Racists are the real "thugs"

When the Seahawks beat the 49ers and secured their place in the Super Bowl line-up, cornerback Richard Sherman made headlines during an on-field post-game interview with Erin Andrews when he hollered into the camera.

According to social media, television and radio, Sherman “acted like a thug.”
It’s important to note that Sherman is black.

And it is the perfect example of how we need to always be wary of the mainstream media.

He was asked later about his behavior during an interview on ESPN. Not surprisingly, he said that he was excited — and for all intents and purposes called the reporters out on their racist implications of his background and demeanor.

Yes, Sherman is huge, as are most football players. He stands a head taller than Andrews, his biceps are covered in tattoos and he has dreadlocks.

Out of context, someone could assume he was from the streets, mean and a brute.
But Sherman is a Stanford-educated man from Compton who has had an extremely successful career in the NFL. Now, he’s famous for “being unruly” after a game.

We don’t want to say it’s racist, but we’re going to say it’s racist.

It’s ridiculous that even after all the progress we’ve made, Americans are still scared of a black man acting “uppity,” as one reporter put it, with all the backwards implications therein.

He’d just won a ticket to the Superbowl. He’s allowed to be excited about it.

And, as Jon Stewart said, there are bigger fish to fry.

The same news outlets that accused Sherman of violence spun around and called Rob Ford, the controversial mayor of Toronto who is currently under investigation, the man we all love.

We don’t love Rob Ford. He’s accused of violent felonies, mismanagement and cover ups.

But because he’s a white mayor who makes tongue-in-cheek statements about his sex life and his position in politics, he is allowed a pass.

Meanwhile, the black football player who intelligently defended himself and apologized for any inappropriate behavior is burned at the stake.

We can argue back and forth all day about semantics and motivations, but at the end of the day one thing does not change — Sherman is black, and that was the thing the media could not get past.

The irresponsibility is appalling. The implied racism, and acceptance of racism, is more so.

We must always be wary of what the media says and how it portrays people.
It’s a shame, but it’s true.

­— opinion@idsnews.com
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