2008 Woodie Awards
Losing Isiah
Paul McNeill
Issue date: 9/25/07 Section: Sports
Stupidity is one thing; being dim-witted enough to flaunt idiocy is quite another.
Isiah Thomas, former NBA star and current coach and team president of the New York Knicks, was accused of harassing a former female team executive by, among other denigrations, repeatedly calling her a bitch. Last week in court, Thomas said that hearing a white man refer to a black woman as a bitch would be "highly offensive." So far, so good. Thomas then said that a black man calling a black woman a bitch wouldn't be as insulting. One would think the taste of his foot would have stopped Thomas right there. Surely if his lawyers were worth their degrees and high fees this would be an appropriate moment to call for recess and fault low blood sugar or food poisoning for Thomas' erratic behavior.
"I'm sorry to say I do make the distinction," Thomas said, later blaming his views on the way he was raised.
Ah yes, the trusty nature vs. nurture defense. Thomas wasn't born bigoted. His bias was cultivated during childhood, aged to perfection like fine wine. His is a Prejudice Blanc vintage 1961, ripened and plucked from the vine in Illinois, seasoned to perfection at Indiana University, uncorked and allowed to breathe in Detroit, and delicately sipped in a New York courtroom.
Thomas uses the same justification employed by many xenophobes, racists, and homophobes: don't blame me; blame the bigots who raised me. Thomas' parents surely appreciate being thrown under the bus to save an obviously desperate man, pathetically floundering for any escape from his self-induced predicament.
If Thomas is truly "sorry to say" that he distinguishes between white chauvinism and black chauvinism, why say it at all? If Thomas knows his views are misguided, why not develop a contrasting opinion? As if one can't unlearn concepts developed during childhood. As if outgrowing such antiquated notions is impossible. At the very least Thomas should have been wise and discreet enough to restrain from publicly expressing such foolish thoughts. Surely he didn't believe such a plea would get him off the hook?
Isiah Thomas, former NBA star and current coach and team president of the New York Knicks, was accused of harassing a former female team executive by, among other denigrations, repeatedly calling her a bitch. Last week in court, Thomas said that hearing a white man refer to a black woman as a bitch would be "highly offensive." So far, so good. Thomas then said that a black man calling a black woman a bitch wouldn't be as insulting. One would think the taste of his foot would have stopped Thomas right there. Surely if his lawyers were worth their degrees and high fees this would be an appropriate moment to call for recess and fault low blood sugar or food poisoning for Thomas' erratic behavior.
"I'm sorry to say I do make the distinction," Thomas said, later blaming his views on the way he was raised.
Ah yes, the trusty nature vs. nurture defense. Thomas wasn't born bigoted. His bias was cultivated during childhood, aged to perfection like fine wine. His is a Prejudice Blanc vintage 1961, ripened and plucked from the vine in Illinois, seasoned to perfection at Indiana University, uncorked and allowed to breathe in Detroit, and delicately sipped in a New York courtroom.
Thomas uses the same justification employed by many xenophobes, racists, and homophobes: don't blame me; blame the bigots who raised me. Thomas' parents surely appreciate being thrown under the bus to save an obviously desperate man, pathetically floundering for any escape from his self-induced predicament.
If Thomas is truly "sorry to say" that he distinguishes between white chauvinism and black chauvinism, why say it at all? If Thomas knows his views are misguided, why not develop a contrasting opinion? As if one can't unlearn concepts developed during childhood. As if outgrowing such antiquated notions is impossible. At the very least Thomas should have been wise and discreet enough to restrain from publicly expressing such foolish thoughts. Surely he didn't believe such a plea would get him off the hook?
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