Whitlock with a good article on the Riley Cooper situation

[Fat Elvis]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/w...d-learn-080113

We, the media, will blow this Riley Cooper teachable moment. It’s what we do when it comes to race. We look for good guys and bad guys, villains and heroes. We choose the politically correct path rather than the road to understanding.

Riley Cooper
RILEY'S RUNAWAY MOUTH



Riley Cooper, a receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, did and said something very, very stupid and disgusting. Drunk and partying in a sea of whiteness, Cooper apparently lashed out at a black security guard and threatened to "fight every n****r here".

A cellphone camera captured Cooper’s ignorance. It took a month, but the blogosphere unearthed the video and broadcast it to the world. The Eagles reacted responsibly, fining Cooper and forcing him to confront his mistake publicly with the media and privately with his teammates.

Watch what he said. Warning: Language is universally considered to be offensive . . .

I don’t expect the media to respond as responsibly. Too many of us will think the solution is for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Riley Cooper. Too many of us will think Riley Cooper in no way reflects on all of us.

Well, I’ve been young, drunk, filled with athletic testosterone and partying in a sea of blackness. I’m glad there were no cellphone cameras then. I’ve been middle-aged, drunk, filled with non-athletic cholesterol and partying in a sea of blackness. I’m glad no one recorded the foolish thoughts I’ve uttered when I assumed no one around me would be offended.

Maybe most of the people working in the media are perfect, immune to impure, biased thoughts or actions. I’m not. And no one I know is. What happens with age and maturity is we get better at combatting our biases and keeping them from spilling out of our mouths. When we intellectually evolve, we get better at seeing the stupidity of our biases and not letting them dictate our actions.

I’m extremely distrustful of anyone who claims they’re free of biases. They’re dishonest or delusional.

For the most part, Riley Cooper handled his apology flawlessly. He forthrightly expressed the proper remorse and humbly answered every question.

“This is the lowest of lows,” Cooper said. “This is not the type of person I want to be portrayed as. This isn’t the type of person I am. I’m extremely sorry.”

There’s no room for Cooper to be totally honest. The media — social and legitimate — won’t allow Cooper to be transparent. What was captured on tape is a reflection of what type of person Cooper is.

He’s flawed. He’s a product of America’s conflicted melting pot. That is not a knock on America. We have racial issues because we’re the most diverse nation on the planet. We have trouble working through those issues because dishonesty and simple-mindedness are rewarded.

Like all of us, Riley Cooper is biased. He needs to admit that to himself so he can adequately combat his biases and be a force for positive change.

I used to be proudly homophobic. I used the F-word regularly. In 1998, while sitting in the New England Patriots press box, I got in a back-and-forth exchange with Pats fans and cracked a “joke” that ended with me asking, “Drew Bledsoe gay?”

The ensuing controversy started the process of me recognizing and realizing the utter ignorance of my homophobia. I used to be offended when people analogized the struggle for gay equality with black people’s struggle for equality. I now get it and understand their struggle benefits our struggle and the overall fight for fairness.

I hope Cooper is allowed to evolve. I hope we don’t demonize him to the point that he becomes John Rocker II and more entrenched in bigotry. I hope Cooper confronts who he is. He didn’t threaten to fight every n****r because there’s no bigotry in his heart and mind. He did it because he has failed to deal with who he really is.

He’s in the same denial most of us are in. I’m talking about all of us — black, white, brown and yellow.

I want to make one other point before I finish. Cooper’s transgression isn’t much of a locker-room issue for the Eagles. There are bigots of every color on sports teams. The beauty of sports is that teams force participants to put aside their biases and work together. Working together is different from liking or respecting each other.

Cooper isn’t a coach or executive with the power to hire and fire people based on his racial biases. Cooper is a player. He’s a 25-year-old kid with immature thoughts. His teammates will move on as long as he plays at a high level.

Racial slurs fly on football fields somewhat regularly. It’s a violent game that brings out the worst in people. My junior season at Ball State, I played against a white Northern Illinois defensive tackle who N-bombed me most of the afternoon. I kept shouting at his mostly black defensive teammates about why they would tolerate such a flaming idiot. The next year, the same guy was the most courteous opponent I played against all season.

Let’s help Cooper evolve and mature. We might be surprised by the results.

