Jefferson thinks Sloan can unleash the ‘Beast' that's been in him for "so long"

[carolinajazz]

I grew up in a mixed-race, mixed income government housing project (Laclede Town, for those nterested), and I found your comments mildly racist.



CarolinaJazz doesn't criticize people directly because they are of a specific skin color, but he does focus on irrelevant cultural aspects (such as tattoos) to make judgements

...."irrelevant?" I beg to differ! If your going to stand out as an eye sore with all those tattoo's on your body....I believe that's "relevant" to the well being of others!

 

[richgates]

Wow, there are some really judgmental people on this site. I was hoping for a better signal to noise ratio, but sadly this forum is as bad as all the rest. I'm done with it, to those of you decent folks, thanks for the conversation and go Jazz! I won't let the door hit me on the way out.

 

[Fishsticks]

Wow, there are some really judgmental people on this site. I was hoping for a better signal to noise ratio, but sadly this forum is as bad as all the rest. I'm done with it, to those of you decent folks, thanks for the conversation and go Jazz! I won't let the door hit me on the way out.

Yes please come back and let us know when you find the mystical forum where everyone thinks like you. Sure that would be a great place....

 

[Gyp Rosetti]

Traditionally, the term "ghetto" has never been used to refer to blacks in particular

====

Main Entry: 1ghet·to
Pronunciation: \ˈge-(ˌ)tō\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ghettos also ghettoes
Etymology: Italian, from Venetian dial. ghèto island where Jews were forced to live, literally, foundry (located on the island), from ghetàr to cast, from Latin jactare to throw — more at jet
Date: 1611
1 : a quarter of a city in which Jews were formerly required to live
2 : a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure
3 a : an isolated group <a geriatric ghetto> b : a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity <the pink-collar ghetto>
===

It was coined 400 years ago, and originally was confined to jewish concentrations. Since then it has been expanded to include any minority, such as an "Irish ghetto," or a "polish ghetto."

Wait, so I know Stoudemire's Jewish but Jefferson is too?

 

[Gyp Rosetti]

Let's not forget one important fact in this debate: Al Jefferson is not well spoken. He does not use what could be described as "proper English." So do we have to dance around that fact or is it okay to state it plainly?

As I said eralier, "ghetto" has become a slang term that could be compared to "jury-rigged." My sister, for instance, seems to like using this term, a lot. If someone drives by in a car with squeaky brakes she'll say "Damn, that's ghetto," not at all implying anything racial about the person driving or the car. My sister is about as far from being a racist as possible. She just likes to use that term, even though I think she uses it too much.

I hate to mention this, partly because I don't think it really proves anything, but my sister and I were raised to be very firmly anti-racism. I ended some friendships when I was a teenager because people were racist or anti-gay. Both my sister and I are married to people who are not "white."

Well said.

Everyone needs to take a step back. Jefferson isn't well-spoken and sounds ghetto. If that offends you, too bad. It has nothing to do with race. It has to do with how he projects himself.

 

[Gyp Rosetti]

Magic Johnson, for one, had absolutely atrocious grammatical patterns and an extremely limited vocabulary for the first few years he was in the NBA. He was a jock in high school, who only cared about playin ball, and it was no different for him in college really (all two years worth). Now he's an articulate commentator on national TV.

I wouldn't go so far as to say Magic Johnson is articulate. It's as if he is focusing so hard and has to use all his brainpower just to concentrate to enunciate words correctly. But it's obvious he cares about how he speaks and projects himself.

 

[Hopper]

CarolinaJazz ... does focus on irrelevant cultural aspects (such as tattoos) to make judgements and he does tend to associate those aspects with specific skin colors. So, I think the charge of racism is acurate, even though the reasons is it typically used seem to be inaccurate. Even broken clocks are right twice a day.

Well, Eric, to me the "charge of racism" is intended to be a serious, condemnation-worthy accusation (I often see it merely as a rhetorical cheap shot which is not to be taken seriously at all, but that's probably just me). In light of that, especially, I'm a little surprised that you assert: "he does tend to associate those aspects with specific skin colors." You are claiming, as a virtual fact, that CJ makes certain associations on the basis of "skin color," but how could you really know that?

Not sayin it's the case with you, but it seems to me that many people automatically and unthinkingly project their OWN "associations with skin color" onto others. Kinda like it they understand a word with several possible meanings to say one thing, then EVERYBODY else can only have their selected meaning in mind too.

 

[Hopper]

I mean, like, what would you make of an exchange like this (which I have actually heard, believe it or not):

A: I don't like criminals.

B: So you're sayin you don't like black people, eh? RACIST!

 

[UB]

O god please the offseason is bad so baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddd

 

[Hopper]

Like people round this here joint aint callin others "racists" 24/7 every day of the year, UB?

 

[One Brow]

You are claiming, as a virtual fact, that CJ makes certain associations on the basis of "skin color," but how could you really know that?

The same way you "know" my name is Eric: by the posts. To be more direct, they are associations he occasionally makes from time to time in his posts. They are not frequent, but they do occur.

Not sayin it's the case with you, but it seems to me that many people automatically and unthinkingly project their OWN "associations with skin color" onto others. Kinda like it they understand a word with several possible meanings to say one thing, then EVERYBODY else can only have their selected meaning in mind too.

I agree completely.

On the other hand, I don't see racism as "condemnation-worthy accusation", even if it gets played that way in the media. It's a matter of background, exposure, and sometimes of careless thinking. Only a very small percentage of the population of the USA gets exposed to a wide variety of skin colors in every context of their lives, so in some ways racism will be inevitable.

I mean, like, what would you make of an exchange like this (which I have actually heard, believe it or not):

A: I don't like criminals.

B: So you're sayin you don't like black people, eh? RACIST!

B certainly sounds racist to me.

 

[Hopper]

B certainly sounds racist to me.

Yeah, me too. Of course, the way I framed it, it would be hard for anyone to see it any other way, I spect. But not all such "exchanges" are that clear-cut. The same type of "projection" can still be at work, though.

Speaking for myself, more often than not, I suspect those who choose to characterize someone else as a "racist" actually have ulterior motives (which they themselves may not even be fully aware of) for doing so.