“Why, some of you might someday be nominated for Oscars.”
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I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.
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Yeah, this is something he does pretty often - he’s much more of a Clarence Thomas than a Barack Obama. He likes to minimize racism an awful lot for someone who qualifies his opinions with “I’m a black man” as often as he does.
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Jeebus. And quite frankly I think he would argue that even if you are being chained and dragged behind a pickup truck, you shouldn’t complain about it too much. Those white guys driving are just working off a little stress, after all.
This is a stunning statement for even a moron like Smith to make.
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This guy was an aspiring moron when he wrote for the Philly Inquirer.
ESPN, as well as the rest of us, has discovered that nothing’s changed.
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I do not think that word means what he thinks it means.
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Stephen A. annoys the heck out of me, but he is no Clarence Thomas. On his show he is constantly bringing up issues of racism in sports, particularly the issues of how black athletes are treated and perceived differently than white athletes and how there is a lack of African American coaches in sports. He also caused controversy by suggesting Chip Kelly was racist for getting rid of certain African American players while keeping a white player on the team who was caught making racist statements.
I am not sure what his point was here, and it sounds wrong to me, but to put him in the category of Clarence Thomas is also way off base.
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I got this far…
“For three hours each weekday morning, Stephen A. Smith…”
3 hours of braindead stream-of-consciousness EVERY DAY?
I am no longer so mystified by Trump’s appeal.
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I rarely listen to Stephen A., as with most talk show geeks he talks too loud and thinks to little. But in this case he is talking to young black people and he is telling them how they should approach their future. I think most of the comments on this topic have been talk show imitations. His experiences in life are valid and he has the right to tell kids about them. My advice to the thousands of young people regardless of race and nationality that I have dealt with over the years is to work hard, get educated and build a future. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. You are as good as anyone.
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I guess I didn’t word that well. I didn’t mean to say he was like Clarence Thomas, but that he’s more of a respectability politics scold and he manages to be on the wrong side of these kinds of arguments often. He’s made enough statements like this over a period of time that I can’t really ignore it.
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Nothing to see here. This blowhard just likes to hear words come out of his ass…
He definitely falls into being a respectability politics scold at times, but he also calls out true racial unfairness when he sees it. For example, he has been continually calling out the Cowboys’ head coach as a symbol of the unfairness felt by the black community:
“All I’m saying to you is that, what’s another person supposed to do with that? It’s not about my credentials. It’s not about my education. It’s not about what I’ve accomplished. It’s not about what I know. ‘Oh, I’m friends with the owner who’s like a father to me, so I get to keep my job.’ I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but it is rare in America that a black man has that luxury. And that is the problem. Jason Garrett is the walking epitome of the frustration and the disgust and the unfairness and the proverbial glass ceiling that black folks continuously allude to that never come their way. It’s a damn shame that this man is the head coach of this team, considering nothing but his record.”
And that is legitimate. What he is clearly talking about is institutionalized racism. He is not just about pick thyself up and behave better and all will be good.
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Jasper, TX … real close to home for me. But I managed to get away a long time ago.
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i put him right there along thomas. i don’t have the comfort to break down these types into categories, because they both do harm
what he did here is beyond fucked up
Every once in a while, in life, you’ll meet people that will make you wonder:
“Just how in the world did this freaking idiot get to where he is in life? Did no one around him ever realize exactly how amazingly stupid he is? I’ve seen used chewed gum that’s smarter than this freak! How is he even remotely capable of putting his pants on every morning without setting his house on fire?!?”
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It’s just not.
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Stephen A Smith – don’t forget the A – is the demon spawn of Mars Blackmon and a Howard Cosell muppet. Even in the sports world where people discuss barely-important issues with utmost seriousness he and his partner in idiocy Skip Bayless stand out for their ridiculousness. Their shtick is unwatchable, and I say this as a sports fan.
Anyway, ESPN, please fire this turd already.
Racism is alive, well and on steriods in this country since we elected a half black President. I am an older white women, but my married name is very unusual and my maiden name was frequently mistaken for Jewish even though my family was German. I have seen racism my whole life that doesn’t even compare to what African American and hispanics must endure on a daily basis. I only know on a small basis the reactions I have received because of the “other” treatment I have witnessed because of my married name and my maiden name. I do not look ethnic, but the name seemed to be enough for many people. Our country is full of UGLY and ignorant Americans and believe me, children are victims from birth and children become racists taught by thier parents. I probably won’t live long enough, but within the next decades this country will be dominated by nonwhites which I think will be a blessing for all of us.
Your right. I think I was foggy there and should have said “free speech” as a principle, not “first amendment”. Also, that’s how it works. If you are not clear, and you start throwing ill considered words around like I just did at the end of my post, and he did in his speech, expect to get argued with. I’m very happy to live in a society that works like that. His statements don’t seem hateful, he just tried some kind of reductio ad absurdum that really didn’t go very well. You have a good point about voting rights, and he has some good advice about taking care of yourself. I mean, the way Arthur Ashe handled it was: don’t bicker about the racism, just kick everyone’s ass. And he was a pivotal figure in civil rights, a real hero. Maybe we’ve moved on from that. So there could be a generational thing here, or a sports mentality. I don’t see the “offense”. But then again, things are changing on campus. “The right to be protected from statements you disagree with” is being tested right now.
It’s funny reading quotes from Smith. On paper they appear reasonable, but then you say them in your head in his voice and they sound ridiculous. It’s NOT… ABOUT what I’VE… ACCOMPLISHED. Ugggggh.
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