I recently had a long discussion with Dirt Bike Boy and his mother about haters. It came to my attention that he watched Fried Green Tomatoes with his mother. Since I had no desire to watch it, I have no idea what the story line is. Dirt Bike Boy filled me in. One of the parts that he remembered vividly a the racially charged scene.
After Dirt Bike Boy described it, he wanted to tell me how some people don’t like “race mixing”. I agreed with him. But it also started a conversation that was probably long over due. How to deal with hate. Even though Dirt Bike Boy is in elementary school, he’s starting to notice a few cases of hate. For the most part I ignore people with attitudes of prejudice and hate. And that’s what I’m trying to teach him Dirt Bike Boy also.
It all came full circle for me when I was watching Real Sports on HBO a few nights ago. Bryant Gumble and the HBO team had a story on the racial climate at European soccer games. In case you don’t know or remember, there have been several popular soccer players that have been a victim of taunting from fans. I know that doesn’t sound like a major thing, especially since here in the U.S. taunting is a major part of sports. But this is taunting on a different level. Imagine playing soccer in front of 100k + people. Every time you touch the ball, the fans make monkey sounds. Or the crowd throws bananas on the sidelines. Even crazier, they spit at you. This is the type of environment that the black soccer players are exposed to.
Now I’ve played sports all my life, mostly American football and basketball. And I love to win. I’ll repeat.. I love to win. In the past I’ve taunted my competition during the game. I’ve talked about opposing players. I talked about their family in the stands. I’ve talked about their girlfriends, kids, and anything else I could think of. I’ve used every thing I could think of to get into the head of my competition. I’ve had it done to me, especially by those who know me or friends with me. Sometimes it worked. And sometimes it didn’t work. But I’ll admit that it happens in sports on a regular basis.
Since I have 2 kids that play football and basketball, I’ve tried to educate them on how to counteract taunting and racial hate. I’ve instructed them to ignore and educate. I’ll always ignore hatred as long as it’s not a physical action. When I heard racial comments on the basketball court or football field, it made me perform at a higher level. I used it as motivation. Why? Because the ultimate taunt is to win. Since I love to win, I practiced my victory dance and taunt. 
When it comes to racial taunting and visible hatred, I believe it makes us stronger. It takes a lot of strength for those European players to play during such hostile conditions. I use every action of racial hatred as a opportunity to discuss how much the racial attitudes have changed within my lifetime. And I’m sure it will change even more during the life of my children.
How do you handle interracial hate? What advice do you give your kids regarding racial taunting? What are your thoughts?
You might also like:
I~Swirl Apparel Now Available
Model-Ashlee Feldman
