Racists coming out of the closet:
Whites only basketball league
‘Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch?’ — Don “Moose” Lewis, All-American Basketball Alliance
By Ted McLaughlin / The Rag Blog / January 21, 2010
When Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, there were many people (including myself) who thought it might herald a new era of better race relations in this country. Maybe it will, but it has also had another effect. It has caused many racists to crawl out from under their rocks and once again make their slimy presence known.
In the last few years it had become socially unacceptable to be openly racist. The racists were still there (although fewer in number) but they kept it to themselves and the few like-minded friends they had. Even racist organizations like the KKK were having trouble attracting new members.
But President Obama’s election changed that. Perhaps fearing their racist beliefs were not just out of vogue but disappearing altogether, the racists have once again become public and very vocal. And they have found a comfortable home in the Republican Party and other anti-Democratic and anti-government groups (such as the teabaggers). These groups allow them to thinly disguise their racism as a form of rabid patriotism (which it is not).
Almost every week we see more examples of this newly public brand of obvious racism. Of course they all deny that they are being racist. To hear them tell it, they are just trying to protect some vital aspect of American society and culture, and race has nothing to do with it. But their racism is so clearly the driving force behind their actions that their denial of it just seems stupid and inane.
Consider this perfect example of the new public racism. There is a group now that wants to create a new professional basketball league. And one of the major rules of the new league is that all of the players must be “natural born citizens with both parents of the caucasian race” (white). Of course, the people trying to create this new league say it has nothing to do with race and they are not racists.
The league will be called the All-American Basketball Alliance (AABA) and they say they will start play next June with teams in 12 cities. The league commissioner, Don “Moose” Lewis, says he is not racist, but just wants to get away from “street ball” and get back to “fundamental basketball”. He went on to say:
There’s nothing hatred about what we’re doing. I don’t hate anyone of color. But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here’s a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like… Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch? That’s the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction.
I am amazed at this man’s stupidity. He as much as says that all the bad behavior in the NBA is by African-Americans and white boys would not act like that, and doesn’t even realize that his statement itself is racist? Any rational thinker knows that neither bad nor good behavior is linked to race (which is in itself a spurious concept invented to advance colonialism and greed).
The league is based in Atlanta and is targeting cities in the Southeast to fill the 12 slots for franchises. However, they are already having trouble in one of the targeted cities — Augusta, Georgia. The city is making it clear they want no part of the new league.
Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver says, “As a sports enthusiast, I have always supported bringing more sporting activities to Augusta. However, in this instance I could not support in good conscience bringing in a team that did not fit with the spirit of inclusiveness that I, along with many others, have worked so hard to foster in our city.”
Augusta State University athletic director Clint Bryant was even more blunt, saying, “It’s so absurd it’s funny, but it gives you an idea of the sickness of our society. It shows you what lengths people will go to just to be mean-spirited.” Mr. Bryant is absolutely right. This sort of thing is sick and mean-spirited.
Now I don’t think this new league has a chance of succeeding. Even if it does get established, it will quickly fold because most people will not support this kind of overt racism — even in the South. The South still has its problems, but it has come a long way since the bad old days of Jim Crow.
But personally, I’m damn sick and tired of the new public racism that is rearing its ugly head in this country. Because of our country’s free speech rights, these racist creeps have the right to speak their evil minds. But we also have the same right, and we have a responsibility to come down hard on this racist sickness. Racism doesn’t just hurt individuals, it hurts our country as a whole.
It is time for decent people of all ethnicities and colors to rise up and let the racists know we just won’t stand for it. It’s both the decent and patriotic thing to do.
[Rag Blog contributor Ted McLaughlin also posts at jobsanger.]
Yeah, like, I grew up in Texas in an ethnically mixed family.
I’ve heard some of the Stupidest things imaginable with regard to people of the Opposite Race du Jour, It doesn’t help that Public Education there is and always was under attack. The Klan lynched more Teachers in their first incarnation than anybody else. If you throw in Preachers as being teachers, that trend continued.
They prey on ignorant people because that’s the only group they can get.
This is even dumber than Limbaugh insisting that the Sportswriters Guild was promoting anti-white racism by naming black quarterbacks as “Player of the week” twice in a row, McNabb of Philadelphia first and a quarterback from Dallas the next week.
To show how much I actually follow football, I was IN Dallas at the time and don’t remember the other mans name. Not right off anyway.
But that’s the kind of controversy they want to stir up…. Feh.
From my life experience, I’ll go out on a Prophetic Limb here and say there’s something Elephant-in-the-parlour Huge that’s about to happen, these freaks know that it’s about to happen and they want to divert attention by pulling a really bone-chilling stupid stunt like that.
Stay righteous, man. And if this doesn’t ask for an e-mail, I’ll put my tag here. I’m Brother Jonah and I approved this message.
IMHO, this attempt to start a whites-only b-ball league is based not only on racism, but on one particular aspect of it: the myth of athletic superiority by black people. As the big league sports were forced to open their doors to athletes of all color persuasions, black kids especially have seen athletics as a viable route to success, as much or more so than being corporate lawyers or doctors. Whole books have been written about this phenomenon.
But having successful, awesomely gifted athletes who are black doesn’t mean that there aren’t awesomely gifted white athletes out there. I find it oddly interesting that many of the NBA’s most talented white players right now — Nowitzki, Ilgauskas,Nash, Noah, Ginobili,Turkoglu,
Kirilenko spring immediately to mind — also would not be eligible to play in the proposed all-white league, as they are not “native-born US citizens”.
This outfit is not only racist but clearly uninclusive even towards foreign “aryans” and deserves only to throw up a brick and die — thanks for bringing the story to us, Ted!!!
