Olivia Cole wonders what it takes for a black man to be regarded as human in America.
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Today I’m wondering what it takes for a black man to be regarded as human in America.
Today Richard Sherman is being lambasted for his animated post-game interview in which he dared to express emotion outside of the cubic centimeter men of color are allotted. A cornerback in one of the most physically demanding sports in the country—after a game in which bodies were injured and crushed; after a game that required players to be helped off the field—wins a critical game and has a microphone stuck in his face. He says what he says, and suddenly the nation is clutching its pearls, tutting and making pretend-concerned remarks about sportsmanship and graciousness. Today, Tom Brady criticizes Richard Sherman for his lack of “graciousness.” Today, Richard Sherman is being called a thug, and I’m wondering what that word really means.
Does it mean foul-mouthed? After all, Tom Brady was never called a thug. Not when he got in the ref’s face when losing to the Panthers and dropped the F-bomb on national television just two months ago. What about Richie Incognito, when he called Jonathan Martin the n-word on his voicemail? That’s a foul word, isn’t it? I didn’t hear Incognito referred to as a thug either. Or does “thug” mean violent? I’m not sure. Because, despite his animation, Sherman didn’t use a single curse word. He didn’t threaten anyone’s safety or injure anyone.
White supremacist culture dictates who and who does not get to be human. In order for people of color to receive a Human Card, they must assimilate: they must not use slang. They must be quiet. They must not wear hoodies. They must not curse. They must be gracious at all times. They must enunciate. They must not talk about racism. They must not listen to rap music. They must not sag. They must not brag.
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The truth is, I only ever hear “thug” applied to black people. And not just adult men. A black toddler made news recently when Omaha police posted a video on their website of the child cursing and holding up his middle finger. The child was described as a thug by Omaha police, who insisted they only shared the video to show “the cycle of thuggery.” The video was posted without the knowledge or consent of the child’s mother.
Another example comes to mind. A teenager walking home from the store after buying Skittles and tea, who was then stalked and murdered by a wannabe cop. A murderer whose main line of defense was that the victim “looked like a thug.” A seventeen-year old boy with his hood up—it was raining—looked like a “thug,” and so his life was ended.
So I’m wondering what “thug” really means.
White supremacist culture dictates who and who does not get to be human. In order for people of color to receive a Human Card, they must assimilate: they must not use slang. They must be quiet. They must not wear hoodies. They must not curse. They must be gracious at all times. They must enunciate. They must not talk about racism. They must not listen to rap music. They must not sag. They must not brag. They must not laugh in public. They must not take up more than one seat on the bus. They must not ever ask for more. In short, you must be perfect. Robotic. Even if you are a professional athlete who performs for millions of Americans, playing a game in which aggression, testosterone, and energy are rewarded (demanded)…you must be quiet, gracious, calm, unassuming. Unscary. To be black and also be regarded as human, you must never make a mistake in your entire life, ever—ever—or you are a thug. Ghetto. Other. Your Human Card is denied.
Richard Sherman was Salutatorian: second in his class in high school. Richard Sherman went to Stanford. Richard Sherman launched a charity organization called Blanket Coverage to help children in need receive school supplies and clothing. Richard Sherman makes more money than anyone I know. But with all the reaction, both on Twitter and on television, to Richard Sherman’s interview, I’m forced to call upon Kanye West’s famous lyric:
Even if you in a Benz, you still a n*gga in a coupe.
I think that’s what the word “thug” really means. The n-word, arguably the most dehumanizing word in history, has been decried. It is considered inappropriate to speak it in public, and while that doesn’t stop everyone, hate will find a way. “Thug” is that way. Lately, it is a word used when we want to revoke humanity. Trayvon Martin, murdered only a few blocks from his home, was called a thug during his murderer’s trial. The jury needed to be convinced that this boy’s humanity could not possibly exist if he was “a thug.” Police put a toddler’s “thuggery” on display as if to say, “This is why we police them.” And now Richard Sherman, an athlete wealthier than most of us can possibly imagine, dares to step outside the box that a racist culture demands he live inside…and he’s a thug too.
