Political correctness is a toughie. Just about everyone thinks there is a place for it in society, but it's hard to agree how big its place should be. Did it just start because some sensitive hippies were learning to resent the views of their close-minded, 'traditional' parents? Or was it a necessary condition for evolving into an all-things-equal utopia?
The former implies cultural Marxism, the latter implies common sense. I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't see any reason for another Red Scare, but I also don't want to relentlessly defend the enforcement of political correctness. Political correctness surely has a place in the world, but in some cases, I wonder how far we take it.
If you happened to catch 'Around the Horn' last week, you might be wondering the same thing. The Air Force Academy's head football coach Fisher DeBerry said in a press conference Tuesday that he thinks his program's inability to recruit black athletes has made the Falcons a worse team because black athletes are faster and his team lacks speed.
DeBerry's comments were included on the show's agenda and the four guests'two white, two black'were asked to say whether the school should take action and fire him, slap him on the wrist or do nothing at all. The discussion played out in depressingly predictable fashion.
The Chicago Tribune's Jay Mariotti'whose surname should tell you a bit about his race'had the dubious honor of speaking first. He said, in so many words, that DeBerry's comments were offensive and he deserved to lose his job and never work again. I think I even heard him utter something about a beheading before Stat Boy made sure he didn't embarrass himself further. The entire time he had a look on his face like, 'Do people know I'm not racist yet? Should I keep going about how outraged I am? Am I good now'?
Thankfully, the Boston Globe's Michael Smith was next to talk. Smith, who is black, wore a grin which only comes from knowing that your race grants you complete freedom of speech in regard to a topic that is only considered a 'topic' because a group that you belong to is supposed to be offended. With his 'get out of public scrutiny free' card in hand, Smith admitted he didn't think DeBerry said anything wrong.
Then he went even further: he said DeBerry was right. And at that very moment, every white guy who was thinking, 'Wait, that's all DeBerry said? No slurs? Just that they're fast? What am I missing'? breathed a sigh of relief. Smith had validated what, at a glance, was nothing more than a seemingly valid generalization. The only fast white people that came to my mind were The Flash and that guy in the beginning of 'Men in Black.' But that doesn't say much. After all, our buddy Flash isn't real, and Will Smith caught the cephalopod/white dude (yes, I had to look that up).
So imagine that. Someone said that black athletes are faster, and nobody knew what to do other than be irate until a black man defended him. Is that what it takes? Can we manage to not'for once'pretend we are offended by such a harmless observation just because we want to make sure nobody gets their feelings hurt? In this case, the derisive comment is ... wait for it ... FAST. How inappropriate.
When was the last time a world-record in sprints was held by a white guy? Don't answer that; all that matters is that you weren't alive. Even Smith pointed out that the positions on the football field which require the most speed in the NFL are occupied almost entirely by black athletes. When I think about fairly recent white cornerbacks and running backs'typically two of the faster positions'all I can come up with is Jason Sehorn and Travis Jervey, and neither of them still plays.
And that's not saying that every black guy is faster than the fastest white guy, but it is saying that the speed required of Division I and professional-level football players is more commonly possessed by black athletes. My (and Smith's) method of quantifying speed and determining who is fast leads me to believe this'nothing more. If more white players occupy speed positions on a successful team I will begin to believe otherwise.
For all I know, there is a secret mine of fast white guys that some miserly fellow owns and operates. Maybe he hoards all of them and forges letters of intent to Brigham Young University. So sure, if he ever has to share the wealth and Johnny Fairskin becomes the greatest cornerback in NFL history I'll stand corrected.
Until then, Flash, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
