{"id":3090,"date":"2014-04-12T23:26:56","date_gmt":"2014-04-13T03:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=3090"},"modified":"2014-04-12T23:26:56","modified_gmt":"2014-04-13T03:26:56","slug":"ethnic-objectivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=3090","title":{"rendered":"ethnic objectivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Unknown\"<\/a>Kobe Bryant, perennial NBA all-star, made news for something far less athletic recently.\u00a0 When asked about fellow pro players\u2019 Twitter activism after Trayvon Martin\u2019s death, posing in hoodies as a protest against racial profiling, Bryant offered the following, even though significant time has passed since Martin\u2019s death:<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t react to something just because I\u2019m supposed to, because I\u2019m an African-American.\u00a0 That argument doesn\u2019t make any sense to me.\u00a0 So we want to advance as a society and as a culture, but, say, if something happens to an African-American, we immediately come to his defense?\u00a0 Yet you want to talk about how far we\u2019ve progressed as a society?\u00a0 Well, if we\u2019ve progressed as a society, then you don\u2019t jump to somebody\u2019s defense just because they\u2019re African-American.\u00a0 You sit and you listen to the facts just like you would in any other situation, right?\u00a0 So I won\u2019t assert myself.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, many immediately lambasted Bryant, especially African-American commentators \u2014 proclaiming Bryant\u2019s \u201cdisingenuous appeal for colorblindness\u201d to suggesting the star was \u201cpromoting Rush Limbaugh’s opening monologue\u201d to one former CNN contributor who questioned whether or not Kobe Bryant actually had \u201ca brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at what Bryant actually said…<\/p>\n

While acknowledging his own ethnicity, he said he cannot nor will not make a judgment solely based on ethnicity.\u00a0 My sense is that Bryant called for each of us to embrace objectivity.\u00a0 He called for us to be color blind.\u00a0 And he called for none of us \u2014 none of us \u2014 even if we share<\/i> his ethnicity \u2014 to base our opposition or support based on the color of our skin.<\/p>\n

Bryant\u2019s critics continued.\u00a0 They called him a \u201ccornball,\u201d \u201cclueless,\u201d and a \u201cjerk.\u201d<\/p>\n

His critics called his names because they disagreed with his opinion.<\/p>\n

Thank God for Stephen A. Smith, the loquacious, outspoken ESPN host, who while he, too, shares Kobe\u2019s ethnicity, sees the bigger picture…<\/p>\n

\u201cKobe Bryant basically has the attitude that justice should be equal, no matter what, in regards to race or gender.\u00a0 And that was his position.\u00a0 All he was trying to say was that, \u2018Excuse me.\u00a0 Let\u2019s listen to the facts first.\u00a0 Let\u2019s make sure we know everything before we jump out and judge accordingly.\u00a0 You can\u2019t sit there and take somebody\u2019s side just because they\u2019re an African American.\u00a0 You can\u2019t turn around and assume that people from other races are ever going to be fair to you if you\u2019re not willing to exercise fairness yourself.\u00a0 Lay back listen to the facts and then accord justice where it should be served.\u2019 I don\u2019t have a problem with that.\u00a0 Me personally, I definitely think he was right on point with that.<\/i><\/p>\n

… Even though the system sometimes is unjust \u2014 it sometimes is unfair \u2014 <\/i>it doesn\u2019t accord us the license to be unfair as well.<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 We have to make sure that if we\u2019re shining a light on issues we\u2019re just as fair-minded as we\u2019re asking other people to be toward us. If we\u2019re not willing to do that, then we don\u2019t have a strong argument.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

No argument, friends, from any of us, is strong or wise if absent of objectivity.\u00a0 We need to learn to discuss and disagree with respect, fair-mindedness, and without instant criticism and judgment.<\/p>\n

Respectfully,<\/p>\n

AR<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kobe Bryant, perennial NBA all-star, made news for something far less athletic recently.\u00a0 When asked about fellow pro players\u2019 Twitter activism after Trayvon Martin\u2019s death, posing in hoodies as a protest against racial profiling, Bryant offered the following, even though significant time has passed since Martin\u2019s death: \u201cI won\u2019t react to something just because I\u2019m … <\/p>\n

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