Al Sharpton has made his way back into headlines with an attack on a New York Post column about Giants WR Plaxico Burress, calling the column racist. In his Monday column, Post writer Steve Serby started his rant about Burress with:
Good for Tom Coughlin. Good for Coughlin for tightening the noose around Plaxico Burress.
Sharpton says that the use of the term “noose” is a direct reference to the lynching of blacks. He is demanding that the Post apologize and investigate the column “or else.” Burress was held out of the first quarter of Sunday’s game by Coughlin.
I’m curious to hear what others think about this. I was trying to think of a gay-related analogy, but “Good for Tom Coughlin for stitching a pink triangle on the jersey of Jeremy Shockey” doesn’t quite equate.
on Oct 28th, 2008 at 4:23 PM
I think you have to put it into context with the full column:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10272008/sports/giants/zero_tolerance_for_lax_plax_135508.htm
Serby would probably argue that since the reason Burress was suspended was missing a treatment for his neck, his allusion was both clever and appropriate.
But others might argue that it also has to be seen in the context of the Post’s obviously conservative slant to the “news” – somewhat like a print version of Fox.
In that context it might not be out of line to assume Serby’s intent was to subtlely applaud lynching to keep the big black guy under control rather than just his big colorless ego.
But fining Burress for egotism is like telling Kurt Warner to leave his christianity out of the locker room.
It won’t change Warner’s religion and it won’t change Burress’s ego.
But doing either could make the other players feel that the team is more important than one person’s preferences or vanity. And that’s a good thing IMO.
on Oct 28th, 2008 at 8:40 PM
Sportinlife…What the hell are you talking about? Somehow being conservative is akin to being racist? Somehow, if you would rather watch Fox News, you are afraid of the big black man getting out of control? What an ignorant statement.
Also, he wasn’t suspended, he was not allowed to start. He actually played in the game after the first quarter.
Getting back to the actual article, I am not a big fan of political correctness run amok, but I don’t really see any cleverness in the statement. What does tightening the noose mean? Shortening the leash…yeah, I guess I could see that, but I don’t see how the analogy of ‘tightening the noose’ applies to what Coughlin is actually doing.
Do I think that the author’s intent is racist? No.
Do I think that he could have very easily found a better metaphor to use in describing Coughlin’s actions? Probably.
Do I think that the good Rev. Al Sharpton is just trying to get his name in the paper? Absolutely.
on Oct 29th, 2008 at 12:03 PM
The use of the phrase “tightening the noose” might seem somewhat racially changed, given our historical and social context.
Dwayne Hamilton, it is curious that you find negative “intent” in Sharpton’s actions, but not Serby.
Perhaps, perhaps, that has something to do with what you are.