Chris Holmes Online

I was on my way out the door today, Friday, the most enjoyable work day of the week because it’s the last one, when I decided to give ESPN.com one more pass. I stumbled upon this column written by Scoop Jackson, the same Scoop Jackson that I took issue with last year.

Scoop is upset because one of his idols, Jason Whitlock, a famous black writer for the Kansas City Star, ripped him publicly. Scoop doesn’t try to understand why Whitlock takes issue with him and his work, and instead takes the approach that Whitlock doesn’t “get” his “words”.

Wrong conclusion Scoop.

Here’s my guess as to why Whitlock dismisses Scoop so harshly and in such a public fashion. It’s probably the same reason I dislike him too: Because he makes race an issue every single time he puts his thoughts down on paper. Scoop sees the world through tinted glasses; a world where black people are always at a disadvantage and white people are to blame. When Scoop Jackson writes about sports, he writes about race, and one doesn’t even have to read between the lines to understand the sheer venom and hatred Scoop has for the white race – it oozes off the page like ectoplasm.

Some of us white people grew up in households where we were taught that race didn’t matter. We grew up colorblind, believing that the good or evil of the person, the intelligence or ignorance, kindness or selfishness, had nothing to do with skin color. Yes, I’ve experienced racism; I’ve heard white people say things that made me very angry to be of the same color. But I recognize that for exactly what it is: ignorance. And just like there are white people who hate based on color, there are black people who hate based on color as well. I’ve experienced that too; I’ve had a black man want to beat me down simply because I was white. The thing about racism is, it doesn’t discriminate. Anyone is free to hate anyone else based on color or nationality, and unfortunately, some people do just that.

But the issue here is Scoop. When he writes, it reads like racism. It smacks of hate. It’s not sports that Scoop is writing about, it’s racism, 24/7. And for a lot of us who grew up colorblind, listening to our ignorant bretheren flap their jaws with racist remarks, the words of a person like Scoop Jackson make us pause. More than anything, they make us aware that hate based on color still exists, and the door swings both ways. Hateful, hurtful words from Scoop, whether blatant or veiled, feed the cancer of racism that permeates our nation.

I honestly want to forget about race. I want my kids to not even recognize that someone is of a different nationality or color. I just want them to see people. Good or bad, good hearts or meanspirited, but I want them to see people and not color. I want race to be a non-issue. And the only way that’s ever going to happen is if we work collectively, as a species, to ignore race. Journalists like Jason Whitlock have done that; they’ve moved beyond race. Whitlock isn’t a great black sports journalist – he’s just a great sports journalist.

Scoop Jackson is still staring the “black” part of his title; he can’t decide whether to be proud, angry, or both.

As long as Scoop Jackson keeps making race the focal point of every article he writes, racism won’t go away. And Scoop will continue to be perceived by people like me as a racist. And journalists like Whitlock will continue to dislike what Scoop does professionally.

So here’s my advice, Mr. Scoop Jackson: turn off the internal hate machine. Whatever it is at your core that’s made you see the world through racist eyes, just get rid of it. Quit making race an issue every time you fire up your world processor. Think about sports, and not race, when you write. Most importantly: just stop seeing color. Because the more people quit seeing color, the faster we’ll get out of this barbaric social stage we’re in.