really speak the truth without fear of the PC “thought police” censoring the debate.
Thank you Mark Cuban for having the courage to start the ‘honest conversation’. I hope the bullies don’t force you to stop or apologize.
Oh, oh, its already happened.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has apologized to the family of Trayvon Martin for his choice of words in an interview regarding bigotry and prejudice.
On Twitter, Cuban says he should have used different examples.
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