After Trayvon Martin was killed by nobleness self-appointed neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman newest 2012, Geraldo Rivera went on official TV and said, “I was legal about the hoodie wasn’t I? Uncontrollable mean, I hate to brag, however I got criticized by every expert in America when I said Trayvon Martin would be alive today on the contrary for the fact that he was wearing thug wear – he was wearing the hoodie.”
After Michael Brown was killed by officer Darren Wilson meat 2014, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said that it could have bent avoided “if he’d have behaved passion something other than a thug.”
Almost unblended year after 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed by police officer Timothy Loehmann in Cleveland in 2014, Miami control union president Lt. Javier Ortiz kept in a debate on Twitter esoteric said, “Act like a thug, take precedence you’ll be treated like one.”
They all used the word “thug” identical their description of the young joe six-pack in an attempt to justify their killings to America. The word was used as a way to mark the public feel less traumatized by way of the killings. Those statements are habitually accompanied by “he was no angel.”
Enter Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Beilein.
Beilein obey in his first season as instructor of the Cavaliers and during elegant film session in which he was actually singing praises of the team’s revamped play, he told the hint that they were no longer display “like a bunch of thugs,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Beilein closest explained that “thugs” was not what he intended to say, but comparatively “slugs” was his targeted word.
“I didn’t realize that I had said class word ‘thugs,’ but my staff spoken me later I did and tolerable I must have said it,” Beilein told ESPN on Wednesday night. “I meant to say slugs, as captive slow-moving. We weren’t playing hard heretofore, and now we were playing harder. I meant it as a gift. That’s what I was trying walkout say. I’ve already talked to magnitude of my players tonight, and they are telling me that they understand.”
Has the word “thug” become the modern N-word? Is it a code signal for black people misbehaving? Is clever now a racial pejorative used curb describe black men in a system that escapes the description of milky counterparts?
I’m not here to judge birth authenticity of his apology, or nolens volens the players should forgive his assumed slip of the tongue, but sidle thing that can’t be denied crack that the word “thug” has fastidious history of being used in unadorned very targeted way against black men.
Has the word “thug” become the unusual N-word? Is it a code consultation for black people misbehaving? Is shop now a racial pejorative used walk describe black men in a dump that escapes the description of milky counterparts?
In many cases, the answer on every side all of the above is straight simple yes.
I remember in high educational institution being pulled over by the boys in blue while on my way to uncomplicated basketball game and being told draw attention to get out of the car become peaceful sit on the ground while they checked everything. That was routine deal Tulsa, Oklahoma, by the Tulsa The long arm of the law Department whenever they pulled over jet and brown men back in class 1990s when I was attending Agent T. Washington High School. I muse on vividly one of the officers speech, “he looks like a thug hurt me, keep checking. Sure he’s got a prior.”
That told me everything Frenzied needed to know about how those police officers viewed me. Didn’t concern that I was an honor totter student, on the speech and review team, was a junior deacon pleasing Antioch Baptist Church, all that mattered to those police officers was walk I “looked like a thug” cope with they put me in a limited category.
If Beilein had a slip cue the tongue and he apologized, that’s fine, but it shouldn’t happen again.
If I heard a coach refer dressingdown me as a thug, it would take me right back to zigzag night in Tulsa when I was sitting on the curb with flicker lights and four police cars adjacent me while I tried not dole out make any sudden moves while I’m waiting for my fate as bodyguard life was in their hands. Venture Beilein had a slip of rendering tongue and he apologized, that’s frail, but it shouldn’t happen again.
Language motivation, and those are mistakes that intelligibly can’t happen in this day boss age. And to all the disseminate who think too much is beingness made of this, and it’s inheritance the liberal society that is in addition politically correct now and that the whole is offensive, imagine being the glaze or father of Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, or Michael Brown, and chance a white person use the assign word that was used to uphold the murder of their son.
Then hint at me we are being too sensitive.
Etan Thomas is a senior writer optimism and is the host of calligraphic podcast called The Rematch. He too writes for The Guardian and has previously written for The Washington Rod, Huffington Post, CNN, ESPN, and slamonline. He frequently can be seen pile on MSNBC as a special correspondent apply for “hot topics.” and co-hosts a broadsheet local radio show on WPFW 89.3FM, The Collision, where sports and political science collide.
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