brimsalabim":qv1stbje said:
FWIW Stephen A Smith went off on this subject this morning on a Mike & Mike segment. He also said that he gets accused of the same almost every time he takes a position that is not popular with some in the black community. He pointed out that Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Jordon among others have been accused of the same so Russell is in pretty good company,
Smith is such a dumbass, it would be best if he just stayed out of it. Ali accused of not being black enough? That's nuts. Ali made clear he was pro-black at every opportunity. He constantly badgered Frazier, saying he was a "puppet for the white man", calling him "house___" and "Uncle___" almost non-stop over many years and 3 fights. Very hurtful to Frazier as he was raised in a share cropper's family, not long removed for slavery. Ali did similar with foreman in Zaire in effort to gain popularity (and an advantage) for the rumble in the jungle.
He also changed his name because Cassius was his "slave name". In refusing to fight in Nam, he commented "No Vietnamese ever called me N _____". which I think is one of the greatest quotes of all time. Ali was the "black superman" with a song by that title made in tribute to him. If Smith thinks Ali wasn't "black enough", then he missed the point entirely believing this really was about skin tone.
Woods is Half Thai. I've interviewed Tiger Woods twice (Grand slam on Kauai) and surprisingly he was very much into Thai culture. His mom is VERY Thai and there is no more of a xenophobic race on the planet than the Thais.
I am sure his up-bringing included the teachings of Buddha and speaking with both he and his mom, I got the sense he was closer to her than he was to his dad. So maybe Woods isn't "black enough" for some, because he more identifies with an entirely different culture, embracing that culture's blood that also runs through his veins. Still, somewhere a Thai is saying right now...Woods isn't Thai enough.
Going forward, I am just going to totally disregard such slanderous, misplaced talk (period) and especially when directed towards someone of mixed blood. It's just so damn stupid.