As a newspaper writer, I use what little influence I have to advocate for the rights of Hispanics—but I never make excuses when prominent Latinos fall short of the mark.In fact, I expect all Hispanics in the public spotlight to be good role models, and I openly chastise any Chicano convicted of wrongdoing.
Unfortunately, the same mindset doesn't exist in the African American community, where the defensiveness begins the minute a black celebrity gets into trouble:
Mike Tyson is not a convicted rapist; he was set up.
Michael Jackson is not a child molester; he loves all the children of the world.
O.J. Simpson is not a murderer; didn't a court find him "not guilty"?
Michael Vick didn't do anything wrong; all the brothers in the hood are into dogfighting.
African Americans not only condone criminal behavior from their stars—they also condone coarse and vulgar behavior from regular black folks.
Hardly anyone bats an eye, for example, when one black person greets a comrade with "nigga" as a term of endearment.
And now we have New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas trying to justify his use of the word "bitch" to refer to a former female Knicks executive—who's seeking $10 million in damages for being fired after accusing Thomas of harassment.
This from the Associated Press:
"To New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, hearing a white man refer to a black woman using a certain vulgar term would be 'highly offensive.' But he said he wouldn't be so offended if he heard a black man use the same term to refer to a black woman.
'I do make a distinction,' Thomas said in a videotaped deposition played for a jury Monday in his sexual harassment trial."
Why hasn't any prominent African American condemned Isiah's misogyny and stupidity? Why the deafening silence when a black man makes a patently ridiculous and extremely offensive statement?
Many whites, especially those who live in ethnically homogenous states, have very little daily interaction with blacks. They mold their opinions of African Americans by observing the behavior of famous black musicians and athletes.
Isiah Thomas is doing incalculable harm to his own race. It behooves responsible people of color to condemn him in no uncertain terms.
14 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Anonymous about 1 year ago
Roberto, Usted tiene toda la razon. Ellos tienen que dejar de hacer escusas por el mal comportamiento si quieren superarse. Parece que prefieren crear escusas.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Is your name robert or roberto? I think it is clear you are willing change your name or write anything that brings you closer to white people to avoid deportation. Your sad, write about the 8 out of 10 hispanics on the FBI most wanted list.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
To the first anonymous, frankly, I don't understand a word of Spanish, so I'm having to rely on Babelfish. It's embarrassing, but I'm neither too proud nor too stupid to admit my inability to speak or read another language. Most of the Latin I learned in high school... well, that was over a decade ago, and I might remember a few ugly words from it, though I doubt I even remember that much.
If I understood you correctly using Babelfish, I wouldn't say that you're correct about all African-Americans, but there's certainly that element, just as there's an element of Caucasians who will defend David Duke. A racist, misogynistic idiot is a racist, misogynistic idiot, and if a community doesn't clean up their own, their community will not get cleaned up.
To the second Anonymous, I'm just wondering where your white sheets and goblin hood are, you racist piece of filth. Is your name Michael Richards or George Wallace? You are simply an idiot.
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Trey Bradley about 1 year ago
Robert - I understand where you're coming from with this. But I'd like to think that Zeke and his indefensible beliefs are in no way a reflection on blacks and theirs.
Certainly, he's not alone in his "distinction."
However, Isiah's words/actions shouldn't harm the reputation of the black community in any way. If they do, that's on us for believing that he represents blacks any more than Vick, OJ, Tyson, or Jacko.
It's a shame that blacks are continually called upon to distinguish themselves from the miscreants with whom they share a skin color.
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Zander Freund about 1 year ago
Bingo.
Why do black celebrities automatically have the responsibility of "representing their race?" Why do blacks need to stand up and apologize to the country for what a few jerks that happen to share their skin color did?
No white celebrity feels the need to project a "positive image" of the white community in America. No white person would feel inclined to stand up and apologize for the actions of a celebrity on account of the white race. Why then should blacks be held to this standard?
No person in America black, white, or latino should ever be held accountable for the actions of another simply because they share the same skin color. If this is indeed the expectation, we have a long ways to go before we can truly live in a color blind society.
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Tiguhs OnDaBayou about 1 year ago
wow, talk about a lot of sweeping generalizations. Should famous white males condemn the evil actions of other white males in a public setting? It's peculiar that you think its up to the "Black Leaders" to step forward and condemn every grossly negative action of other (and especially famous) blacks. Why not let people be people... individuals that don't have to broach their opinion on the latest soap opera in mainstream media infotainment.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Roberto, usted hizo lo correcto en escribir este articulo. Es una broma que ellos tienen que defender a los suyos a pesar de la evidencia en su contra. Son los mejores en crear escusas por mal comportamiento. Por eso se encuentran donde estan.
gracias.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Robert,
When it comes to true equality, blacks at this point aren't willing to take responsibility to criticize their own. For some reason they just feel by doing that it makes us all look bad.
