Shani Davis - jazzman of the ice
He's black, he's American and he can skate. So what's the big deal? Simply that he's young, black, outspoken, iconoclastic and has issues. This is still not a good place to be in America. Sad but true. But like the jazzmen of old and even now, there is a place where he is appreciated. That place is the Netherlands. I hear they also like jazz there?




Jazz and speedskating have a lot in common. Form is key, rhythm is its own melody. Art in motion, art in sound. And it just so happens that he's young and black. But he gets little respect. Speedskating just isn't that much of a big deal in the states. If he could play ball well, that would be a whole different story.

Check this article out for more info: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/magazine/07Davis-t.html?scp=2&sq=Shani%20davis&st=cse

Sometimes we have to play by a different tune - our own. Wondering what my tune is? Do you know what yours is?

Just wonderin'

But if you are dancing to a different tune, then you shouldn't expect others to dance on eggshells around you. For someone who claims to be mature and independant and not caring what other's think, he and his mom sure run around a lot "proving" this. Plus, their empathy for other people's struggles are extremely shallow, but they want everyone to take notice of theirs? Things that make you go hmmmmmmm.

ALEX

IF any person is a good athelte they should be acknowleged
for this but if they seem to want to show off or
have a chip on their shoulder that is another thing


dgrimm60

LIZ

YES I agree they seem to want to prove something

dgrimm60

I love you, Liz, for noticing something other than the politically correct. Does it seriously matter what color this skater is? If it matters to some people, I have to wonder, "Why?"

IS there a difference between 'tune' and 'tone' in what you are referring to?

Personally I've found from my experience ...

If you are white ... color doesn't matter.

If you are black ... color matters a great deal.

Hey Woody,

Your experience serves you well - being black in America does matter. It matters a lot.

Racism hasn't disappeared just because we have a black President.

And karl - it does matter that this skater is black, Do you know of any others? It matters just like it does for others e.g. Swedes, Norwegians, Russians, Asians, Americans, Canadians etc.

Alex

This is not a valid comparison in my humble opinion.

Black is not a country nor a nationality. If it was we would be having the Olympics with the blacks against the whites. Why does the color of one's skin matter?

It matters only to the blacks who find the color of their skin an opportunity to cash in. They also think they can cry wolf. My personal experience finds that they are the biggest racists. They make skin color an issue when it shouldn't be.

We clearly do not need to pit skin color against skin color ... white against black. Why not just unite as nationalities instead of skin.

Woody,

You should be ashamed of yourself as a Christian for making this statement:

"It matters only to the blacks who find the color of their skin an opportunity to cash in. They also think they can cry wolf. My personal experience finds that they are the biggest racists. They make skin color an issue when it shouldn't be."

Is this the way you perceive your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who happen to be black?

Alex (half black - half white)

I do agree Woody that there are rare cases of this, but very few and far between at that. I worked for an employer that got his company to be under the minority deal in Massachusetts, but would only hire one African American (at a time even and didn't think anyone notice) and he thought he was doing his duties.

pk

Yes. I agree pk. Racism in all forms are in the minority. But my personal experience has shown me that more blacks are racists than whites. Just my experience for what that is worth ... which is probably not much to most here !!! HA HA HA

And Alex ... No. No shame. Just my experience.

OK, you say it matters, but you haven't told me why. Why should it NOT matter to whites or yellows that they are the colors they are, but it SHOULD matter to blacks that they are the color they are?

Sorry if I don't understand, but I've never thought of myself as a color except one time when five big black guys said they were going to kill me. It mattered then, but I don't think there are a bunch of white guys trying to kill this black skater.

Karl, Will you love me too if I notice something that's not PC?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------he's got a girl's name!

"OK, you say it matters, but you haven't told me why."

It's because there are no other black skaters of his caliber - period! It's his uniqueness as an athlete not a statement about racism in America.

Please correct me if I'm wrong about this but if you are the only only one of your kind to do anything, I think that matters and makes you very special!

And your comment about being threatened to be killed is a logical non sequitur to say the least!

Alex

That's what made Mr. Davis so tough...his daddy gave him a "girlie" name.

I'd like to have half of his drive, though. Nothing would stop me from completing any tasks that I started.

Saxophones and jazz are OK to listen to in small doses. I prefer the drones and rhythms of the sitar and drums as background music.

He's an ATHLETE. Why act like he's the only black athlete that ever won a gold medal???? You act as if this was a life and death situation. Good grief.

p.s. "one of your kind" sounds racist to me the way you are using the phrase...

For Liz:






oG

We don't need affirmative action in sports. Let the best man win.


Shani's not Johann Olav Koss, but he's good.

Now back to our regular programming,



oG

Rudy is sounding good






oG

Well ... aren't we ALL unique in some way or another. Hey ... I'm the only Swiss 'n Swedish poster on this forum. I am thus ... "unique". WOW. Just WOW.

REDWOOD

WELL yes you are the only swed posting here
that I KNOW of

so wow wow wow

dgrimm60

AMEN

Yes Woody it would seem that you are the only swiss cheese posting on this forum! Oops I meant swedish cheese posting on this forum. :) My mistake. :)

pk

No can do, Doug. No love for Jesuits.

Well I'm willing to hug you all including Shani even if he does have a girly name.

I'm sorry to be so dense, Alex, and obviously not up to your level on the logic, but I still don't get it. Because Davis is a top caliber speed skater and is unique in a color sort of way compared to his fellow skaters, that gives him and his mother the right to have an attitude about it?

Please pardon me for not being able to understand that.

When I go down to the basketball court for a pickup game and everybody else there is black, does that give me license to have an attitude about being white? I certainly don't think so. My unique color on the court tends to instill in me a little bit LESS of an attitude.

There's a gal who plays piano every once in a while on 3ABN who was born with no forearm or hand on her right. She plays beautiful piano with her left hand and just the stub of an arm that ends near the elbow on the right. In the world of piano players, her uniqueness has got to be pretty high, yet she has no attitude about it. Has she overcome an almost insurmountable hurdle? Yep. Attitude? Nope. What if she were purple in color? Would that make the difference?

You guys are too much. LOL

Well Shani just won the silver tonight.

Cool.

And the rest of the contestants? Do they matter?

Oh. I'm sorry ... but they are not the topic of this thread. Please feel free to start a thread on them. One of them won gold and one of them won bronze. And the rest won nothing. But that's as much as I am allowed to tell you on this thread. :)

Racist! And probably Jesuit to boot!

:)