At the same time, through programs of school “integration”, by the school year of 1970 my homeroom teacher was black, and there were plenty of blacks in the integrated class of my local elementary school. But in 1971-72, the integration program bused me to Nishuane, a mostly black school – and a nightmare.
Again, this wasn’t long after Malcolm X declared that “the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that the black man would rule” and not long after the black race riots in 1967 burned the nearby town where I was born, Newark; while it was taboo to take an identitarian stance against even saying anything about that, even then.
Though I hadn’t liked baseball to that point, found it boring, when turning the TV channels in an idle moment after coming home from that black school in September 1971, I stopped on a Yankees game just long enough to repeat what I heard a fan from the crowd shout – “hit a home run, Bobby!” Surprisingly enough Bobby Murcer and I had the same kind of adrenaline rush as I did with the Kermit Alexander punt return… this rush leading me into the pseudo objectivity and the soothing reliability of baseball statistics; but still there was something even more immediately mainlining into the older parts of the brain via the sports thing of NFL films.
I’m sure this kind of thing hooked many a kid, not just me.
In this I got a program, maybe what we’d now call a site, to identify with the venting of my spleen, my rage, will to action, to run, to identify with a tribe, to bask in the glory and to identify with, well, actually, White guys…..and we could share in widespread appreciation that was not forthcoming, personally, i.e., whereas we might otherwise not be given much support in identity (((to say the least))). In this quasi-identity, with our masculine strength alone and mere uniforms distinguishing teams [the players did not even come from the towns that “they played for!”] we could at least assimilate fighting for an identity together, not against our own – quite unlike my family, my (((American society))) and my Europe.
“The fearsome foursome”, Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen …the cool uniforms, winning ways, Roman Gabriel, exotic Los Angeles. I could identify fiercely with them. On Monday night, October 24 1970, my parents let me stay up late….almost..I got to see Kermit Alexander’s exhilarating punt return….the Rams were stopped on the goal line just before halftime. I was broken hearted, but optimistic that they could play the Vikings, they could win. I didn’t want to be torn away from the TV but my parents would not let me stay up..
Unlikely White wide receiver, Cooper Kupp, deservedly wins Superbowl MVP as the Rams win their second ever Super Bowl championiship.
I should not myself nor should I recommend that anyone attend to N-ball; however, with the Rams fielding a team that is half White (so, at least that), same as their 1979 Super Bowl team, and having the phenomenal Cooper Kupp to identify with, along with Stafford at QB, I indulged to pay attention whereas I almost never do. I should not have and the half time show was another alienating rap music disgrace, featuring “Snoop Dogg”… whom the aware might remember from a “Justin Bieber” roast, asking the question. And in this most public forum, what Snoop Dogg would like to know from Natasha Leggero on stage:
‘What I wanna’ know is…
…have you ever sucked a black dick, you fox?”
Martha Stewart (apparently thinks this is delightful, laughs and claps) along with Justin Bieber and plenty of White cuckolds in attendance (same ilk as the Super Bowl attendees). In response to the laughter, Dogg adds, “I really want to know!”
M & M, Dr. Dre, Beyonce and Snoop Dogg
In disgrace, M & M cucks the knee to BLM
Tom Brady and a word from Aristotle…
Note: I’ve made some corrections to the paragraph about Tillman. I’ve also added a few remarks elsewhere in the piece and moved some things around to place them better.