Finally someone has written what most Black men have known all of our lives. There are double standards in our society for Black men.
The article, Shani breaks the rules by Melissa Harris-Lacewell, in today's Chicago Tribune is about those standards. I feel for my brother Shani Davis. I can relate to his struggle and I have even been stopped and illegally searched by "Chicago's finest" too.
The double standard sucks. It weakens race relations and reduces grown men to the status of children. Why can't a brother have a little pride and dignity? Why is that when choose not to play Stepin Fetchit we are criticized and put down?
The double standard operates in show business too (understatement of the year). If a white actor doesn't want to do something because it compromises his dignity or personal beliefs then he is conscientious. When a black actor does the same, he is difficult.
An angry white comic is edgy. An angry black comic is scary.
I've been there. I've been the scary, and difficult black man. At least, I am not alone.
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I absolutely agree. However, as I blogged about today, I thought he and Chad Hedrick were both being whiny bitches at their press conference after the 1500. I don't expect everyone to be scraping the floor with gratitude, or to use their time in the spotlight the way, say, Joey Cheek did. But for God's sake, you'd think he could find something more important to say than "I didn't get a hug!" I would ridicule someone of any color or nationality for that.
ReplyDeleteThe interview after he won the gold medal really got me. "Shani, are you angry?" Oh, for god's sake -- look, the black man isn't doing backflips, so he must be Angry Militant Black Man! Idiots.
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