Despite the power of whiteness, as we live in a culture that still very much worships it, whiteness is fragile. In order for white supremacy to function, it requires people of color to adopt the characteristics mentioned above. Silence. Subservience. Graciousness. So when Richard Sherman’s “graciousness” is criticized, it’s more than his status as an athlete that’s being attacked: it’s his blackness. When the media (or the typical spineless, anonymous Twitter-user) calls him a “thug,” they are denying him his humanity. You can look like Richard Sherman and be in the public eye, this logic goes, as long as you stay within the lines white supremacy has drawn for you.
Today I’m wondering what it takes for a black man to be regarded as human. I still don’t know. By these rules, to be black in America and also be seen as human, you must be a robot. Emotionless. Expressionless. In order to be black and be regarded as human in America, you must shed all the things that make you human to begin with. Personality. Flaws. History. Anger. To be black and human in America you must be nothing. And that’s where I stop wondering and start to get angry.
Originally appeared on Olivia A. Cole’s blog
Photo: Flickr/ Derek Mindler
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In 2014, America should discontinue using “black” and “white” to describe people. I dare you to be humanistic and creative when describing people. If someone has called you “black” in the past, take a black piece of paper and put it on your skin. Are you black? To people who have been called white, take a piece of white paper and put it next to your skin. Are you really white?
Some people will take this color thing to their graves, but the rest of us don’t have to. It’s a choice. Make the right one.
There are plenty of racists out there who will criticize Sherman for his “thuggish” and unsportsmanlike behavior after the game. Likewise there are plenty of racists out there who will vilify his critics. Both groups are taking an extremist view of what is simply bad behavior. Two wrongs don’t make a right, and Injecting Racism into the debate is WRONG on all levels.
The norms of civil society and appropriate interaction provide guidelines for reasonable adult behavior. These aren’t “white supremacist” rules. They apply to everyone. Do unto others….remember?
I guess when John McEnroe threw water on the fans; cursed the refs; kicked the chairs and snapped his towel at the water boy after a call he didn’t agree with showed he was the epitome of a class. Spoiled they said, emotional they said, he will calm down soon they said but certainly never called him a thug or an animal. I guess the hockey coach who tried to force his way into the other teams locker room was just a gentleman who could be fined, but certainly never a thug. And I guess that death threats and racist… Read more »
Thank you! I predict few will respond to this excellent response.
No one used the word “thug” 30 years ago- it wasn’t in common usage. No one had twitter. very few people had email addresses. there is no way for similar social media storm to exist!
McEnroe was an asshole of the worst order- far worse than Sherman.
“When a man gives his opinion, he’s a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she’s a bitch.” ― Bette Davis Let’s flip that quote: “When a white man acts out, he’s being in the moment. When a black man goes over the top, he’s a n**ger.” Or at least that’s what we saw on Twitter regarding Richard Sherman. Muhammad Ali trash talked and so did John McEnroe (he had temper tantrums, too). McEnroe was tolerated, never vilified. This, naysayers, is called a double standard. The scales are already tipped and field isn’t level. The number of times that black… Read more »
You must have missed the entire multi-year Jeremy Shockey debacle…or the Ritchie Incognito one- here’s a blast from the past- how about Mark Gastineau’s ridiculous antics? Just because you say it doesnt make it true.
Sherman is a classic pro sports character- he’s the smack talking instigator, the show man whose fans LOVE him and whose opponents fans love to hate him.
I swear- its like most of the people on here just started watching sports!
Thug is absolutely the new N-Word for many people. I determined that during the coverage of the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Now, I am sure that those people who are replacing their n-word use with thug will see that we are realizing this and then use the word to describe white kids who they would typically call punks or some other name. But I think a lot of people have realized that thug is the new n-word for a while now.
heaven forbid anyone of non-‘color’ should say “what an asshole”…eh?
can you come up with a new ‘word’ so that I can let my white and latino ‘thug’ brothers know that…they’re not really ‘thugs’, and that they graciously have a new, trackable, statistical demographic? that somehow, someway, we’ll find a means to defend their bad behavior, and we’ll make it perfectly acceptable, even?!?
