Is Charles Barkley a racist ?

[dstegjas]

I read where Charles Barkley is planning to change his will to donate 5 million dollars to Auburn university since the Supreme Court shot down affirmative action. Now he certainly has the right to do whatever he want with his money. He earned it and worked hard for it. My question is, because he is specifically saying it will be used for black students only. Is this a racist act on his part.

My thought has always been, if you reverse the situation and it sounds racist, it probably is. So to me, a white individual donating money that only white people can use is being racist. Why wouldn’t it be the same for Charles Barkley?

 

[Wvfarrier]

His money, his choice

 

[hittman]

The piece I read had him saying he hopes by making this donation, his alma mater ( Auburn ) will be able to continue being diverse. If true, I don’t have a problem with that.

Remember, this is the same guy who proclaimed I AM NOT A ROLE MODEL and he was RIGHT. His point was that sports “stars” shouldn’t be a kids role model. They should get an education, etc.

Also, I think it was him who called the police on his own brother over his drug use and stealing which landed the brother in prison.

 

[timjulius1122]

Whether Charles Barkley's donation specifically for black students is considered a racist act is subjective. Context and the historical context of affirmative action policies should be taken into account. While it is important to promote equality, discussions about inclusivity and equal opportunities for all students are necessary.

 

[Al James]

Blacks can't be racist. Didn't you know that already? :ROFLMAO:

 

[Garth69]

yes. He is a racist. his rhetoric in the past tells of his racism.

 

[peachhead]

Anything specific to one race, should be declared racist.
As mentioned before, if you turn that around and say, here is a lot of money for WHITE students only, that would be immediately rejected. So why should it be ok to go the other way, for any race?

 

[DGW1949]

His money, his choice....It seems to me that he is trying to help "his people". It also seems to me that there ain't nothing wrong with that. Fact is, that's what I'd do if I was in a position to donate a bunch of money to something....Yeah, it's true...I have strong ties to my tribe, and tend to put it first above others....Seems natural to me. The next guy may be different, but if he's being honest, probably not.

DGW

 

[jack black]

Kind of impossible to be RACIST seeing there is only ONE race.

 

[Colonialgirl]

His money, his choice

He's STILL being a RACIST !

 

[Jeepnik]

Here’s one definition of racism.

The structures, policies, practices, beliefs, and behaviors in a society that create an unfair advantage for some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others based on their race or ethnic group.

So yes his act whether it’s his money or not is by definition racist.

 

[fiasconva]

He's actually a pretty good guy. He believes everyone should have a job. He stated that if you can say "Got any spare change?' you can say "You want fries with that?" That's why he says he refuses to give money to panhandlers.

 

[dstegjas]

Interesting opinions so far and I appreciate them. It always has interested me that someone thought that correcting or stopping racism with reverse racism was a good idea. It seems that all it has achieved is anger and resentment toward groups of people which will never end. When passing laws to just stop it, in my opinion would have been the best option. I know that’s not as simple as it sounds and I’m sure other issues would arise. Realistically though could it be any worse then what we are dealing with now. We will probably never know, but you do have to wonder about it.

 

[dstegjas]

He's actually a pretty good guy. He believes everyone should have a job. He stated that if you can say "Got any spare change?' you can say "You want fries with that?" That's why he says he refuses to give money to panhandlers.

My question had nothing to do with Charles personally. It was more based on his actions alone. In fact I actually like him quite a bit. He is very entertaining and funny to watch. Not to mention he was excellent on the court.

 

[Hvymax]

I thought he was a White Supremacist a few years ago!!!

 

[jack black]

Depends on how you define race. There's one species, sort of, but if we consider race like breeds, there are many breeds. Italians, Scandanavians, Japanese, Korean, Bantu, Hutu, Zulu, etc.

Europeans have Neanderthal DNA, sub Saharan have little to no Neanderthal DNA and east Asians have less than Europeans. So there we have a base species and some hybrids.

Yes, all in the wording. But only one race the human race. Now we can be prejudice but not racist.
Although in this crazy world of today if you identify as a chicken you may hate humans and you are now a Racist Chicken. Makes sense in Bizarro World.

 

[daveag.]

Kind of impossible to be RACIST seeing there is only ONE race.

Anymore it’s a “Drag Race”. Used to be on asphalt and a Christmas tree. Now, it’s coming to your local library and schools.

