Wednesday, March 31, 2004
I have been listening to some commentary about what the Athletic Director at Notre Dame said concerning black athletes and academic standards. One commentator on the radio today said that he should have said that good student athletes, regardless of race, are being kept out of Notre Dame and that the AD goofed when he mentioned race at all. I see the gentleman's point, but the AD was simply addressing what has been obvious for some time: in sports like football, blacks are better physically than most whites. GENERALLY, they have more muscle mass, denser bone structure and other physical features that allow them to excel at sports like basketball and football.
One nationally syndicated talk show host has said that the AD was being bigoted and racist when he made his remarks and said that the AD was saying that blacks are dumb and thus they need to have the rules bent to allow them to play at Notre Dame. The problem with this take is that it's wrong as well in that the AD wasn't being racist with his comments. The AD DIDN'T say that blacks were mental midgets compared to whites and thus were inferior. What the AD DID say was that too many blacks were failing to pass muster at Notre Dame and thus, they needed to have the rules bent, if not broken, for them in order for them to play athletic sports at the school.
What these commentaries all miss are two points that are taboo to talk about.
1. The differences between the races is real. Try telling any social science professor in academia today that there are real and genetic differences between blacks, whites and asians and you just might laughed at or lectured about how the "differences" are really social constructs that oppressive societies place on minorities to justify the status quo. The fact is that there are slight, but noticeable differences in the mental and physical capabilities of the races generally speaking. People shouldn't be afraid to point out those differences because the differences are real and true. Where people have gone wrong in the past is to conclude that because there are differences, one race MUST be superior to another generally. That is the old definition of racism and it has rightly been condemned; but having said that, the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater and simply noting differences has become off limits especially in our elite cultural circles.
There is nothing wrong with saying that blacks are generally more gifted physically to play football than whites. That statement is true but where blacks have been failed and still fail is some measures of mental and scholastic ability. That is the other taboo area that the Notre Dame AD hit in regard to race and admissions to his school.
2. The AD let the cat out of the bag concerning affirmative action. I'm glad the AD said what he did concerning black athletes, because he laid bare for the whole world the thought process that contemporary liberals and racial hustlers have concerning affirmative action. I haven't seen any blacks comment on the AD's remarks yet, but I have to imagine that a lot of blacks have to be pretty hacked off right about now. I think the anger will be misdirected toward the AD, but the anger is justified. The anger SHOULD be directed at the lousy public school systems that treat black kids more like dumb sheep and hostages than human beings. Many public schools get so dialed in on teaching things other than academic excellence that it's no wonder they fail to get into Notre Dame or Standford or other elite schools.
Anger, minority anger in particular, should be directed at the administrators and defenders of affirmative action programs. The Notre Dame AD simply revealed the attitude that many of these people have toward minorities. They think that America is so racist and corrupt that the only way minorities can succeed is to have the standards lowered in their favor so they can gain an "opportunity" they might not have had otherwise. This has been one of the main charges conservatives have leveled against affirmative action programs in recent years and it would be refreshing for some liberals to denounce these programs for what they are: reverse racism.
What has people in a tizzy is the assertion that there are real differences between the races and that this guy let the cat out of the bag. Unfortunately these points will probably be missed by the media at large and we will see the AD self flagellate before the intelligentsia of this country and Notre Dame will roll over like a dead corpse and bend over backwards to not only find black athletes to let them in, but may turn up some athletes with rap sheets to go with. The intelligentsia is in denial and they must be forced to face the consequences of their own actions and beliefs.
One nationally syndicated talk show host has said that the AD was being bigoted and racist when he made his remarks and said that the AD was saying that blacks are dumb and thus they need to have the rules bent to allow them to play at Notre Dame. The problem with this take is that it's wrong as well in that the AD wasn't being racist with his comments. The AD DIDN'T say that blacks were mental midgets compared to whites and thus were inferior. What the AD DID say was that too many blacks were failing to pass muster at Notre Dame and thus, they needed to have the rules bent, if not broken, for them in order for them to play athletic sports at the school.
What these commentaries all miss are two points that are taboo to talk about.
