Bruce Levenson, in his email from two years ago … was guilty of espousing blatant stereotypes while decrying the abject racism he saw from some. He became guilty of falling into the trap of corporatist speech of "grouping" people in order to find out a problem … rather than looking for a solution.
Our sister blog Peachtree Hoops has the best coverage and break-down of the entire saga. I advise you to read their complete coverage right here.
More than Bruce Levenson, however, there is a problem with grouping people in order to identify a problem. Be it from what happened in Ferguson, Missouri last month to the corporate utterances of a man who should know better you have the continuing problem with stereotyping. The foolish grouping together of the worst aspects of people in order to assemble them into a neat package.
I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t experienced some type of stereotype. It exists everywhere, and to a certain extent it’s human behavior to “group” people. Stereotyping on the other hand is negative at it’s core. It is wrong when there are those who call all European players “soft” (wait until you get a good view of Jusuf Nurkic), it is wrong when you say all gay people are flamboyant and can’t play sports … and on and on. There’s no reason to even go there because it degrades individuals and closes yourself off from experiencing the whole world. New cultures. New things.
Whatever happens with the Atlanta Hawks from here you just hope that the continued learning experiences shared during this turbulent time will inform us for our future. It’s the best we can hope for.
On an unrelated topic, I hope that the NFL gets it's act together. The video that came out detailing the events inside the elevator in Atlantic City between Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and his then-girlfriend is sickening to it's core. I don't often do this, but I advise you to check out Keith Olbermann's segment about the issue. Whether you agree with him or not, like him or not, it's well worth a view. Powerful and reflects my thoughts very much