Our leaders are more interested in trying to fight the whites than work with them. I'm tired of the double standard and embarrassed by my own people. We need better leadership than what we have.
Isiah Thomas made a mistake and he should pay for it, just like other people who done similar things.
Gracias
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S B about 1 year ago
I tire of some White and now Latinos judging our reaction to those in our community in a stereotypical judgemental and wrong fashion. As a Black woman no man has a right to speak to me in a vulgar manner.
Mr. Robert doesn't have a right to blatantly accuse my community of not condeming ill behavior among my people either.
Latinos have their own flaws, work those out.
I am sure if you attend to your own criminals that you aren't condemming, you will have less time to put your nose in our affairs and then lie and say how we support criminals. That is very racist of you.
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Zander Freund about 1 year ago
I agree with you (obviously) that no man has a right to speak to you in a vulgar manner.
That being said: in the rest of your post, I feel you are being somewhat hypocritical. Why is it OK for you to tell Robert that he should condemn the behavior of certain people in his community, but that he has no right to ask the same of you?
Ultimately (as I said before) I don't think you are responsible for the actions of certain people in the black community just because you are a black woman. Likewise, I don't think Robert is responsible for the actions of certain people in the latino community just because he is of hispanic descent.
In my world, you two are responsible for yourselves and perhaps your families. And O.J., Michael Jackson, and Michael Vick are responsible for themselves as well. Nothing more, nothing less.
One final thought: the white, hispanic, and black communities in America each have problems that need a fixing and there is seemingly no good reason why only people who belong to those communities are responsible for solving these problems!
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Sandra Montgomery about 1 year ago
Robert,
Being an Educated African American Female, I do agree with what you are saying in most respects. No one exspecially not African American Men should talk bad about others. They not only offend others but they fail to realize that they offend their mothers, sisters, and daughters. African Americans males suffer from a sterotypical syndrome which makes most of them degrade others and think that they should be exempt from punishment. They feel that since so much negativity is drawn to them that it is alright for them to display their negitive thoughts. It is looked at by some African American as a defense mechanism. It usually stems from pain.
Nevertheless, you fail to realize that even though you say you dont look the other ways when Latinos do things, other Latinos do. Remember they group Blacks & Latinos together. Historically a lot of Latinos were a part of the slave trade and have African blood in them as well. The successful Latinos in America seperate themselves from the negative and illegal ones. So they dont condemn them, they are not even acknowlegded. Some Blacks dont say much but we do that very same thing. A silence response shows our disappointment. We are usually vocal people. We look the other way at our own sometimes but even if its not good enough for you we deal with them.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Mr. Reyes you are a racist. Your comments are overly broad generalizations wherein you paint the African American race with one broad brush stroke. We live in such a sad world. I don't think we'll ever see an end to racism in this country--especially that which is directed towards blacks. How sad!
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Sandra Montgomery about 1 year ago
From reading all of the comments, I see that their are a lot of black people like myself who are tired of people like Reyes and there racist sterotypical comments. Was there an APOLOGY from the Latino community for the death of 3 college students and the 1 survivor that were shot in cold blood by an Illegal immigrant in Jersey. What about the Latino gangs that shoot or rape Black Women for initiation purposes. What about the Latino's in California who kill Blacks if the cross an imaginary line, a teen age girls was killed last year. What about the Latino Baseball player who lied about his steroid use on the record. What about Elvira Arellano the illegal immigrant that calls herself and civil rights activist and wasnt even a citzen. She had been deported three times. What about the Latino Politcal figure that was just forced to resign.
Why do people of other ethnic groups think if they agree with the views of white people that they will be excepted. The Latino population are the one that really need to be seen and not heard. With all the debates about Illegal Immigrants. "RACIST WHITE PEOPLE" hate Latinos just as much and in some cases more than they hate Black people. Havent they heard that the KKK membership has risen because of them. Just like they feel that feel Blacks are a threat, they feel that Latinos are more of a threat because some of them are mixed with black, from another country, and speak another language. At least Blacks already here are American. In most cases they view Blacks and Hispanics equally (NEGATIVELY).
So Black People dont worry about people like Reyes hes just trying to take the focus off of the Latinos
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
You are all incredibly ignorant people, and an embarassment not only to your individual races but to the human race in general.
As a human being I have full authority to condemn any person on ethical or moral grounds, so long as I have adequate evidence and cause to do so. My ethnicity has no bearing on my right as a human being to say that, no matter your race, using derrogatory language towards someone else is immature and reflects your lack of intelligence.
Notice that I do not say it is ethically wrong. Let us reserve that word for true crimes, for actions that cause real harm. Words have the power we permit them to have. Call me a b---- as much as you like; you only reveal your own idiocy. I remain fine.
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