As America approaches the 40th
anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” some Americans
continue to judge individuals by the color of their skin, not the content of
their character.
Until now, the only criticism of rookie
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has been that he sometimes
plays too hard. In his first year, he
has shown that he would run through a brick wall to get a first down. Teammates laud his work ethic and a disciplined
humility rarely seen among star professional athletes in any era.
ESPN’s “First Take” co-host Rob Parker did
find grounds to criticize, saying:
“We
keep hearing this so it makes me wonder deeper about him. I’ve talked to some
people in Washington, D.C. My question, which is just a straight, honest question,
is he a brother or is he a cornball brother?
He’s not really. OK, he’s black, but he’s not really down with the cause.
. . He’s kind of black, but he’s not really the guy you want to hang out with.
He’s off to something else. We all know
he has a white fiancee. People always talk about how he’s Republican. There’s
no information at all. I’m just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue.”
The issue here would be the racism of
Parker, not the beliefs or choice of fiancée made by Griffin. Parker responded to statements made by Griffin to USA Today. The quarterback said that he did not want to
be defined by skin color, but by his character and accomplishments.
Another respected Washington DC newcomer
has also experienced a slew of racist comments and comparisons. South Carolina governor Nikki Haley yesterday
nominated Representative Tim Scott to replace Jim DeMint, who left the United
States Senate to lead Heritage Foundation.
Scott relied on the Tea
Party, which leftists deride as racist, to defeat the son of former Senator Strom Thurmond in his party
primary. He then went on to win the
general election on promises to hold the line on taxes and fight for reduced
spending. While in the House of Representatives, Scott was a steadfast critic of Obama Administration policies.
Liberal commentators have lined up to
bash the new senator based on his skin color while ignoring the story of a man who succeeded on hard work and character.
BET columnist and former Clinton aide Kevin Boykin remarked that “for a
party that has struggled to connect with Blacks and people of color, the Scott
appointment couldn't come at a better time to create the window dressing of
diversity.” Of course he also mentioned
five or six other prominent black conservatives nominated for office in the
last election.
Indianapolis radio host Amos Brown
posted a tweet very similar to Parker’s inane rant against Griffin, saying, “Gee,
courtesy of S Carolina GOP, the nation gets Tim Scott an ultra-rightwing, Tea
Party devotee US Senator who’s Black only in skin color.”
Radical left wingers believe in
collectivism. In their minds, an
individual stick may snap, but a bundle of sticks tied tightly together in
unbreakable. That is why they consider
it horrifyingly traitorous that a black, a woman, a union member, or anyone
else in groups they consider “theirs” might break ranks and exercise free will.
Conservatives believe that there is
nothing more racist or sexist than the left wing doctrine that only straight
white men can make individually based value choices without being branded a
traitor.
Stephen Smoot is Director of Academic Programs at National Journalism Center, a project of Young America's Foundation
