I can't tell you annoyed I was yesterday that the Josh Howard controversy was splashed across every sports page and website in the country. Josh Howard is unpatriotic!
Josh Howard is a terrorist!
Josh Howard spits on America's soul!
Was saying "The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on. I don't celebrate this [expletive]. I'm black." really worthy of being national news? Or was it just a slow news day? I'm guessing the later.
But fortunately, we've finally had someone step up to take this controversy head on. A man known for his rational and intelligent thoughts. A man of leadership. I'm of course referring to Ron Artest.
Take it away Ron.
"I think josh howards comment is a reflection on education. I think the schools need to teach deeper in the history classes and make the students aware of racism but also teach them that all people are not bad. "I can relate to not feeling wanted by my own country at times but as I dug deeper I realized that America is divided and we need leaders to bring America closer together. An example where I felt unwanted by my country was when I didn't get a chance to tryout for my national team. I believed it was because of my history.
I hope he overcomes this.
Family 1st"
I hope he overcomes this.
Family 1st"
Truthfully speaking, Artest is right on some level. There are plenty of people out there who don't necessarily always feel welcome in this country. And Artest's comment on America being divided - he's talking about racism, of course - is true as well. There's undeniably still plenty of racism in this country, although it's less overt than it used to be.
And while some people ask "How can a guy like Howard make an anti-American comment when he earns $10 million a year?", the truth is we don't know Howard's background. He wasn't always earning $10 million a year. And just because someone makes that kind of money, regardless of the country they do it in, doesn't necessarily mean they feel accepted there.
Obviously Howard's comment was foolish, and I'm sure he'd take it back if he could. But it's telling that Ron Artest, a guy who many people disregard as a complete hothead and idiot, has had better things to say on this issue than pretty much every newspaper or column out there.
The message is pretty clear: You can't judge a book by its cover. You have to dig deeper to understand why someone would do this, rather than overreact. If you overreact, you're not much better than the person that made the initial comment in the first place.
As for Artest's comment about the Olympic Team, I'll be honest. We really could have used a better defensive presence down low in Beijing, even if he might have started an international incident.
Artest weighs in on Howard controversy [Kings Blog] via [The Sporting Blog]
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