Month: May 2018

This was a very interesting article as it explored concepts that I have never thought about. It discussed the belief that Trump was solely elected based on the fact that White dominancy needed to be restored. It began to mention an interview of a young Trump in which he explained he would rather be a well-educated African American rather than a well-educated White individual. This was not taken literally as Trump did not actually wish to be black, but instead, he was expressing a white resentment of anyone encroaching on white privileges. Trump has always been one to support white supremacy and patriarchy, and so individuals  who also believed in these things thought Trump was their last hope to go back to the ways when Whites dominated over African Americans. Especially with the fact that the white population decreasing, whilst ethnic groups are on the rise, individuals that believe that whites should have power over blacks knew someone needed to be in charge that had the same views. Trump had the ability to embody and project the worries that white Americans should face, making many individuals also believe that this was a major problem that needed to be fixed. Individuals who believe in white vulnerability and racial resentment knew that Trump was their only hope in to getting what their real wishes were. Individuals who think that Trump was elected solely based on economic anxiety is a false thought.There was even an analysis that proved that racial resentment is the driving force of economic anxiety. So, all in all, Trump was not elected for economic reasons, instead, he was elected to please white supremacists.

Over the past 18 months, the NFL has seen an unprecedented amount of protest. The evolution from kneeling during the National Anthem to arguing with the President of the United States, it has become clear that professional athletes play a significant role in the eradication of racism. However, on the eve of the NFL Draft just less than a week ago, Yahoo sports surfaced racially insensitive tweets from top quarterback prospect, Josh Allen. The tweets, sent in 2012 and 2013 when Allen was still in high school, contain offensive language and homophobic phrases, such as,”If it ain’t white it ain’t right.” The unique aspect of the story is the multiple reports that have suggested that an NFL team leaked the tweets, in hope that Allen would fall later in the draft. The Cleveland Browns had the first overall pick along with the fourth pick, selected Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield first, ruling Allen out as the first overall pick. Approaching the seventh pick and Allen still on the board, the Buffalo Bills traded up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and selected Allen with the seventh overall pick. Although the tweets only slightly hurt Allen’s draft stock, he was going to have to answer to the media as well as his new teammates. Shortly after Allen was picked, Buffalo Bills leader and linebacker Lorenzo Alexander told the media that Allen would have to answer to his teammates about the tweets but will chastise him for something he tweeted in high school. While talking on the phone with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, he expressed his regret and takes full responsibility for his actions but also referenced that some of the tweets were rap lyrics; also the ‘white is right’ tweet was quoting an episode of popular TV show Modern Family. Alexander expressed that he is going to give Allen a chance to prove himself on and off the field, but also stressed that some of Allen’s new teammates might not be so forgiving. All things considered, Josh Allen is going to have an uphill battle from the moment he steps in the Bills facility with proving his worth as a player and his character as a teammate and friend.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23321086/josh-allen-apologizes-offensive-tweets-high-school-resurface