That reminds me of somebody, the part about Lawyers. I have this friend I haven't seen in years, I palled around with his older brother, but Clarence Seay. He and another kid, Cody Polk, took Terrace Hills Middle School to their only city championship in football, track and basketball. They did the same miracle for Andress High school, the Eagles. We were always the team to beat and every
Clarence is a successful attorney now.
Caucasian means literally "of indeterminate heritage" because of all the back and forth conquests over the past millennia.
When they say "pure caucasian" I purely think of something else of which it's purely composed. When you go runnin' crost that pasture, son, don't go steppin in the Pure Caucasian.
There likely is demand for a family-friendly alternative to the NBA, but I don't know if this league is the answer.
http://araceagainsttime.blogspot.com/2010/01/whites-only-basketball-league-idea.html
I cannot imagine what about the NBA would be considered NOT family friendly, other than that some of its members re youngsters who occasionally make errors in thinking and decision-making.
Every NBA broadcast (I seldom go to games, since I don't live in an NBA city) is chock-full of family values, NBA Cares promos, reading promos, shout-outs to everybody's Moms and Grandmoms.
Of course the whites only B-Ball league is based on racist views. This publicity stunt isn’t news to anyone, even those of us on the right.
But I hope that Ted includes most of the posters to this blog as racists as well. In his own words:
But personally, I’m damn sick and tired of the new public racism that is rearing its ugly head in this country. Because of our country’s free speech rights, these racist creeps have the right to speak their evil minds.
Ted you of course overlook all the Rag Blog posters who throw out the “tea bagger” epithet gleefully. I have protested the use of this term to Thorne and his position is as follows “they have called each other that, so its ok for us to call them that” Well, i am “them” and no we dont like that term. Late night black comediens call other blacks “nigger” frequently. Using Thorne’s logic, I would expect to see blog posters at this site referring to Obama as our head nigger, or our nigger in chief. But somehow I dont. That is because Thorne’s rational for allowing the use of “tea bagger” on here is a lame excuse which enables Progressive hate to find a voice.
But we also have the same right, and we have a responsibility to come down hard on this racist sickness. Racism doesn’t just hurt individuals, it hurts our country as a whole.
It is time for decent people of all ethnicities and colors to rise up and let the racists know we just won’t stand for it. It’s both the decent and patriotic thing to do.
Amen brother. Just dont forget to point that indignation at all your fellow tea party hating Rag Bloggers.
I just don’t understand your rather faulty reasoning. What does using the term teabagger have to do with racism (a term they coined themselves)?
Calling someone a teabagger isn’t racist – it’s referring to their ultra-right-wing-fundamentalist (and sometimes racist) politics. It has nothing to do with their ethnicity or skin color or country of origin – just their stupid politics.
perpetuating this hoax is irresponsible.
The Tea Party make the extremist comment, en masse, that they wouldn’t make person to person, that a person who can’t afford Medical Insurance deserves to die.
The Tea Party in Plains GA hanged President Obama in Effigy, with plenty of the Racist Confederate Flags in their little “non Klan” lynch mob ceremony.
The Tea Party use the same Lies told to the Confederate soldiers to get them to kill Americans in order to support the corporate ownership of human beings.
The lies included that freeing the slaves would be Robbing the Rich of their “property”. And that the States have a right to use Public Resources, like the police and militia to assist the Rich in keeping the Human Beings in bondage.
Now, many of the most vocal Tea-Baggers toss up that Confederate flag and the Lies of the Confederacy, and with the disclaimer that it’s “Not Hate, but Heritage”. The founders of this Let’s Call It What It IS “anti-black PEOPLE and anti-Immigrant PEOPLE” would find a home in the Tea Party and their associated Militia, like the Minutemen and yes, the Klan.
How much would you care to bet that the founders of this league are both registered Republicans AND their names appear on a Minuteman or other Hate-Group muster?
Saying it isn’t Hate doesn’t make it Love.
Getting back to basketball, this story online today really makes the point. you don’t see these “little people” talking about a white dwarf NBA or a black dwarf NBA. They just want to play.
The whole concept of racism — whether it is limited to skin color, ethnicity, religious background, or exactly what — little people might argue it is based on SIZE — is very fuzzy because it is a false concept. False concepts very often cannot be well defined when you get right down to it; this may be an integral part of their falsehood.
DHS doesn’t want to be called a “tea-bagger” here, but apparently refers to himself as one? or am I misunderstanding that part? Comparing this to the use of racial epithets such as “nigger” is way off-base, imho, because, as Bro Jonah points out, the tag was self-selected rather than imposed; use of the “n-word” by black people invokes a very specific mutual history going back centuries.
If the Tea Party movement survives that long, DHS, I can guarantee you, “tea-bagger” will be the same kind of familiar address of equals that the “n-word”, used by black people, is today.
Meantime, I hope to live long enough to see a dwarf hoopster grab his crotch after dunking one in the NBA!
D’oh — forgot the story link!! You’llhave to copy & paste this one, folks!
Senior moment?
http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/dwarf-basketball-team-aims-to-create-little-nba/19328857?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fweird-news%2Farticle%2Fdwarf-basketball-team-aims-to-create-little-nba%2F19328857
I see. Its a problem for you tolerant types when people spew out hate towards others because of their skin color, but perfectly fine if you engage in it based based on political preferences.
Jonah decries the Lies told to the Confederate soldiers to get them to kill Americans.. and then spends the rest of his comment using lies to encourage hatred of conservatives based on their views. I seriously doubt that a single one of the commenters has been to a tea party or 9-12 meeting or been to a rally. I guess you don’t want anything to get in the way of your preformed prejudices.
What a bunch of hypocrites. Thankfully Americans are beginning to wake up and catch on.