By The Way News . . . .

Chris Brown Gettin’ Down

But of course, all the critics are out in full force criticizing ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” for having Chris Brown perform on the show.

Now, look, no one’s excusing his assaulting Rihanna, but he’s a young man, he’s apologized, lost a great deal, and so it’s time to move on.  He deserves another chance to be “Chris Brown” and live his life.

Besides, how would you like it if the world kept reminding you of the mistakes you made when you were young?

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DaYUM!!!  A Brotha Can’t Even Go to the Mall Anymore

Now really, though?!

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant made the news recently after he spun into a profanity-laced tirade on a mall security guard who stopped him and his buddies and told them to pull up their pants (Dez’s pants were up, a couple of his buddies pants were sagging).

Yes, the “nobody” security guard (off-duty cop; this makes it even worse) had the nerve to . . . yes he did.

Okay, I’m not a big fan of young Black men or hip hoppers who like to bop around with their draws hanging out, either, but a Black man already has to put up with being stopped by the police when he’s driving all the time, as well as scaring White women to clutch their purses on elevators.  But in the case of Bryant – even after having become a millionaire – he still has to put up with the haters.

I know Bryant and his boys had the bling-blinging and the security guard just couldn’t let his small mind pass up a big boy pants opportunity to put these Black boys in their place, so he did what he had to do and harassed them.

But Bryant, having not been satisfied, refused to leave after cursing out security – which I can understand – he also decided to raise more hell by defiantly parking in the fire lane outside the mall.  Eventually, after his lawyer and representative arrived, he left.  Bryant was also banned from the mall for three months.

I think he should sue them and start a campaign to encourage all Black people and people against racism, of any color, to never shop at that mall again until they apologize and donate money to a local community cause that helps poor kids

But that’s just me.

So of course Media Plantation Overseer Jim Rome couldn’t wait to get on the air and spew his juvenile, paternalistic take criticizing Bryant.  I just wanted Rome or any of these mainstream ridiculers of “all things Black” to try to, just once, to put themselves in the shoes of a young Black man and consider how they’d respond?

But, nahhh, that would be way too much to ask for.

Bryant must remember that there are a lot of cops that love to shoot Black men; don’t give them another reason to do so because we already they don’t really even need a legitimate reason to shoot and kill us.

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Ballin’

It’s funny – but expected – how the mainstream sports media never says anything about the sacred, can-do-no-wrong Duke University basketball coaching God Mike Krzyzewski and the obviousness of his intentionally recruiting White players (and starting four) in a major college basketball world where most of the players are Black.  If his efforts weren’t intentional, the makeup of his team and starters wouldn’t be “so White.”  No, you would never here Krzyzewski make a racist comment, but actions speak louder than words and he’s not the class act he’s always portrayed as.

Recently, NBA personality Jalen Rose mentioned that when he was in school, he and his friends were well aware that they would never be recruited by Duke because of their poor background (“poor” also being a word for “race” in this case, as well).

No, all that glitters is rarely gold — Ya heard!!!

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Still Scared

During a recent interview with CNN Newsroom host Don Lemon, Rodney King,  the LA PD beat-down victim, made a peculiar comment that caught my attention.  He said that at one point during his trial, in reference to an aspect of the case, his mother said, “Whatever you say, don’t say it was racism.”  King, taking his mother’s advice, caused problems during the trial because the prosecutors criticized him for changing his story several times about whether or not the police used a racial epithet – the N-Word.  King said he tried to appease his mother and not bring up race by not acknowledging that he heard the N-Word during the beating, but he ultimately told the truth that the officers did use the word while he was being beaten.

King’s mother’s fear exemplifies how distorted the thinking of Blacks can become when dealing with whether or not to bring up the issue of racism.  It is this type of fear that actually enables racism to continue and let Whites (law enforcement, in this case) off the hook because so many Black people are afraid to acknowledge racism when it’s clearly a factor.

I understand King’s mother was trying to protect him from media and juror backlash by telling him not to acknowledge the issue of race, but if she, at her age, still can’t tell the truth about racism, then she needs to find a plantation somewhere that makes her “comfortable.”

We cannot overcome racism or any issue if continue to refuse even talk about it.

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Slavery Alive & Well?

If recent NCAA Basketball Tournament on TV didn’t look like a plantation to you then you must be looking through a pair of rose-colored glasses.

If you take off the glasses, here’s what you’ll see: teams and starting fives that are predominantly or all Black; practically all of the head coaches are White, as are the assistant coaches; an ocean of White fans in the stands; a few Black commentators, but mostly White; and commercials filled with White actors.  Not to mention that most of the Black announcers or experts were former players, but this is less so the case with the White announcers — they don’t really have to had been former players to get their jobs.

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BYU Hypocrisy

Not too long ago, you may have picked up on the mainstream media’s fascination with the Black Brigham Young University (BYU) player, Brandon Davies, being suspended from the team for the season for violating the Mormon college’s no-sex code.  Most of the media posterized Davies and praised BYU and their head coach for the suspension.

I mean, huh?  It’s been well-documented by current and former BYU students that there’s a ton of students having sex on BYU’s campus and that the Honor Code, which bans sex, is pretty much a joke.

Let’s keep it real, Davies is Black (his girlfriend is said to be White), attending a conservative institution, and he’s being held accountable by a religion that has historically practiced racism.  In fact, not until 1978 was a 100 year ban lifted that barred Black men from the Mormon priesthood.

Years ago, Jim McMahon, the Chicago Bears former Super Bowl QB and others violated BYU’s Honor Code by having sex but they were not suspended from the team.

It seems that BYU has a double standard when it comes to Black athletes who violate the code.  Former BYU running back Ronney Jenkins, who is also Black, was suspended for having sex with a White female when he was at BYU; however, some of his White teammates were doing the same, but were not suspended.

But is all this really a surprise – that a Black male athlete at any predominantly White institution is treated differently?

I think not.

But what’s so horrendous is that the mainstream media stays away from the racial issues, but glamorizes BYU’s “moral” Honor Code.

Maybe, just mayble, there is no double-standard operating at BYU?

Puhhhleeeeze!