Whitlock's A Tough Crowd

Jason Whitlock, for those who don't know, is a black journalist who currently writes for Fox Sports. White people love him because he doesn't defend blacks, and black people generally don't like him because he seems to be selling out to satisfy "the man."

Whitlock's latest offering, sent to me by a reader, is about buffoonery in football. Actually the article title is a little more raw than that: " NFL Buffoons Leaving Terrible Legacy"

He has updated the title and the article, because when I read it earlier in the day, the focus was on hip hop culture ruining football.

The gist of this latest version of the article is that 1) NFL teams are getting and will continue to get whiter because black players are acting up, 2) black NFL coaches aren't being hard enough on their black players who get out of line, and 3) hip hop culture is leading the way in this downward spiral.

Whitlock is definitely a little heavy-handed and blunt with his criticisms, but I can see why he is outraged. Some of the best black players in the NFL get fined regularly or are in some sort of legal trouble that their white counterparts either are not doing or just aren't receiving the attention for their actions.

While I see the source of his contention, I think his blame is misplaced. Hip hop culture is not made up. It's not a figment of anyone's imagination. It's real life to a lot of kids, and some of those kids are now grown up and playing in the NFL. I will be the first to admit that the record companies pushes what sells - disrespect, discontent, and the general "I don't give a _____" attitude - despite the effect it may have on those who hear it.

But I don't think it's fair to blame this all on hip hop or the record execs. I listened to hip hop growing up (much more than I do now), and I'm not going out there acting up. A lot of others listen to it and are not affected either. That's because it's not just the music, it's the life you live, the "hood you grew up in," that will determine how you react to the music. (And let me add that not all hip hop is negative, but let's assume that it is for the sake of argument.)

Whitlock does mention the issue of failing to "annihilate the abhorrent cultural norms we have allowed to grab our youth," but blaming hip hop music and culture doesn't do much for fixing what's wrong in our communities. There is definitely a problem, but it takes a commitment from everyone to fix it, not just the parents, who are products of their environments who will no doubt have difficulty teaching if they never learned themselves. Everyone.

And changing the culture starts with individual efforts. Even though the politicians tell you every vote counts, which is not totally true, it is true that every, single person counts when it comes to fixing what ails the black community. Mentor a child. Coach a kids sports team. Tutor children in the tests they need to get into the good schools. Give them hope. Give them confidence. Give them something intangible so they won't give up their lives to hold on to the tangible.

Calling NFL players buffoons is outrageous, of which Whitlock is well aware. It seems that he's hoping by shocking and offending, he will stir someone into action. We don't have to go so far as to hand hold and defend the players' actions, like Whitlock says his opponents do, but I think there has been enough name-calling to last a lifetime. Calling Chad Johnson a buffoon isn't going to make him take those gold teeth out of his mouth, anymore than it will make T.O. stop talking (although maybe he's learning on his own). As I said when the Vick situation was all the rage, you have to get to these guys early, nip the bad behavior early and not reward it, because by the time they've gotten to the NFL, it's too late. And I guarantee there were opportunities to address the behavior prior to then, too.

As the famous hip hop saying goes, "Don't talk about it. Be about it." Think about it.