Open Letter to Ron Artest

An open letter to Mr. Ron Artest:

Please stick to playing basketball, and leave cultural commentary to others. Please refrain from defining your antics, tirades, and tantrums as just “representing your (Black) culture” to the fullest. Stick to slam dunking and turnaround jumpers. Please, for the love of man, stick to simply entertaining. For the record, I am a huge fan of your game. I appreciate all of its aspects, and actually have been wanting you as a member of my favorite team (THE Los Angeles Lakers), antics aside, for many years. I’m even down with your desire to pursue a music career, wild and ridiculous hairstyles, and super-inflated sense of self…just so long as it doesn’t interfere with your actual productivity on the court. I know that is an essential part of becoming one of the best/finest at what you do, so I dig that. What I cannot co-sign with, is your claim that Yao Ming’s concerns over team chemistry (after your recent acquisition) are simply a result of him never having a Black teammate that has “really represented his culture” as much as you do. You go on to state that you are “still ghetto”, and that you will never change. You even go as far as to claim your role in the Detroit Palace brawl (2004) was simply a “culture issue”. As though, the decision to go into the stands and randomly assault the wrong fan (inciting one of the most disgusting sports brawls in history) was somehow the ’Black’ thing to do. That is a blatant disregard/disrespect towards our history and culture. It reminds me of that scene ‘When Keepin’ it Real Goes Wrong’, from Chappelle’s Show (Comedy Central). Maybe you didn’t see that one Ron-Ron, but just in case: In that instance (the brawl), Keepin’ it Real went VERY wrong for you.

Let me help you out Ron-Ron. When A. Philip Randolph organized the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porter’s Union, that was a cultural issue. When Martin Luther King led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, that was a cultural issue. When Malcolm X founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity, that was a cultural issue. When Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, THAT was a cultural issue. You play basketball. You shoot a round leather ball into a hoop. What you are doing, whether on/off the court or in the stands, is not a cultural issue. If you are going to continue to make comments about Black Culture and what it is to “represent“, then please keep that fact in mind. Your charitable works and community service should be your definition of ‘representing’. If you really want to be considered a ‘Tru-Warrior’, then find redemption through ‘true’ deeds. Not holding onto a false sense of self….a flawed and completely backwards mentality of ‘Ghetto=Black’.

Shooting Crabs in a Bucket

A prime example of why I've been critical of so-called leaders within the Black community like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton (and the like) took place this past week. Rather than embracing the honor and magnitude of Obama's candidacy, and amazing opportunity that may soon follow, Jesse Jackson opens his big spotlight-stealing mouth in order to cast a negative light on Obama's campaign.

During some recent speeches, Obama has been calling upon the community to take a greater sense of responsibility/accountability for the current status of the community. Obama was quoted as saying, "Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father. Too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes," to the 20,000 member congregation at the Apostolic Church of God. Last week, while appearing on Fox News, Jackson suggested that Obama was "talking down to Black people" and that he would like to "cut his (Obama's) nuts off." If Mr. Jackson seriously had an issue with Obama's comments, then why wouldn't he have asked for a private meeting in order to voice those concerns?

I don't exactly follow how Mr. Jackson could determine Obama's call for accountability/responsibility regarding parenting and education as 'talking down' to the Black community, but I can say the follow-up comment about "cutting his nuts off" is just ridiculous, and sounds as though it is routed in bitterness and jealousy. Its seems like a classic example of the 'crabs-in-a-bucket' syndrome that has plagued the Black community for years now. In case you are not aware of the issue, simply put, its the mindset of not wanting/allowing anyone else to succeed and rise above the level of the proverbial 'bucket'. Rather than rejoice and/or be inspired by the success of a fellow member of the community, those stricken by this syndrome would rather snap and claw at the individual's ankles and yank them back down with the rest of the pack. These individuals fail to realize they are doing exactly what dominant society wants them to do. If you keep an economically 'inferior' class in a subservient position by allowing them to fight amongst one another, then they will never understand the need to band together in order to succeed.