Black men. Fellas. Brothers. Stop complaining about Ray Rice’s (much deserved and yet woefully insufficient) punishment. Right now. When we are beaten, slain and otherwise persecuted, our sisters, our mothers, and our women stand for us with nearly unilateral, unwavering support. They march for us. They cry out our names and demand justice. They support us in our moments of quiet fear when we shed the bitter tears of self-doubt and fatigue. Why aren’t we doing the same? Stephen A. Smith wasn’t alone in blaming black women for the violence against them. Too many black men are making shameful attempts to explain away the punch that Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice laid on his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer. The caught-on-tape abuse earned Rice an indefinite suspension from the NFL this week. That’s the least he should suffer for knocking a woman unconscious. It’s foolish to watch that video and see it any other way. And yet, black men are complaining about Ray Rice’s punishment and diminishing his actions: “It couldn’t have been that bad. She married him.” It doesn’t matter. “She should know he’s a big man and, if provoked, he’s gonna hit back.” It doesn’t matter. “She hit him first.” It doesn’t matter. “He’s trained to hit. He can’t stop it. It’s a reflex.” That’s absurd and, even if it were true, it doesn’t matter. When you say these kinds of things — when you look for ways to go easy on Ray Rice — you are doing two things: First, you’re telling black women, “Your lives and your sense of safety have less value to me than the recreational sports that I watch ritually.” You’re telling the women who stand for you, cry for you and demand justice for you, “Thanks for all that, but don’t mess with my game.” You damage their feeling of safety with you. You reinforce the perception that they are alone in their struggle. All of that leaves them even more vulnerable in a society that so often leaves them behind...finish article below washingtonpost/posteverything/wp/2014/09/10/black-mens-excuses-for-ray-rice-sound-a-lot-like-the-ones-darren-wilsons-supporters-used-in-ferguson/
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 15:10:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015