[Mav]

Originally Posted by Sorter

1. Racial Draft
2. Prince /Charlie Murphy
3. Sesame street parody
4. Black white supremacist
5. Riley cooper's fav word family


Special considerations to:
Real world episod
Jeprody
Wayne Brady skit


Damn, there are just so many. Wayne Brady might beat out cooper's episode now that i think about it.

You are kidding me?

No RICK JAMES??????

Seriously?????????????

Cocaine, is a hell of a drug..........

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Maverick91579

That makes a lot of sense. Honestly. That explains while having one of the greatest shows ever on comedy central, and having an extension for the show, he refused to bow down and do it their way. Which was awesome. Espeically when you see that no talent hack Tosh do way worse crap than was ever in The Chapelle Show...

KOBE!!!!

Yeah that situation is actually what started our discussion. My brother wasnt surprised it happened. I was shocked and pissed.

[Mav]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

"I had sex with Katie too, mane"

"Correction, I DID HAVE SEX WITH KATIE."

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by blaise

That's another interesting thing - you have guys that have slapped women around, guys with multiple felonies, there's been guys that have killed people in DUIs and a host of other stuff, and they stay on rosters. But apparently being racist is worse. You hear people say he should basically lose his job.

And no matter how you spin it we're talking about an insult.

Leonard Little KILLED people.

He came back and played football.

[loochy]

Charlie Murphy (I combine all of these into one)
Real World
Wayne Brady
Puppet STD Skit
Black White Supremacist

Honorable Mention: Fear Factor Tyrone

[loochy]

That cat could ball, man.

What happened next after the game?

He took us back inside and made us pancakes. *pause, serious* Pancakes.

[Setsuna]

Originally Posted by Rausch

And no matter how you spin it we're talking about an insult.

Leonard Little KILLED people.

He came back and played football.

Didn't he play for Tennessee Vols?

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by loochy

That cat could ball, man.

What happened next after the game?

He took us back inside and made us pancakes. *pause, serious* Pancakes.

Game, blouses.

[Easy 6]

I think that, ultimately, the moral of this story is... nothing good ever happens at kenny cheesney concert.

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by Thatguy

Let's not forget why stations like Bet came about...because white music stations like MTV didnt or rarely played black artist.

Well that's bullshit but, regardless, i don't care why you think it was made. The issue i have with it is that it only perpetuates the problem. The name alone creates a racial barrier when the goal is to destroy it.

THAT is the problem with a lot of "black" entertainment. Continued circulation of the word "****a"...and i don't care if has an "a" at the end, perpetuates the use of the word ****er. Words like that need to go away if you don't want them being used, not forced back into everyone's vocabulary. Black comedy does the same thing.

Personally, i don't give a ****. I think the way people over react to supposed racism is stupid anyway.

This Trayvon Martin shit, this Riley Cooper shit....it's all crap. Making something out of nothing.

[Hammock Parties]

"You need to diversify your bonds, ****a."

WU TANG CLAN AIN'T NOTHIN' TA **** WITH
WU TANG CLAN AIN'T NOTHIN' TA **** WITH

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by loochy

That cat could ball, man.

What happened next after the game?

He took us back inside and made us pancakes. *pause, serious* Pancakes.

Computer blue.

Darling piggy.

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Game, blouses.

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by loochy

Charlie Murphy (I combine all of these into one)
Real World
Wayne Brady
Puppet STD Skit
Black White Supremacist

Honorable Mention: Fear Factor Tyrone

You go girl!!!


But fo reelz, dose(sp?) be some excellent choices.

[ThatRaceCardGuy]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Well that's bullshit but, regardless, i don't care why you think it was made. The issue i have with it is that it only perpetuates the problem. The name alone creates a racial barrier when the goal is to destroy it.

THAT is the problem with a lot of "black" entertainment. Continued circulation of the word "****a"...and i don't care if has an "a" at the end, perpetuates the use of the word ****er. Words like that need to go away if you don't want them being used, not forced back into everyone's vocabulary. Black comedy does the same thing.

Personally, i don't give a ****. I think the way people over react to supposed racism is stupid anyway.

This Trayvon Martin shit, this Riley Cooper shit....it's all crap. Making something out of nothing.

What part of that is bullshit? Mtv admits they didn't play black music outside of a few artist. I guess those black artist should have waited for Mtv to change. ..gotdamn black people creating alternative avenues...