Yesterday, towards the end of his induction speech Champ Bailey touched on his views about social justice. A repeated theme was his belief that first and foremost he is a BLACK MAN. I'm less than a decade younger than champ bailey. I look like him. For the life of me I could never understand where this ideology came from... How is it helpful to build an identity around your assumptions of other people's perceptions?
Can you not be a strong black man and at the same time a good citizen and human being in general? Why do folks still try to use race as some weird measuring stick? Is there a way that we are supposed to act and believe based on race? Ridiculous.
I see no one else wants to touch this.
It wasn't really framed in way that encouraged discussion.
Fine, I'll share.
(08-04-2019, 09:38 AM)jj82284 Wrote: [ -> ]Yesterday, towards the end of his induction speech Champ Bailey touched on his views about social justice. A repeated theme was his belief that first and foremost he is a BLACK MAN. I'm less than a decade younger than champ bailey. I look like him. For the life of me I could never understand where this ideology came from... How is it helpful to build an identity around your assumptions of other people's perceptions?
It isn't helpful. The problem is people assume a lot about how others see them due to generational stigmas as well as pop culture and the entertainment industry. They don't care to break the mold and think for themselves. This is true for every people group who build their identity based on other people's perception.
(08-04-2019, 05:40 PM)B2hibry Wrote: [ -> ]Can you not be a strong black man and at the same time a good citizen and human being in general? Why do folks still try to use race as some weird measuring stick? Is there a way that we are supposed to act and believe based on race? Ridiculous.
When you are told from the womb how much you are hated due to the color of your skin, then it's sadly reinforced by simple minded racist fools, it becomes a problem. My dad never outright told me he was disappointed that I, his first born, was a girl but I knew that's how he felt by how he acted. It made me feel like I had to prove myself over and over. Same basic concept. The more you're beat down the more you feel you have something to prove.
It might be helpful to have the text of the last part of Bailey's speech for context:
Quote:“My brothers,” Bailey said. “Some of you are athletes; some of you are not athletes. But we are all black men first, something we have more expertise in than any aspect of our lives. I’m a firm believer that if you want to create change, you better start with your friends and your family. So I’m going to start here today. The first thing people see when they look at me is not a Pro Football Hall of Famer or a husband or a father. They see me first as a black man. So on behalf of all the black men that I’ve mentioned tonight, and many of you are out there, you’ve had most of the same experiences I’ve had in my lifetime, we say this to our white friends: When we tell you about our fears, please listen. When we tell you we’re afraid for our kids, please listen. When we tell you there are many challenges we face because of the color of our skin, please listen. And please do not get caught up in how the message is delivered.
“Yes, most of us who are black athletes are black men first. Understand this, the things that make us great on the field — our size and our aggression — are the same things that can get us killed off the field. I believe if we start listening, there’s no telling the progress we can make. All of us are dads, sons, brothers, your friends. We all understand that if we can’t get our friends to listen, then no one will. And to my black brothers, if you do not have anything positive to say about our social challenges, please keep your mouths shut.”
(08-06-2019, 11:14 PM)rollerjag Wrote: [ -> ]It might be helpful to have the text of the last part of Bailey's speech for context:
Quote:“My brothers,” Bailey said. “Some of you are athletes; some of you are not athletes. But we are all black men first, something we have more expertise in than any aspect of our lives. I’m a firm believer that if you want to create change, you better start with your friends and your family. So I’m going to start here today. The first thing people see when they look at me is not a Pro Football Hall of Famer or a husband or a father. They see me first as a black man. So on behalf of all the black men that I’ve mentioned tonight, and many of you are out there, you’ve had most of the same experiences I’ve had in my lifetime, we say this to our white friends: When we tell you about our fears, please listen. When we tell you we’re afraid for our kids, please listen. When we tell you there are many challenges we face because of the color of our skin, please listen. And please do not get caught up in how the message is delivered.
“Yes, most of us who are black athletes are black men first. Understand this, the things that make us great on the field — our size and our aggression — are the same things that can get us killed off the field. I believe if we start listening, there’s no telling the progress we can make. All of us are dads, sons, brothers, your friends. We all understand that if we can’t get our friends to listen, then no one will. And to my black brothers, if you do not have anything positive to say about our social challenges, please keep your mouths shut.”
Thanks for sharing that. And honestly, I don't know about anyone else but when I look at
anyone the first think I notice is sex, color, and approximate age. I mean, that's what you
literally see. Outside of that I don't care. You're a human being just like the rest of us. Your attitude and how you treat others is how I will react to you.
Everything he said was fair and honest. He has solid points. I don't see any reason to be upset nor alarmed by it.
There was a black man arrested for minor trespassing the other day in Galveston. The cops were mounted on horses.
They handcuffed him and tied a rope to his handcuffs and made him walk down the street as they were casually strolling on their horses.
It's embarrassing. And there's no reason for that to be a thing anymore in 2019. So I see exactly where Champ's coming from. It may not ALWAYS be like that. But it does indeed happen.
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(08-07-2019, 05:51 AM)Caldrac Wrote: [ -> ]Everything he said was fair and honest. He has solid points. I don't see any reason to be upset nor alarmed by it.
There was a black man arrested for minor trespassing the other day in Galveston. The cops were mounted on horses.
They handcuffed him and tied a rope to his handcuffs and made him walk down the street as they were casually strolling on their horses.
It's embarrassing. And there's no reason for that to be a thing anymore in 2019. So I see exactly where Champ's coming from. It may not ALWAYS be like that. But it does indeed happen.
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Why is this embarrassing and uncalled for? Mounted police are part of the force in numerous location around the U.S. Might want to stay away from NYC or New Orleans. Is there outrage when a white dude is escorted? Are they supposed to lift him and place him on the back the horse? Are they supposed to park the horses and walk him 4-blocks? You're perpetuating an issue that isn't there. How about instead of optics, we worry about why he keeps breaking the law, why he is homeless, and how to treat his mental illness. I'm sorry, but this is not what Champ was referring to.