1. The differences between the races is real. Try telling any social science professor in academia today that there are real and genetic differences between blacks, whites and asians and you just might laughed at or lectured about how the "differences" are really social constructs that oppressive societies place on minorities to justify the status quo. The fact is that there are slight, but noticeable differences in the mental and physical capabilities of the races generally speaking. People shouldn't be afraid to point out those differences because the differences are real and true. Where people have gone wrong in the past is to conclude that because there are differences, one race MUST be superior to another generally. That is the old definition of racism and it has rightly been condemned; but having said that, the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater and simply noting differences has become off limits especially in our elite cultural circles.
There is nothing wrong with saying that blacks are generally more gifted physically to play football than whites. That statement is true but where blacks have been failed and still fail is some measures of mental and scholastic ability. That is the other taboo area that the Notre Dame AD hit in regard to race and admissions to his school.
2. The AD let the cat out of the bag concerning affirmative action. I'm glad the AD said what he did concerning black athletes, because he laid bare for the whole world the thought process that contemporary liberals and racial hustlers have concerning affirmative action. I haven't seen any blacks comment on the AD's remarks yet, but I have to imagine that a lot of blacks have to be pretty hacked off right about now. I think the anger will be misdirected toward the AD, but the anger is justified. The anger SHOULD be directed at the lousy public school systems that treat black kids more like dumb sheep and hostages than human beings. Many public schools get so dialed in on teaching things other than academic excellence that it's no wonder they fail to get into Notre Dame or Standford or other elite schools.
Anger, minority anger in particular, should be directed at the administrators and defenders of affirmative action programs. The Notre Dame AD simply revealed the attitude that many of these people have toward minorities. They think that America is so racist and corrupt that the only way minorities can succeed is to have the standards lowered in their favor so they can gain an "opportunity" they might not have had otherwise. This has been one of the main charges conservatives have leveled against affirmative action programs in recent years and it would be refreshing for some liberals to denounce these programs for what they are: reverse racism.
What has people in a tizzy is the assertion that there are real differences between the races and that this guy let the cat out of the bag. Unfortunately these points will probably be missed by the media at large and we will see the AD self flagellate before the intelligentsia of this country and Notre Dame will roll over like a dead corpse and bend over backwards to not only find black athletes to let them in, but may turn up some athletes with rap sheets to go with. The intelligentsia is in denial and they must be forced to face the consequences of their own actions and beliefs.
Introduction
A Little About Me...
My name is Stephen Goldsworth. I was born and reared in Colorado until I was sixteen, then I moved to the thriving metropolis of Cincinnati, OH in 1991 with my family. I am the middle son of three boys with a wonderful wife and daughter of my own. I hope to demonstrate my personality and beliefs as this blog unfolds over time.
How About Some Commentary?...
Well, I came across a story from the AP Newswire about what Pope John Paul II had to say about the Sabbath and sports and recreation. You can click on the story at: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040326/od_nm/pope_sport_dc
My name is Stephen Goldsworth. I was born and reared in Colorado until I was sixteen, then I moved to the thriving metropolis of Cincinnati, OH in 1991 with my family. I am the middle son of three boys with a wonderful wife and daughter of my own. I hope to demonstrate my personality and beliefs as this blog unfolds over time.
How About Some Commentary?...
Well, I came across a story from the AP Newswire about what Pope John Paul II had to say about the Sabbath and sports and recreation. You can click on the story at: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040326/od_nm/pope_sport_dc
Monday, March 29, 2004
The Duke Blue Devils beat the Xavier Musketeers 66-63 to advance to the Final Four. Being a transplant to Cincinnati, it took me a little while to get into Xavier's rivalry with the University of Cincinnati in the annual "Crosstown Shootout". I had the Muskies written off from even making it into the NCAA tournament until they turned it around with a HUGE win over UC and winning most of their games after that.
Hats off to Xavier for going farther than my beloved UK Wildcats and hats off to Duke for simply having enough man power to outlast Xavier to get to this point in the tournament.
Hats off to Xavier for going farther than my beloved UK Wildcats and hats off to Duke for simply having enough man power to outlast Xavier to get to this point in the tournament.
