[Ark2]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

Have you heard of the bus boycotts cause this was the start of it. So does that mean that they decided to take their ball and go home cause they refused to ride a bus?

my original comment about Rosa parks was that we were talking about people being chicken for making statements about racial intolerance

You seem to be confusing racism with making ignorant, insensitive comments. Saying that black people shouldn't be allowed to vote is a racist comment because you are inferring that not all races deserve equal rights. That is the very basis of racism. It is the belief that not all races are equal. Calling someone the N-word is a racially insensitive comment, and it may very well be spoken by racist person, but it is not, in itself, a racist comment. Now, I understand that most posters here who read this will strongly disagree with my last statement, and that is fine but in the interest of self preservation, let me just state that I don't use the N-word nor do I condone its use. However, the reason that I feel this way is because I think the word is insensitive and can be hurtful, not because it is a "racist word".

Now, getting back to the young hockey player that used the N-word: the reason that you can't compare this to bus boycotts is because this kid, for all we have been made aware of, did not make a comment that infringed upon the other player's rights due to his race. Furthermore, even if he had made such a comment, he was not of any authority to have been able to enforce it. Once again, you are attempting to use a comparison that does not apply here.

This coaches stand drives home a point that just sticking around and finishing a game may never have. People are talking about racism perhaps the end result of his actions are bigger than the poor lesson that you felt the kids had recieved from this experience.

Perhaps nationwide attention in this matter is not what was needed. It seems that you, along with many other posters, have already concluded that the player that used the racial slur is a racist. It seems that some people don't subscribe to the possibility that he might just have made an ignorant comment that he shouldn't have, was punished for it by the league and now realizes that he has to choose his words more carefully because he understands the weight that they carry. Somehow, I think this would have been far better handled had both teams finished the game and then had the league handled the discipline of the player afterwards without attracting this media #$%@storm.