Today my local park had a Chinese basketball tournament. To play on the front courts you had to be Chinese. Well, except for the black referees. It was a race or culture-based exclusionary event. When you're Chinese those things overlap a great deal.
I got a pick up game going on the back courts. One of the guys, interestingly enough, had a Negro League shirt all-star basketball shirt. And so, for the purposes of this blog, I asked him what he thought about this situation.
"You know we fought as a nation for integration. Now do you think it's right to have a game where no blacks or whites are allowed?"
He seemed genuinely intrigued, but unsure. His tentative response was, "Well, I guess its their neighborhood, I mean there are a lot of them around here, and that's what they want to do." His point was interesting. They were happy and content locals and they did have two American flags on some seats.
"But you wouldn't be happy if we had a whites only game, right? I mean your shirt was an all black league." "But that was forced!" He quickly replied. "Yeah, but if they had a choice, they'd have wanted to play with everyone, right?" "That's true."
We broke it off there as we were there for basketball. I noticed that he had Chinese writing on his arm. He, apparently, hadn't given much thought to the clash of civilizations! And this is a such delicate culturist subject it would even be a source of debate amongst self-identified culturists.
Loyalty is largely local. In World War Two, people fought for their families and neighborhood's safety as much as they did for America. What they loved about America was the life it had provided. Having happy citizens, like the Chinese ballers, deserves consideration.
And, as uncomfortable as it is for me to be asked to go to the back of the park, culturism is not just about me. It asks that we always focus on what is good for Western culture.
If we countenance Chinese leagues, then we have to agree to Islamic events where no Christians are allowed. These would likely be anti-American in tone and bad for Western civilization. The thought of whites-only events curdles my blood and would create hostile relations. You could make a historical argument why there could be Chinese leagues and no white leagues.
The culturist bottom line is that we need to foster assimilation and attachment to America and Western ideals. A neighborhood basketball association that demographically happened to be mostly Chinese would obviously meet this culturist goal better. Racism is wrong. A battle on these grounds would teach important culturist lessons, but it would also create resentment and possibly clash with our commitment to freedom.
In the end, the point is not my park. Separatism and the divisiveness that comes from the issues discussed herein result from multiculturalism. Our schools need to teach unity. We have to win such arguments in the marketplace of ideas and not the courts. Until we do, I guess we'll have to take comfort in the fact that they had those two American flags on the sidelines.
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Kobe for Culturist MVP!!!
Kobe Bryant deserves the MVP award from the National Basketball Association for numerous culturist reasons. Before writing on this, however, I must confess that I am a HUGE and PROUD lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. Culturism does not believe in objectivity. Be warned that I have long loved, rooted for and admired Kobe Bryant. That said, there are legitimate and important culturist reasons to celebrate Kobe's being awarded the MVP award.
Kobe's work ethic provides a culturist standard towards which we should all aspire. Kobe answers nearly all questions on bad nights, "We have to work harder, we have failings that we need to address and we have not reached our potential or personal goals." More impressively, Kobe answers questions on winning nights the same way. Kobe's poor personal relationship with Shaq O'Neil led to the dismembering of their three-time championship team. They were winning, but Kobe did not respect Shaq's poor work ethic. If more people consistently valued the work ethic, as Kobe does, we'd be a better nation.
People have criticized Kobe for being egotistical. This comes from an expectation of entertainment and clown like behavior in celebrities. Kobe smiles often, but he does not show up at parties and provide scandal. His public persona and answers to questions reflect seriousness. He has been accused of not helping his teammates and hogging the ball. His decisions all have to do with winning. Would you call Michelangelo conceited for not making small talk with the Pope? Was it selfish of Einstein to not teach much? Kobe has had harsh words and criticized teammates who do not work. This reflects his taking his craft seriously. Those who want a populist should not watch competitive endeavors. To call Kobe ungenerous is to misunderstand greatness.
The League has ignored Kobe due to the rape charges in Colorado. Kobe deserves some blame for this. But, our sick society deserves more. The woman who accused him had semen from several men in her underwear when the police came. She sought fame or infamy and did not mind the difference. We know where she got these values. Kobe was found not guilty. Since that time, four years ago, Kobe has been - as far as we can tell - totally dedicated to his wife, children and craft. How many NBA players do interviews with their children on their laps? Very few people daily display the devotion and dedication that Kobe displays. I am glad the league cares about morality. Yet they are long overdue in recognizing that Kobe has long been a role model for hard work, dedication, respect and good morals.