hell, I’ll even write a whole blog for my Sociology 101 paper that’s due on Monday
I have some papers I’m faxing you to sign, before we proceed
The music listened to by many Black & white teenage boys use the N word like its just another word & being a thug is a badge of honour to many of the most famous rappers like Tupac,Biggy ,Snoop & Jayz Its all about role models & if young black men want to be respected they need to look to men who epitomise respect & hard work not men who talk about about shooting, taking and selling drugs & fuc*ing ho’s. Maybe instead of Blaming Crackers they should look closer to home. Men like MLK & many others fought for… Read more »
Absolutely agree
Why do people like this always bring this argument to a false premis? People are outraged at Sherman because of HIS ACTIONS! Most don’t give a damn what color he is but instead of say yes his actions were stupid and childish they ALWAYS reach for everyone is racist. That argument is crap in this day and age when studies show that in 10 years 40% of the population will have some persuasion of interracial child. People need to quit running to the racisiam card and look at the actions and be intellectually honest and say what he did was… Read more »
Just my two cents, but I caught the 55 second clip of Mr. Sherman’s response to the reporter (I know nothing of football, or sports in general). If people are calling him a ‘thug’ because of the nature of his comments, they seriously need to reconsider why they did so. From my limited and uninformed perspective, his response was SUBDUED, yet enthusiastic; controlled, yet excited; intense without being alienating; pretty much what I’d expect from any professional athlete in a similar situation. Just my two cents, but thuggery involves criminal behavior; behavior that is harmful to others (very broad generalization).… Read more »
He didn’t just rant in the interview. He taunted Crabtree and then did the “choke” sign to the 49’ers…he followed that all up with the ridiculous post game interview. There was NOTHING subdued about it.
If he was white, I would have thought he was an asshole. He was black, and I though he was an asshole. The armchair sociologists crawling from the woodwork to let me know I’m a racist for thinking Sherman is/was an asshole are all assholes, too.
I’d love the author to wrap their head around the hate for John Stockton. Or if you want to talk current NFL- how about Carson Palmer or Jeremy Shockey or Tony Romo! The entire armchair sociologist stuff would crash and burn. I’m not holding my breath though.
He’s not thug. He’s an overachieving putz.
Go ahead and Google the three words Ritchie Incognito Thug. You’ll get page after page after page of results. He was most definitely called a thug and emblematic of the “thug” culture of the NFL- over and over and over. As far as Richard Sherman? He’s not a thug. He’s an asshole to the casual fan but those Seahawk fans LOVE him. He’s the kind of guy you love if he’s one of yours just like Deon, Steve Smith, Jim McMahon, John Rocker, Larry Bird etc…. Tom Brady criticized him because Tom’s got sour grapes; he’s being a big baby.… Read more »
I agree this was not a thug move. This was purely unsportsmanlike like in the heat of emotion.
I don’t condone what Richard did. It was a classes move that allowed me to teach my son what is not acceptable in my house (yes as the head of the family it is my house to lead).
In case anyone missed it we are all human and prone to mistakes. That goes for Richard as well as the people who regard him as a thug.
And the only point to columns like this is to cause more ignorance.. Your just trying to justify the ridiculous actions of an individual that supposedly is educated. To say the n word is the worst word in history is fairly presumptuous considering the worst racism ever belongs to the Jewish people who have been killed by the millions and enslaved for thousands of years. You and Mr Sherman should have some class and act like you’ve been here before.
Sadly, this is not the first time Sherman has acted this way. You cannot blame his rant on the “excitement of the game” when he has done other interviews where he has been just as disrespectful and it WASN’T after an exciting game. I’ve personally heard people call white men who act the same way a “thug” so I feel this article is a bunch of bologna just trying to fuel the fire. Whether Sherman is black, white, green, pink – who cares; his actions lacked class, self control and was arguably the worst unsportsmanlike conduct I have seen this… Read more »
Whatever Joe!
The worst unsportsmanlike move I have ever seen was George Brett charging out of the dugout and yelling at the umpire over him using a corked bat.
Next was Randy Moss simulating pulling his pants down and mooning Packer fans at Lambo field in Green Bay.
