If
opinion writers were 
held to the same standard of intelligence
which they apply to their subjects, most of them wouldn’t have jobs. The
pinheads and pointy-heads of the world should spend more time listening
and less time pontificating.
A lot of ink
and newsprint is being wasted by columnists around the country condemning
John Rocker, a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. In a Sports Illustrated
article, Rocker had some unkind things to say about New York City and its
residents. Boy, that’s news. Stop the presses.
Rocker, a man
with a limited education, was labeled a racist for his remarks. Philadelphia
Inquirer columnist Claire Smith, formerly of the Hartford Courant, described
Rocker as " a xenophobic, homophobic, sexist, racist Neanderthal." A letter
to the New York Times demanded that " the baseball commissioner should
act to bar this hopeless bigot from baseball." Clarence Page wrote that
he feels sorry for Rocker whose "mind is apparently too narrow to appreciate
. . .the most culturally rich piece of real estate on the planet."
What these know-it-alls
fail to recognize is that they are vilifying Rocker not for what he said,
but for how he said it.
Rocker
doesn’t need sensitivity training, he needs a re-write man. Here’s what
he said: "Imagine having to take the (subway) looking like you’re
(in) Beirut next some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS,
right next to some dude who got out of jail for the fourth time, right
next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing."
Here’s what he
should have said: " I find spending time in New York to be very distressing.
Amidst this land of plenty, it is demoralizing to be confronted by so much
abject poverty and human suffering. So much of our youth is rebellious,
as evidenced by all the teenagers you see with dyed hair and body piercings
–– clearly, we are not spending enough money on education for these youngsters."
"The terrible
scourge of AIDS is so widespread, the person next to you on the subway
might very well be one of its victims. It’s hard to purposely subject yourself
to the anguish of seeing this sort of thing on a daily basis. Like so many
of us, I find it psychologically necessary to maintain a certain detachment
from all this in my day-today life".
"Of course public
safety is a concern for me. You never know if one of the young men you
see taking the seat next to you in a subway car might have a history of
involvement with the justice system. And there are so many babies having
babies it just breaks your heart. We need to address the social pathologies
causing this and to teach our young people that there are better options."
Rocker was also
called an immigrant-basher. What he said: "The biggest thing I don’t like
about New York are the foreigners, . . . You can walk an entire block in
Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. How the hell did they
get in this country?"
What he should
have said: "The English language is the common vehicle by which we are
able to celebrate the grand diversity of our culture. It is the strong
yet breakable thread which binds together our republic. Perhaps we are
courting disunity by having immigration laws so lax one can walk through
many areas of our major cities and hear nothing but foreign tongues being
spoken."
With these few
tweaks, Rocker could have held forth on the same subjects and no one would
have uttered a peep in response. Voicing opinions is a lot like pitching
a baseball -- it's all in the delivery.
The media created
such a stir about Rocker’’s remarks that he issued a retraction and an
apology. In a written statement Rocker said: "I want everyone to understand
that my emotions fuel my competitive desire. They are a source of energy
for me. However, I have let my emotions get the best of my judgment."
It sounds like
Rocker went out and got himself a good re-write man.
-end-
December 28, 1999