Kobe received a lot of flack for his anger at management and made remarks about leaving the Lakers early this year. As a Lakers fan I hated this and it scared me. But Kobe has only a limited number of years to dominate and he is competitive. Management was surrounding him with players who were not of his caliber. Kobe is not a socialist. His dedication is to excellence and winning. His pronouncements likely led to management getting off their duffs and trading aggressively. His complaining reflected real reasons for worry and showed leadership that has likely made our playoff success possible. Quietude in the face of mediocrity is not a virtue.
Kobe Bryant deserves the MVP award. All who honor achievement, dedication, the work ethic, excellence and competitiveness should congratulate him. Sports provide one of the only mass media areas where we actually still have the joy of seeing people dedicated to craft. Basketball has teams that are small enough to see the results of seriousness in individuals pay off. Actor's success comes via agents, lucky breaks and despite themselves. Interviews with important people do not discuss the work they put in to get that way. When we celebrate Kobe Bryant we celebrate the ethics that have made America a top competitor on the world stage. Kobe Bryant has earned the MVP award. He deserves a great culturist congratulation from all of America. Congratulations to Kobe Bryant, the 2007 - 2008 NBA MVP!
Kobe's work ethic provides a culturist standard towards which we should all aspire. Kobe answers nearly all questions on bad nights, "We have to work harder, we have failings that we need to address and we have not reached our potential or personal goals." More impressively, Kobe answers questions on winning nights the same way. Kobe's poor personal relationship with Shaq O'Neil led to the dismembering of their three-time championship team. They were winning, but Kobe did not respect Shaq's poor work ethic. If more people consistently valued the work ethic, as Kobe does, we'd be a better nation.
People have criticized Kobe for being egotistical. This comes from an expectation of entertainment and clown like behavior in celebrities. Kobe smiles often, but he does not show up at parties and provide scandal. His public persona and answers to questions reflect seriousness. He has been accused of not helping his teammates and hogging the ball. His decisions all have to do with winning. Would you call Michelangelo conceited for not making small talk with the Pope? Was it selfish of Einstein to not teach much? Kobe has had harsh words and criticized teammates who do not work. This reflects his taking his craft seriously. Those who want a populist should not watch competitive endeavors. To call Kobe ungenerous is to misunderstand greatness.
The League has ignored Kobe due to the rape charges in Colorado. Kobe deserves some blame for this. But, our sick society deserves more. The woman who accused him had semen from several men in her underwear when the police came. She sought fame or infamy and did not mind the difference. We know where she got these values. Kobe was found not guilty. Since that time, four years ago, Kobe has been - as far as we can tell - totally dedicated to his wife, children and craft. How many NBA players do interviews with their children on their laps? Very few people daily display the devotion and dedication that Kobe displays. I am glad the league cares about morality. Yet they are long overdue in recognizing that Kobe has long been a role model for hard work, dedication, respect and good morals.
Kobe received a lot of flack for his anger at management and made remarks about leaving the Lakers early this year. As a Lakers fan I hated this and it scared me. But Kobe has only a limited number of years to dominate and he is competitive. Management was surrounding him with players who were not of his caliber. Kobe is not a socialist. His dedication is to excellence and winning. His pronouncements likely led to management getting off their duffs and trading aggressively. His complaining reflected real reasons for worry and showed leadership that has likely made our playoff success possible. Quietude in the face of mediocrity is not a virtue.
Kobe Bryant deserves the MVP award. All who honor achievement, dedication, the work ethic, excellence and competitiveness should congratulate him. Sports provide one of the only mass media areas where we actually still have the joy of seeing people dedicated to craft. Basketball has teams that are small enough to see the results of seriousness in individuals pay off. Actor's success comes via agents, lucky breaks and despite themselves. Interviews with important people do not discuss the work they put in to get that way. When we celebrate Kobe Bryant we celebrate the ethics that have made America a top competitor on the world stage. Kobe Bryant has earned the MVP award. He deserves a great culturist congratulation from all of America. Congratulations to Kobe Bryant, the 2007 - 2008 NBA MVP!
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