Jason Whitlock writes with moral clarity

Jason Whitlock has discovered the key to success as a minority writer, he caters to the stupidity of white people and reinforces their stereotypes with lame arguments supporting their intolerance. Not only is he in the cheering section for every attack on hip-hop but as of late he has found something bad to say about every Black athlete who has come under media scrutiny. I know that I was impressed when he blamed rap music for Michael Vick's cruelty to puppies in much the same way that I associate country music with the KKK.

Now, thankfully, there has been a bit of a backlash against the dude's sellout technique and a recent link that I found via local blogger Chuck is a great start in challenging Whitlock's sellout routine.

The worst part about it is that it is racist: pure and simple. It's racist because Whitlock is cheerfully willing to justify "whitening rosters" because of the actions of a few. Yes, there are pro athletes--in every sport of every color--who are narcissists that believe the world spins at their command. Stop the presses. This is the way it has always been in our hero-worshiping, sports obsessed culture.

My only hope is that Whitlock is gaming the system. I know that his recent hardline stance against rap music has earned him appearances on Oprah and white guys love being told how great they are and how horrible Black people are on ESPN. But, there's a downside to mainstream fame . . . It always strains credibility and Whitlock isn't exactly beloved by everyone no matter how hard he smiles and apologizes (or attacks) Black athletes. It's none of my business and I admire anybody who has made a nice living from typing . . . But to make a simple comparison, I've long understood that saying what white people want to hear is a lucrative career track for a person of color . . . It's the reason why tiny groups of anti-immigration Hispanics which only comprise less than a handful of members are given equal time with MUCH LARGER contingents of Latinos who realize that even undocumented immigrants have human rights and shouldn't be the target of so much hate.

A few people might give me static for this but when considering Whitlock's career a passage from Dallas Penn's blog comes to mind regarding other prominent people of color and their paths to success:

The Whip Cracker is completely different from the Uncle Tom in that the Whip Cracker understands that the benefits he receives are issued not for meritous achievement but for complicit behavior. The Whip Cracker doesn’t believe that he is favored by the master but understands that if he complies with the master’s programs, then he will be spared from the master’s wrath. The Whip Cracker knows the dirty tricks the master employs to control his holdings and the Whip Cracker has no empathy for the moral consequences. All the Cracker wants to know is,”When am I going to eat?”

Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad line of work if you can find it and I would never castigate anyone for wanting to eat well, as clearly Whitlock has done.