The Race Card Has Two Sides
Why does playing the so-called race card only apply to African-Americans?
When African-Americans protest systemic racism, discrimination and oppression, many bigots dismiss their claims by complaining that African-Americans constantly play the race card.
By when a White bigot resorts to outright racism, White supremacy and discrimination, those same White bigots that call out African-Americans for playing the race card stay quiet as a church mouse.
First year Florida State University football coach Willie Taggart recently endured the worst season in Seminoles history in over 30 years.
The Seminoles went 5-7 on the season and ended the 2018 campaign by losing to their archrival University of Florida, 41-14 on Saturday, Nov. 24.
But instead of criticizing Taggart for his failures on the gridiron during his first season in Tallahassee, Fla., a Seminole fan instead posted an image of Taggart getting lynched because of his subpar 2018 season.
Luckily, other Florida State fans immediately called out the racist fan for posting the image of Taggart’s face superimposed on a lynching victim.
Florida State University (FSU) President John Thrasher immediately called the action of the fan despicable.
Thrasher said, “I speak for the entire FSU community in expressing our disgust and extreme disappointment and I am glad that the state attorney is investigating. Coach Taggart has our full support, and as true Seminoles know, he is a respected member of the FSU family.”
Furthermore, the racist fan’s employer Hilton Grand Vacations suspended him for his actions as of RegalMag.com’s press time.
“Our concern regarding this situation is top priority,” said Lauren George, spokesperson for Hilton Garden Vacations. “The team member responsible has been suspended while further action is being considered. We want to ensure that all Team Members’ behavior is consistent with our values and code of conduct.”
Everyone involved, other than the racist jerk himself, deserves credit for how they handled the racist incident.
But why is that when White people interject race unnecessarily into a conversation, they are never accused of playing the race card like their African-American counterparts?
When an African-American smashes through that proverbial glass ceiling and becomes the first from the African-American community to accomplish a feat, many Black people laud their accomplishments because we know how difficult it is to succeed as a Black person in America.
Furthermore, African-Americans hope that the accomplishments of someone from our community will inspire the next generation to achieve greatness as well.
But when African-Americans praised the first African-American president, we got criticized for making something racial that should not be racial.
When Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel shattered stereotypes at the 2016 Summer Olympics about African-Americans and swimming, many from our community put her on a pedestal as a true inspiration for younger African-Americans.
It did not help that Manuel attended the prestigious Stanford University either.
But by mentioning her race, despite the racist legacy surrounding African-Americans not even being allowed to swim at hotels and community recreation centers, many bigots claimed that we were playing the race card by not just celebrating a great American champion without categorizing her by her race.
Additionally, when African-American quarterbacks, coaches and general managers led NFL teams to Super Bowl victories, bigots again downplayed race as important to the narrative.
However, when an African-American fails to live up to expectation or flat out fails, those same bigots seemingly cannot wait to make race a part of the story.
Therefore, those bigots are playing the race card just as much as the African-Americans that they often complain about.
Early this football season, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson made one of the most boneheaded decisions in franchise history, which might have cost his team the win against the rival Tennessee Titans, formerly known as the Houston Oilers.
But instead of criticizing that boneheaded decision for what it was, Onalaska Independent School District superintendent Lynn Redden made the entire Watson meltdown about race.
To paraphrase, Redden said that you could never trust a Black quarterback.
Furthermore, he said that Black quarterbacks have a history of not succeeding in the NFL relative to their White counterparts.
While the superintendent faced national criticism and eventually resigned, I did not hear one White bigot call him out for playing the race card.
And let’s be frank, what he did was the epitome of playing the race card.
If African-American fans said that the Texans are enjoying an eight game winning streak because the team has an African-American quarterback, social media and article comments would be engulfed with bigots crying that we are playing the race card.
Honestly, Texans quarterbacks from the past like David Carr, Matt Schaub and Brock Osweiler (who are all White) have not shown an ounce of the talent and leadership traits that Watson possess.
Honestly, when Watson and Taggart do not live up to expectations they should receive criticism like anyone else.
However, to point that criticism towards race is the epitome of playing the race card.
To put it bluntly, White people should be criticized for playing the race card if they criticize African-Americans for supposedly playing the same card too.
What is good for the goose should always be good for the gander.
However, that reality of that hypocrisy is the exact definition of racism and so many Americans have thrived on racism that they do not even see their double standards.
If African-Americans cannot mention race without facing criticism for playing the race card, the same rules should apply to White people.
And the fact that White bigots do not call out their brethren for playing the race card proves how racist they truly are.
Fortunately, enough non-bigots (Black and White) called out the idiot who posted the online threat against Taggart.
The first year football coach at Florida State has some big shoes to follow in Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher, both national champions during their tenures in Tallahassee.
But racism should not add to the pressure of leading a blueblood institution.
Unfortunately, no one should be naïve enough to believe that race will not play a factor in how Taggart is judged.
But those who base their opinions on Taggart on race are playing the race card, and should be called out for their ignorance and double standards.
