Campos right: Racism easy to spot
Aaron Hughes, Centennial
Monday, May 19, 2008
Rocky Mountain News columnist Paul Campos pretends to find racial stereotyping on an NFL draft evaluation site, because it describes a white player (Tom Zbikowski) as "smart" and a "team leader," while a comparable black player (Kenny Phillips) has "excellent athleticism" but needs work on "technique and footwork." Never mind that the site also calls Phillips a "team leader" and says Zbikowski must "work on his tackling fundamentals."
Before seizing on this supposed instance of stereotyping, how many counterexamples did Campos ignore? The same site tells us that quarterback Kevin O'Connell (white) has "terrific athleticism" but "makes poor decisions," while Andre Woodson (black) has "excellent intangibles in terms of leadership and work ethic." Fullback Peyton Hillis (white) is "very athletic," while Jerome Felton (black) is slow but "extremely smart with top-notch intangibles." Lineman Kerry Brown (white) is "athletic with good mobility, quick and agile" but "seems to get bored on occasions," while Robert Fulton (black) is "not a great athlete" but is "tough" with "good technique."
Paul Campos is right: Racism is easy to spot . . . if you know how to look for it.
Post your comment
Registration is required. Click here to create your free user account, or login below.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.
May 20, 2008
5:58 a.m.
Suggest removal
Rangerjoe1 writes:
cOMPOST is right about ingrained racism. Compost views Blacks as people to be used as slaves for his causes. Poor helpless Blacks and minorites they need me to flll sorry for them, see I care. Compost sits around and just, "Thinks Good Thoughts, See he cares,boy"
May 20, 2008
6:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
SASQUATCH writes:
"Paul Campos is right: Racism is easy to spot . . . if you know how to look for it."
And people like PC are obsessed looking for it. That's the first thing that liberals notice when someone walks into a room--color, ethnecity, etc. The can't get passed it--just look at the respective campaigns of Obama and Hillary; its a relentless race/gender war--not a political race.
May 20, 2008
7:05 a.m.
Suggest removal
Mike_In_Hartsel writes:
Stupidity is easy to spot if one knows how to look for it, which it appears Aaron Hughes cannot.
May 20, 2008
7:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
Gene writes:
Campos and former governor Roy Romer have got to do a lot of Democrat intra-party spadework.
May 20, 2008
7:35 a.m.
Suggest removal
Froward69 writes:
rethugs have yet to have a viable contender for the white house who isn't White and male. yet, race bait Dems for doing just that.
May 20, 2008
8:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
spencerr writes:
Froward69, would you vote for one if we did?
May 20, 2008
8:37 a.m.
Suggest removal
Wechasa writes:
spencerr,
That's a rhetorical question at most.
With today's programs, ideologies, and mind-set, where would you find one in the first place?
Where among you is today's Thurgood Marshall, or Margaret Chase Smith? Just to name two of what the Republican Party once had going for it. Before it sold out to the likes of Nixon - as a "politician" - and Falwell/Pat-Robertson/Dobson - as "religion/morality - and Limbaugh as "chief propagandist", that is.
Having driven away the once respectable base from which to draw viable candidates, how can you ask if others would vote for what you can't produce?
May 20, 2008
9:22 a.m.
Suggest removal
Gene writes:
Was Thurgood Marshall a Republican?
May 20, 2008
9:29 a.m.
Suggest removal
JimmyB writes:
A very smart, lovely lady once taught me that I had friends, the color of their skin, or gender, were secondary.
By that standard, one who labels his/her friends as "my black/white/Asian/Hispanic/gay/etc. friends" diminishes those freindships.
This same lady taught me that the person who calls another "racist", is more often than not, racist themselves.
May 20, 2008
10:54 a.m.
Suggest removal
T1anda writes:
Of course racism is easy to spot!
Racism isn't a product stamped with "Made by Whites in the U.S.A."
Racism is alive and well in ALL cultures!!!!!!!!!!
Blacks are racist against other Blacks for various reasons!
Browns are racist against other Browns for various reasons!
Asians are racist against other Asians for various reasons!
People all over this planet show favor for one group over another for numerous reasons. Skin color. Intellect. Etc,etc.
The Utopian wish for a rose-garden of racial diversity, without even the hint of racism WILL NEVER exist because racism is part of the human DNA! Sad but true!!!
May 20, 2008
11:34 a.m.
Suggest removal
skeptical writes:
The best candidate to ever run for president was Alan Keyes, a black man. He didn't stand a chance because the liberal media was pitted against him. J.C.Watts, the senator from Oklahoma would have made an excellent president, given the chance. How about Colin Powell? He would have had my vote if he had ever run. I would vote for McCain if he would choose Rice as V.P. but probably not otherwise. This country doesn't want or deserve a "respectable" president. Clinton set the benchmark of what the voters accept as respectable, ..........depending of course on what your definition of "is" is.
As far as having a respectable base, the Democrats are a laughable wasteland, and the Republicans are cowering somewhere in the beltway, biding their time until their golden parachutes open up, landing them squarely on the golf course community they've chosen at our expense.
May 20, 2008
11:39 a.m.
Suggest removal
Wechasa writes:
All this! And so much more as well! Over a letter on the subject of a Campos column concerning sports figures, yet.
Shakespeare says it so much better than I can:
What fools these mortals be! So much ado about nothing!
May 20, 2008
11:55 a.m.
Suggest removal
skeptical writes:
NotChasB, stop running down Jesse, Al and the Rev., that's the respectable dem base you're deriding.
May 20, 2008
12:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
PajamaPulitzer writes:
Racism is easy to spot when you spend every waking moment looking for it.
Dems have been keeping the black population mired in new slavery for 50 years. Put them on the dole and keep them there forever. It's no different that the Plantations.
May 20, 2008
2:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
John_II writes:
Wechasa,
Do you not think Campos was dishonest and slanderous in his column? He implied that NFLDraftCountDown.com did not describe black athletes as hard workers, intelligent, and leaders. But, clearly, numerous examples have come forward to show that Campos was wrong. Do you think it was right for Campos to imply that the scouting service was racist when it clearly is not? Are you not annoyed, peeved, or miffed in the slightest at Campos' behavior?
May 21, 2008
10:19 a.m.
Suggest removal
primafacie writes:
As a person of a Mulligan's Stew ancenstry, I've never been the victim of racism.
Whenever I'm treated rudely in a store, I assume the clerk to be a jerk, not a racist. Whenever I've gotten a job I sought, I figure I didn't do well enough in the interview or maybe the boss didn't like the way I comb my hair, not that he's keeping hispanics out. Whenever I'm pulled over by the police, I either know I was speeding or I wonder if they're looking for some other dark-haired guy in glasses driving a gray SUV, not that they're hassling minorities.
You won't find racism once you stop looking for it.
May 21, 2008
7:46 p.m.
Suggest removal
anderson writes:
A well argued letter by Mr. Hughes. However, racial stereotyping (one vestage of racism) certainly does occur in America. Some (nay many) are offended if this claim is made.