Yes Tom Brady chasing a ref down the tunnel is the same thing. If you calll what Sherman did poor sportsmanship then it equates to the same thing as Brady. you can’t have it both ways.
The problem is that they do want it both ways.
This wasn’t about race. It’s about a man who showed no professionalism. He is a professional. He is a role model. He is the epitome of what one can be in a sport. He is not held to the same standards as a normal person because of his role, regardless of his color. If he didn’t want criticism he should start acting like a man instead of a child. Oh, wait, is he black? I didn’t even notice. Nor do I see how that excuses his behavior.
Did you forget the part where he tried to congratulate Crabtree on a good game and got a hand to the face? Oh wait, no, that wasn’t a childish move at all. You’re right.
Clearly, 2014 America is still threatened by the angry Black man. Self control after one of the most emotional games imaginable, in one of the most violent organized activities in society? smh
Michael,
White males are threatened by Black men, period. We don’t have to be angry.
Now this is just funny….
As a black man, I would ask Ms. Cole to please stop lowering the bar for the rest of us. I would like to see us expect a lot more of ourselves. If you want to be treated as a full human being, you could start by exercising self-control. That’s part of being a professional and an adult. You don’t get an exception just because you’re black or you’re excited.
I think the young man from Stanford with a communications major with a 3.9 GPA graduating with honors. Coming from a high school in Compton, LA with a 4.1 GPA that came from a good household. Whose own father used to be a gangbanger himself. I think he turned out pretty good. I think a guy who does community service and works and studies hard behind the scenes as we all want from the black people in our community is a good thing. I don’t think an exception here needs to be made. IF anything, Richard Sherman is setting the… Read more »
Why don’t the White males show some self control on Wall Street and corporate America?
White males on Wall Street are not in the public eye, on TV, doing interviews. Your point is irrelevant.
@Joe.
Sure they are in the public eye. They testify before Congress, appear on TV including CNBC, Bloomberg, and other forums. Jaime Diamond (CEO of JP Morgan) is very well known.
So, you’re wrong Joe!!!
I would love to see Jamie Diamond square off with a rival CEO with a ton of profanity etc… Unfortunately it aint happening.
If you think guys like Jamie Diamond have been escaping criticism though…I don’t know what to tell you.
I think you’re missing the point. No one is saying that criticizing Richard Sherman’s behavior in and of itself is racist. However, saying that a man behaved like a bad sportsman and a jerk is NOT the same as calling him a thug (or animal or any of the other thinly veiled insults). What was thuggish about what he did? He did not curse, he did not threaten anyone, he did not physically harm anyone. He talked trash about a specific player in a loud voice. So why is behavior that is not thuggish labeled as such when this man… Read more »
How many average blog trolls are watching Congress on CNBC? Not many.
Tom Brady dropped an F-bomb. He didn’t drop disrespect on an opponent like Sherman did on Crabtree. You might also have mentioned that Sherman once chased Brady down the tunnel after a WIN and berated him. There’s only one thing worse than a sore loser. It’s Richard Sherman, the sore winner. I could care less what color he is. Jerk transcends race.
I saw a guy act like a jackass after making a great play. It didn’t even occur to me it was about his race until people start writing pieces like this where they want to make it about race.
Well said…
You probably weren’t on Twitter or Facebook, then!
Look man, you may not have thought about his race. If you call him a jerk, that’s different than calling him a thug. and that’s why race was brought in. Because on other issues as the article brought up, we simply referred to the fact that the people were jerks. not thugs, not classless. If you curse out a referee, is that a sign of class? I applaud you for not thinking of race. and its fine to say that its a classless act but its not the act we are talking about anymore its the response to the act… Read more »
Why don’t you White guys focus on how to get your women to screw you? Sherman is a 25 yr old Stanford guy who is making millions. Its called sports. Its entertaining. Yes, he could have been more humble and gracious about it. But, can’t the jackasses on Wall Street be show more kindness, graciousness, and humility. Our President does not even get the respect from White men he is due as POTUS. Rob, you need to focus on the big picture. Go bitch about the White males on Wall Street! Seems like you can’t see the trees for the… Read more »