Jason Whitlock has established a career by spewing ignorant statements. The Fox Sports personality continued his irrational behavior during a recent appearance on “The Herd.”
In response to LeBron James falling victim to a racist who vandalized his home, Whitlock dismissed the notion by claiming the wealth is a shield from racism.
“Racism is an issue in America but is primarily an issue for the poor. It’s not LeBron James’ issue,” Whitlock said. “He has removed himself from the damages and the ravages of real racism. He may have an occasional disrespectful interaction with someone, a disrespectful inconvenience.”
Whitlock continued his ridiculous rant by saying, “This message that we are constantly pumping out to young Black people that we’re just victims and oh my God the worst thing in the world is to be Black in America, is just not true. The worst thing to be in America and anywhere on the planet is poor. Go do the numbers, go do the stats. If you’re poor, regardless of color, you’re catching hell in America and on this planet.”
Whitlock doesn’t understand how white supremacy operates to create a racist society. White supremacy can affect Blacks on every socioeconomic level. It goes beyond a spray painted wall. Racism is systemic.
Racism is when Dr. Dre was detained by police after telling a white man, who was in front of his home, to leave. The white man felt threatened and called the police. Dr. Dre was detained and received a citation. Money didn’t shield Dr. Dre from being racially profiled by police in front of his own home.
Racism is when Jay Z faced discrimination when attempting to buy a penthouse in the Tribeca area of New York. White residents even hired a lawyer to ensure he wouldn’t be able to purchase the home.
Racism is when Oprah was told that a bag was too expensive while shopping at a store in Switzerland. The clerk figured that a Black person couldn’t afford a $38K handbag. It also proved that White supremacy is a worldwide concept.
Jay Z and Dr. Dre are both close to being billionaires and Oprah passed the mark years ago. However, they all faced discrimination that a White person, in similar economic positions, would not have to confront. Those are the effects of white supremacy.
And beyond the experiences of super wealthy Blacks, rich, middle-class and college-educated Blacks also face issues. From 1992 to 2013, college-educated whites saw their wealth soar to 86 percent while college-educated Blacks saw their wealth decline by 55 percent.
There is a high cost to being Black in America. Whitlock’s denial of this fact is just another factor of White supremacy. Yes, it’s also something that can be embraced by a misinformed Black man.
