Rob Parker: Douche Bag

Every now and then, I come across a story online that really gets under my skin.  Sometimes, my blood reaches its boiling point over something incredibly stupid or insulting.

And then I read this story.

If there is something above furious, that's my reaction to this story.  But to get proper context, I had to find a video clip of Rob Parker's quotes.  Just in case reading that article didn't anger you, watch this clip:

I....I...I just....I don't even know where to start with this one.

I guess I will start by asking what exactly the hell Parker means by Griffin not being "down with the cause."  What cause is he referring to?  Is he implying that because Griffin is engaged to a white woman, Republican, and Christian, he can't relate to the common black man in America?  And what "issue" does Parker think Griffin has exactly?

Hey, Rob!  Maybe Griffin has an issue with people like YOU putting unfair and inaccurate labels on him.  I won't dare speak on Griffin's behalf, considering he could easily respond to your insipid and offensive remarks if he wanted to.  On the other hand, if he chose to reply to your comments, that would actually mean what you had to say meant something to him.  Every interview I've seen him in thus far shows him to be an educated, intelligent, classy, and well-spoken young man.  He's above giving you the time of day, much less actually get into a war of words with you.  He'd end up tearing you to shreds if he did.

Sigh....ANYWAY.

Let me see if I get Parker's words straight here.  He seems to think that any young black man who falls in love with a white woman and proclaims to be a conservative Republican actually sets back the black community as a whole.  Does anyone else see the irony to his words here?  Doesn't questioning Griffin and his beliefs and choice of woman in his life set society as a whole (not just the black community) back, and not Griffin's actions?

Just who the hell does Parker think he is questioning Griffin in who he dates and who he votes for?  If he really wants to make this a political issue, then what does he have to say to the likes of Herman Cain, Peter Boulware, Lynn Swann, Clarence Thomas, and J.C. Watts?  Are those men all equally unable to relate to the modern American black man because of their political affiliation?

I won't even bother getting into his comments about Griffin's braids in his hair.  Such a statement is so incredibly stupid, I am shocked and appalled that Parker even had the nerve to bring Griffin's hair into the equation.

Once I had read Parker's comments and watched his video clip, I was immediately reminded of the backlash Rush Limbaugh got on ESPN in 2003 for his comments on Donovan McNabb.  In case you don't remember, here's the complete clip of his remarks:

Oh, the irony.  On so many levels.

You may recall that Rush was fired from ESPN directly for his remarks.  I'm sure he didn't lose any sleep over it or anything, considering he's still as successful to this day nine years later.  But let's think about his words for a moment.  He said McNabb was an overrated quarterback who had mostly succeeded because the Eagles' defense got the team as far as they had gone up to that point (they had reached the NFC Championship game in two consecutive seasons by that point, and McNabb was in his fifth season in the NFL at the time).  At no time did Limbaugh ever say anything like McNabb stunk as a quarterback because he was black.  He said the media wanted him to succeed because he was black, and gave him more credit than he was otherwise due.  (Also, if you read the transcript of the clip, Michael Irvin noted more than once that Limbaugh had a point)

Compare Limbaugh's comments to Parker's.  Parker's comments are far more incendiary and offensive in nature than anything Limbaugh had to say.  Parker called into question Griffin's values, culture, and nature as a man based upon who he plans on marrying and his political views.  If Parker isn't fired by ESPN for his remarks, then I don't see how ESPN could make any claim of consistency in their actions.

Oh wait - I get it now.  Limbaugh is a white conservative and Parker is black.  It's totally okay for one black man to accuse another of being a fraud to the rest of the black community unjustly, but God forbid a white man to make any comment that has anything remotely to do with racial overtones.  We just don't know what we're talking about.

But you know, there's a bigger picture here.  I've come to believe that the concept of racism is a fallacy.  Blacks and whites aren't of different races at all; we are all one race together.  We're the HUMAN race.  Sure, there are hundreds of different cultures across the planet, and many cultures have a mixture of ethnic heritages within them.  Just because we may have different cultural and ethnic backgrounds doesn't mean we are separate races.  At what point did society decide that skin color defined one race apart from another?

Maybe once we all realize that we are all one race, people like Rob Parker won't keep setting us back.