 

[hittman]

Infiltrating our TV air waves almost 15 years now ….. Drag Race

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuPaul's_Drag_Race

 

[WendyZXZ]

Infiltrating our TV air waves almost 15 years now ….. Drag Race

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuPaul's_Drag_Race

They used to hold drag races in Hooterville. Green Acres is a favorite and Eb told Oliver and Lisa about races where the guys put on their girlfriend's dresses and took to running!

 

[powder smoke]

Depends on how you define race. There's one species, sort of, but if we consider race like breeds, there are many breeds. Italians, Scandanavians, Japanese, Korean, Bantu, Hutu, Zulu, etc.

Europeans have Neanderthal DNA, sub Saharan have little to no Neanderthal DNA and east Asians have less than Europeans. So there we have a base species and some hybrids.

Come on!! Define race Got better things to do!

 

[WV460hunter]

and worked hard for it.

I wouldn't call playing a kids game for a living work.

 

[WV460hunter]

Why wouldn’t it be the same for Charles Barkley?

Cause He ain't white and He ain't poor . That's why .. I don't care who you are if you have merit then by all means you should go to college. But it isn't only blacks that struggle to afford a higher education.
I know many poor white folk who's children had to go to work to help the family make it.. I don't even want to hear any bullcrap about some poor underprivileged youth from the city . The poor are everywhere.

 

[the_leper_colony]

Here’s one definition of racism.

The structures, policies, practices, beliefs, and behaviors in a society that create an unfair advantage for some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others based on their race or ethnic group.

So yes his act whether it’s his money or not is by definition racist.

Actually, that would kind of depend on whether you consider the results of his actions "unfair" or "harmful", wouldn't it? If someone uses their own money to establish an engineering scholarship, is that unfair or harmful to people who want to be medical doctors? Or if someone sets up a scholarship for female athletes, is that unfair or harmful to men?

Don't want to start an argument, just a little food for thought!

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc., etc.
:)

 

[wolfsong]

By this action alone, I don't see him exhibiting racist behavior. Not by definition in Merriam Webster's or Cambridge dictionaries.

 

[jack black]

Meh. That's a good kum by yah sentiment but anthropologists disagree. homo sapiens is a species.

Not quite Before 1735 we were all just the HUMAN race This word race came along in order to justify the European slave trade.

Best Wishes

 

[vito]

There is an Arab saying " I, against my brothers. I and my brothers against my cousins. I and my brothers and my cousins against the world." Banding together with those closest to you against the outside world is the natural way of humanity, and of other primates as well. What appears as racism to some people is just normal association to others. It is actually unnatural to choose an outsider when you have the option of choosing "one of your own". Of course, "one of your own" can mean different things in different contexts. I am White, and might intrinsically tend to choose another White person if I were hiring, but I am also a retired Army officer, was born and raised in NYC, a member of the NRA, a certified Motorcycle Safety Instructor, etc, etc.. If having to make a choice between a White person from a totally different background, such as one wearing a "Ban the 2nd Amendment" t-shirt, and a Black, fellow retired Army officer, member of the NRA, etc., then "one of my own" could take on a different meaning.

What I am saying is that Barkley is only doing what is natural for people to do. Calling it natural, or calling it racism is just a matter of perspective. If you doubt that choosing to be with others that are like you is a natural tendency, just consider how many ethnic/racial/national origin neighborhoods there are all over this country where people have naturally chosen to live with others that are closer to them than they are to the overall population.

 

[JackBull]

Nope not racist at all. They have had scholarship aimed at various nationalities like this for years. Now if the state or feds do this, then I have a problem.

 

[Huskerguy72]

Not too many years ago I was the administrator of a private Christian school of about 200 students. Often, people would come to me and want to donate some money for a specific student. They then would deduct that as a charitable donation. We were told by tax officials that we could not do that and if the person designated who received the money, it was no longer deductible. The money had to be donates to the general fund for the school to use as they wanted, not designated to specific people or groups.

 

[gramps]

It was racist to use taxpayer monies to support a particular ethnic group. Charles Barkley(whom I detest as a human being) funds a scholarship is A OK in my book, since that is the way it should have been all along. I may have to rethink how I feel about the man!
gramps

 

[g5m]

I do wonder when these things come up how a scholarship for only white or Caucasians would be handled. I could see any other group being a 'No problem here' response but do wonder about that one.