Randy Moss and Terrell Owens Tell A Story about America

I wanted to make this point (in the video) about Terrell Owens and Randy Moss. These guys get alot of heat for their "character", and the consistent pattern is that America feels that it has the paternalistic right and obligation to consistently judge the character of black males. People do not understand how this concept is universal: it happens to black boys in the school system, which is why they are nearly 5 times more likely than other kids to be placed in special ed. It happens to black men in the criminal justice system, which is why black men are tried and convicted at a much higher rate than men and women who commit the same crimes. It happens on the job market, which is why we don't get promotions as regularly even when our qualifications are the same. I go through it at Syracuse University, as I have been labeled a "dangerous black man" for being honest about racial inequality in America. Rather than ask itself why it has dozens of departments that have NEVER in over 100 years, granted tenure to a black male or female, it is easier for the administration to point their hostility toward me for being the one who brought such a startling fact to their attention.

I understand. Racism makes you do this.

Due to the long history of extreme racism that created the roots of nearly every institution in our society, many Americans today are unaware of just how powerful their racist history is in determining their outlook on nearly every aspect of American society. The outrage Americans had toward Michael Vick is very similar to the rage that Americans felt 100 years ago if a black man was accused of hurting a white woman. Americans felt that because Vick had been deemed a "monster", it was within their rights to take everything from him. The same was true of OJ Simpson. Not to say that these men were perfect,they are clearly flawed. But this notion that "a monster has no rights and therefore should be subject to vigilante justice" is nothing new, and has been historically applied to black men.

I am not surprised when I see the backlash that comes when I speak on issues in this way. Racism trains us as Americans to squash the voices of people of color, even when they are telling the truth.