ESPN's Stephen A. Smith to Young Black Kids: Racism 'Doesn't Exist' for You

Breitbart ^ | March 1, 2016 | Trent Baker

[sean327]

As a Cowboys fan there are numerous times I want to ring Stephen A’s neck. But if you have ever taken the time to really listen to what he has to say on social issues, 95% of the time he is on the right side of things. This isn’t the first time he has said this. He has also said these things while on the air. I actually like the guy even though he bashes the Cowboys. I can excuse that because he is a Giants fan.

[vpintheak]

Only in their minds. That’s about it. I would say 99% of people in America today don’t give a rip about race. They do care about behavior however.

[Faith Presses On]

I disagree with Smith to some degree, and perhaps quite a bit, depending on what he said during his whole talk. It’s hard to tell if what is being reported here is really the whole picture, however.

I certainly believe that racism in different forms is a factor today.

For one thing, when formal legal discrimination against black people ended just decades ago, blacks on the whole had been restricted to poverty. Before that, blacks who became middle-class or aspired to it were targeted. So they haven’t had the middle-class history and influence that so many whites have.

And for another thing, despite what gets reported and emphasized in the media, probably many more young black people than not have close interactions with white people and know them and relate to them as human beings with problems. But that isn’t news, so tensions, protests and violence are what many people on both sides of the fence want to hear about.

As a Christian, I understand the importance of the word “witness.” And I have to say from all I’ve witnessed with many black people, including young ones, in different settings and different places, most I would say are in large part beyond race and relate to others as just people, and want to be that way. And to the extent they’re not, it’s to a large extent because of things beyond them, such as uncertainty about what others think of race, and real and reasonably perceived racism. And then yes, black people are sinners too.