'Da Coach' fumbles snap to heal racial divide
As one of the most famous and revered Chicagoans, football, star, Super Bowl winning coach, restaurateur and mega pitchman Mike Ditka has a huge public stage. But when asked about the five St. Louis Rams who protested the Ferguson Grand Jury verdict by entering the field with a "Hands up, don't shoot" gesture, Ditka fumbled. His entire statement deserves reading to understand how insensitive and tone deaf he is concerning America's racial divide.
“It’s a shame this thing has come to this,” The shame of it is, I’m not sure they care about Michael Brown or anything else. This was a reason to protest and to go out and loot. Is this the way to celebrate the memory of Michael Brown? Is this an excuse to be lawless? Somebody has to tell me that. I don’t understand it. I understand what the Rams’ take on this was. I’m embarrassed for the players more than anything. They want to take a political stand on this? Well, there are a lot of other things that have happened in our society that people have not stood up and disagreed about. I wasn’t in Ferguson. I don’t know exactly what happened. But I know one thing: If we dismantle and limit the power of our policemen any more than we have already, then we’re going to have a lot of problems in this country. What do you do if someone pulls a gun on you or is robbing a store and you stop them? I don’t want to hear about this hands-up crap. That’s not what happened. I don’t know exactly what did happen, but I know that’s not what happened. This policeman’s life is ruined. Why? Because we have to break somebody down. Because we have to even out the game. I don’t know. I don’t get it. Maybe I’m just old fashioned.”
In Ditka's bizarre world of race and justice, the Rams players didn't care about Michael Brown or anything else. He claims there are many more things to protest than an unarmed teen gunned down by a cop. Ditka says he wasn't present and doesn't know what happened; then inexplicitly says he knows that Brown wasn't giving up and the cop's shooting was justified. He likens the whole incident as an attack on established authority and the destruction of a good cop.
I'll give Ditka the benefit of the doubt that he isn't an avowed racist. He does offer that he's perplexed and may be simply "old fashioned" in his views. I know a number of folks like Ditka; usually aging whites who never, ever could relate to the horrible dynamic of institutional racism which has turned large sections of our inner cities and suburbs into human wastelands, utterly removed from our economic recovery and governed by insensitive and even hurtful city administrations. They use largely white police with little understanding who view teens like Michael Brown as Hulk Hogans and crazed demons that can run through a hail of bullets to kill the cop, forcing them to empty their guns at a safe distance.
After coughing up the ball of healing and racial understanding, 'Da Coach' needs to stay after practice to learn some precious human relations fundamentals.
“It’s a shame this thing has come to this,” The shame of it is, I’m not sure they care about Michael Brown or anything else. This was a reason to protest and to go out and loot. Is this the way to celebrate the memory of Michael Brown? Is this an excuse to be lawless? Somebody has to tell me that. I don’t understand it. I understand what the Rams’ take on this was. I’m embarrassed for the players more than anything. They want to take a political stand on this? Well, there are a lot of other things that have happened in our society that people have not stood up and disagreed about. I wasn’t in Ferguson. I don’t know exactly what happened. But I know one thing: If we dismantle and limit the power of our policemen any more than we have already, then we’re going to have a lot of problems in this country. What do you do if someone pulls a gun on you or is robbing a store and you stop them? I don’t want to hear about this hands-up crap. That’s not what happened. I don’t know exactly what did happen, but I know that’s not what happened. This policeman’s life is ruined. Why? Because we have to break somebody down. Because we have to even out the game. I don’t know. I don’t get it. Maybe I’m just old fashioned.”
In Ditka's bizarre world of race and justice, the Rams players didn't care about Michael Brown or anything else. He claims there are many more things to protest than an unarmed teen gunned down by a cop. Ditka says he wasn't present and doesn't know what happened; then inexplicitly says he knows that Brown wasn't giving up and the cop's shooting was justified. He likens the whole incident as an attack on established authority and the destruction of a good cop.
I'll give Ditka the benefit of the doubt that he isn't an avowed racist. He does offer that he's perplexed and may be simply "old fashioned" in his views. I know a number of folks like Ditka; usually aging whites who never, ever could relate to the horrible dynamic of institutional racism which has turned large sections of our inner cities and suburbs into human wastelands, utterly removed from our economic recovery and governed by insensitive and even hurtful city administrations. They use largely white police with little understanding who view teens like Michael Brown as Hulk Hogans and crazed demons that can run through a hail of bullets to kill the cop, forcing them to empty their guns at a safe distance.
After coughing up the ball of healing and racial understanding, 'Da Coach' needs to stay after practice to learn some precious human relations fundamentals.
posted by Walt Zlotow at 5:31 AM
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