Howard insults all Americans, black and white
Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 5:37 PM
Josh Howard is a heckuva basketball player and probably a decent enough guy. But can somebody get this guy a common-sense implant before he talks himself out of the best job a man can have?
I’m sure you’ve seen the YouTube video in which Howard tells someone with a camera that he doesn’t do the National Anthem because, “I’m black.” He says this while the song is playing in the background before a charity touch football game sponsored by Allen Iverson.
The reason Howard was at the game helping out a charity is because he’s a highly paid and fairly famous basketball player. It’s a job he got by virtue of growing up in the United States, where kids can grow up to be millionaires without the benefit of knowing a thing about the world they live in.
Sure, he worked hard at his craft, but without the United States, there’s no NBA, there are no shoe contracts, there are no multi-million dollar contracts. There’s not even a YouTube to keep the world informed of his every profundity.
Look, if you don’t want to sing the anthem for any reason, I’ll respect that as an expression of free speech. If you want to sit while it’s played, I’ll give you credit for making a statement, but suggest that there may be better ways to do that. But to joke and talk during the song and to babble some nonsense about not participating because you’re a member of a certain ethnic group or even a religion is wrong. If you are going to protest, do it with dignity. Don’t make a joke of it.
It’s clear Howard hasn’t thought this through, just as he hasn’t thought a lot of things through. Again, he seems like a pretty decent guy. I actually applauded when he said on the radio that he sometimes smokes marijuana. It’s about time somebody admitted it. Heck, even Sarah Palin said she used to smoke it. If more people ‘fessed up, we wouldn’t have to spend billions of dollars a year and ruin thousands of lives for the “crime” of smoking an herb that has never caused a documented death through overdose, a drug that was outlawed for no good reason to start with.
But then he got cited for drag racing on a public highway. That’s another act of sheer stupidity. People in his position shouldn’t be drag racing on the streets. If he wants to test his car against someone else, he can pay both their entry fees at a local drag strip -- $25 a car ought to cover it. But doing it in the street? Doesn’t he know he can lose that fabulous job that allows him to act like a knucklehead?
And now this with the National Anthem. He doesn’t “celebrate” it because “I’m black?”
What is that supposed to mean? Is he saying that blacks get a raw shake in this country, so he’s making a protest? If so, how about saying that. But if you’re going to say that, explain to me how a man with African heritage is running for President. And explain how Oprah Winfrey is one of the most powerful opinion molders in the country. Then tell me how a black woman got to be Secretary of State, a job she took over from a black man.
I’m not suggesting the hood is good place to grow up. It’s not. But don’t tell me there aren’t opportunities for everyone in this country, whether it’s a black guy raised by a single mom or a white, moose-hunting hockey mom. The real point is, you have to take advantage of those opportunities. If you sit around whining about how everybody’s picking on you, you’re going to have a miserable life.
What Howard, a handsomely paid and admired star, said is an insult to every American, black and white. It’s an insult to the nation that made it possible for him to act with such stunning lack of common sense.
The country gives you a chance, and it’s a lot better one than you’ll get just about anywhere else. Look around at what you have, Josh. Think about where it came from. Then get back to me on the anthem.
