Jason Whitlock: Bootlicker Extraordinaire
I didn’t know who Jason Whitlock is until a day or two ago. I’m not much of a sports guy, and I’ve never read much sports news or analysis. However, a recent story of his floated by and caught my attention due to the title:
WHITLOCK: USA OR NBA? THAT IS AN EASY CHOICE FOR ME
I suppose the article struck my eye as that seems like a strange dichotomy, so I clicked on it and gave it a read.
:: eye roll ::
So, where do we begin with this drivel? Well, I guess we’ll start with being sure we all have a base common knowledge on what a bootlicker is…
Courtesy of Urban Dictionary:
Someone who kisses up to their oppressors’ thoughts and feelings rather than being aware of their own communities’ needs to survive. Hypothetically licking your oppressors boot for basic human respect from them.
Person A: Why has Joe all of a sudden been defending actual nazis? Isnt he Jewish?
Person B: Oh yeah, he’s a bootlicker now. He’s claiming it’s because they have freedom of speech while being blissfully unaware of the repercussions that happened from the publication of Mein Kampf.
Now, I’m not generally in favor of calling people things like “bootlicker”, however when the shoe fits, my father would’ve told you to put it on and walk it off.
You really don’t have to move past the opening paragraph of the article to get the gist of the article, as well as have a “WTF?” look on your face.
Whitlock comments that he’s tired of the Black Lives Matter splashed across the court, the “vote” t-shirts….
Wait, wait, wait…
Now, of course, there have been many blacks throughout history who weren’t in favor of seeing blacks as a whole find better footing in society, or even more accurately, found monetary gain in helping to denigrate and oppress blacks en mass.
I’m looking at you Candace Owens.
So I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.
However, let’s stop and think about this for a moment. The NBA is primarily comprised of African American players. In fact, 81.1 percent of NBA players in 2020 are black. Source In fact, the NBA has the highest percentage of African American players of any US professional sports league.
Of course, since the beginning of the current movement in the United States, there have been calls for NBA players to “keep dunking balls and stop talking politics”. But, those calls strike me as nothing more than assholery. The fact that those calls are coming from a black man, while laughable, is equally unfortunate and disgusting.
Add on to that that voter suppression, particularly of African American communities, is a real threat as we move towards the 2020 presidential election, and Jason Whitlock should be applauding such high profile reminders and calls for people, both black and white, to vote.
The Texas Tribune: Votes, voting rights groups sue Gov. Greg Abbott over order to close ballot drop-off locations
NYT: Michigan charges two right-wing operatives with felonies over voter suppression scheme.
NPR: A look at voter suppression tactics ahead of the election
Vanity Fair: Texas Governor now committing emergency voter suppression
But nope…Jason wants those black bodies to dance for him, but not speak their minds.
I also loved his insinuations that America is not an inherently. racist nation. Only a few days ago, the President of the United States was unwilling to denounce white supremacy on primetime national television. Additionally, despite what his cronies want to put forward as his intentions, white hate groups like the Proud Boys took his words to “Stand down and Stand by” as a celebration of their significance in the fabric of American society.
Jason Whitlock, my only real question for you is are you still invited to Thanksgiving dinner? Do you discourage your momma from voting? Do you tell her that political activism that sheds an unflattering light on America isn’t worth black folks’ time?
I am so over these bootlicking blacks wiling to sell their own brothers and sisters down the river for a few more clicks. No, you don’t have to be all in on the revolution of thought and justice that is raging in this country, but placing yourself as a full on adversary to the movement. Well, I suppose if it keeps money in his wallet, then it’s all good right?
I would love to sit and chat with Jason Whitlock. I wonder if he’s been able to live a life free of racial animus, therefore he’s convinced himself it doesn’t exist?
Perhaps.
I’ve never been a big NBA fan, however, I applaud every time the players take a stand to keep in conversation the injustices of this country that we see to see with daily frequency, whether they be political or social.
Jason Whitlock is just another self-hating dude, with a little power, who unfortunately uses it to rundown people who look like him. He considers himself a “brave contrarian”.
Well, I’ve got way better names for him. Holla.
Photo by Noah Pederson on Unsplash
