William C. Dowling, tenured professor at Rutgers, is strongly opposed to the University's transformation into high-stakes athletics that was brought on by their football program's recent success. His frustrations reached newspapers this week.
"If you were giving the scholarship to an intellectually brilliant kid who happens to play a sport, that's fine," Dowling said. "But they give it to a functional illiterate who can't read a cereal box, and then make him spend 50 hours a week on physical skills. That's not opportunity. If you want to give financial help to minorities, go find the ones who are at the library after school."
Rutgers athletic director told local newspapers that Dowling's comment was "a blatantly racist statement."
Dowling, who was arrested in the 60's for being a civil right's activist, defended his statement by calling Rutgers president racist for running an athletic program that exploits minorities. Dowling was quoted as saying,"None of these kids would have been able to get into Rutgers if they hadn't been able to throw something or kick something or slam dunk something."
Now, I was on Don Imus' side when they pulled the race card for the nappy headed hoe-down, which you might disagree with. However, for the athletic director to call Dowling's comment blatantly racist is beyond me. There might be racial implications, but looking into Dowling's past, he clearly is not a racist.
It is sad that we live in a country that is so overly sensitive and politically correct that often times the truth is masked, and even ignored. Why is racism assumed in our country? Even Don Imus' case was assumed racism. It was more name calling than racist. I agree 100% with Dowling on this one, and the media and Rutgers need to put the race card back in their liberal pockets.
6 comments:
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, and I DID think Imus was racist, but even I don't see what's racist about this statement. Eff Mulcahy.
All this politically correct bullshit is driving me nucking futs. That Professor is exactly right. The fact is, and always will be, that athletics brings money, and most white dudes don't compare athletically. Graduating in the communications department, you really get a sense on whose is on an athletic ride, and whose is not.
you also learn to not proofread comments on blogs before posting them.
My favorite issue of race was Air Force last year saying they can't compete because they have too many white guys. How is THAT racist towards minorities? If anything, it's a bona fide compliment. They ARE better than us at sports. I just don't understand.
As far as this, Imus should've been disciplined because, regardless, it did come across as racist. Not fired, but disciplined somehow. I think that Rutgers player withdrawing her lawsuit to "focus on her education" really shows the lack of validity in the argument against him and he'll have the last laugh when another radio network picks him up.
This new thing is just stupid though. Rutgers needs to let the race issues die and teach their own student body about respecting service organizations.
just being near those functionally illiterates has rubbed off on you
that comment was to colia
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