Jesse Jackson's group meets with Braves over lack of blacks

[Ding Dong Johnson]

i don't think so

 

http://www.somos10.com/pics/0alfonsosoriano.jpg

http://cache.deadspin.com/archives/ozzieguillen.jpg

[jersey cubs fan]

um, Sosa, Soriano, etc. DON'T count if they mean African-Americans. Just because Sosa and company are dark skinned Latinos doesn't make them black

 

Actually, it does make them black. It just doesn't make them african-americans.

 

This is one of the most nonsensical distinctions that I don't get. If a white guy from Germany was playing in the US, he's still a white guy, just like a white guy from Australia or one from England. White athletes from any country get lumped into the category or white athlete, but black athletes are categorized differently. It's stupid.

 

if Soriano is black, so is Ozzie Guillen

 

If John Howard is white, so is Tony Blair.

[Derwood]

i don't think so

 

http://www.somos10.com/pics/0alfonsosoriano.jpg

http://cache.deadspin.com/archives/ozzieguillen.jpg

 

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

[jersey cubs fan]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

[Derwood]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

but as it pertains to this thread, they are not black. Jess Jackson/PUSH are in no way concerned about Latinos. They only care about african-americans, and, as such, don't count Sosa/Sorianot/etc. in their numbers

[Derwood]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

[Guest]

Derwood, you do realize there are people of African descent in Latin American nations, right?

[B]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

 

So you're saying that Renteria is not black? Keep telling yourself that, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the blackest people ever.

[Soul]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

 

So you're saying that Renteria is not black? Keep telling yourself that, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the blackest people ever.

 

Yeah, I must admit I'm having difficulty figuring out where Derwood is going on this one.

 

To me, a black person can trace their ancestry back to African tribes. Doesn't matter to me where their forefathers wound up when they crossed the Atlantic. U.S.A., Dominican, Mexico -- why should this matter? Black people have a diverse, complex history of migration just as Caucasians do. Doesn't mean they aren't black. And it certainly shouldn't mean they are segregated away from African Americans in order to cry racism. It's like Jesse Jackson doesn't even accept that they are worthy of being part of the discussion. That's crap, IMO.

[Wheelimus]

Can't we get back to the meat of the topic, which is the stupidity of Jesse Jackson and the need to disqualify him from the human race?

 

It's just [expletive] stuff like this that drives me crazy. Instead of doing something productive he wastes his time on a meeting that will do nothing. It isn't like the Braves are going to think "holy crap, we need an African-American on the ballclub! Lets release Jarrod Saltalamacchia and add Tony Womack to the 40 man!". It isn't that the team has better alternatives who are African-American but are holding them back. The game of baseball is to take the 25 best people you have and put them on your team.

 

What he could do is, gasp, invest his time and resources into actually helping the cause. How about a nationwide inner city ballpark drive? Find the run down park ballfields where you're more likely to find a piece of broken glass than a base and fix them up. Run a program where you actually give these kids baseball equipment. Hire former ballplayers to run clinics in the inner city, so you can actually identify those who are gifted before life gets a chance to ruin it.

 

I mean, crazy idea I know, but it seems more productive than going on talk shows to whine about things and organizing advertiser boycotts...

[Soul]

Can't we get back to the meat of the topic, which is the stupidity of Jesse Jackson and the need to disqualify him from the human race?

 

It's just [expletive] stuff like this that drives me crazy. Instead of doing something productive he wastes his time on a meeting that will do nothing. It isn't like the Braves are going to think "holy crap, we need an African-American on the ballclub! Lets release Jarrod Saltalamacchia and add Tony Womack to the 40 man!". It isn't that the team has better alternatives who are African-American but are holding them back. The game of baseball is to take the 25 best people you have and put them on your team.

 

What he could do is, gasp, invest his time and resources into actually helping the cause. How about a nationwide inner city ballpark drive? Find the run down park ballfields where you're more likely to find a piece of broken glass than a base and fix them up. Run a program where you actually give these kids baseball equipment. Hire former ballplayers to run clinics in the inner city, so you can actually identify those who are gifted before life gets a chance to ruin it.

 

I mean, crazy idea I know, but it seems more productive than going on talk shows to whine about things and organizing advertiser boycotts...

 

Well yeah, that's what I was trying to say. If he really cared about a solution, he'd be meeting with some of the great American black groups out there and working on increasing interest in the game instead of political grandstanding and playing off the Braves' fear of being called racist.

 

I'm sure his meeting with the Braves was real productive. It undoubedtly consisted of Jackson flapping his mouth for a couple hours while petrified Braves front office staff nod their heads with plastic smiles painted on their faces, terrified of giving Jackson even the slightest inkling that they might not agree with him 100%. I mean it's just stark raving madness.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

It's much harder to make an immediate impact and money in baseball, and the time commitment is equal to other sports, if not more demanding. It's not just a problem with black athletes, kids everywhere in this country are steering away from baseball.

[RynoRules]

Derwood, you do realize there are people of African descent in Latin American nations, right?

 

Would that make one an African Latin American?

[Soul]

It's much harder to make an immediate impact and money in baseball, and the time commitment is equal to other sports, if not more demanding. It's not just a problem with black athletes, kids everywhere in this country are steering away from baseball.

 

The payoff is pretty amazing though. And the careers can be pretty long, too. And they tend to leave guys with relatively few crippling injuries.

 

There are definitely drawbacks, but I think some of the benefits are attractive as well.

[Derwood]

Derwood, you do realize there are people of African descent in Latin American nations, right?

 

I think if you asked Soriano if he was black, he'd say no

[The Voice of Reason]

Derwood, you do realize there are people of African descent in Latin American nations, right?

 

I think if you asked Soriano if he was black, he'd say no

 

 

I'd rather ask him why he doesn't get more walks.

[Jehrico]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

 

So you're saying that Renteria is not black? Keep telling yourself that, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the blackest people ever.

Does everyone agree that Andrew Jones is black?

[Derwood]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

 

So you're saying that Renteria is not black? Keep telling yourself that, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the blackest people ever.

Does everyone agree that Andrew Jones is black?

 

isn't his ancestry from Curacao

[B]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

 

So you're saying that Renteria is not black? Keep telling yourself that, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the blackest people ever.

Does everyone agree that Andrew Jones is black?

 

isn't his ancestry from Curacao

 

Yes, he is the most famous player from Curacao.

[jaydee]

i think white leaders should complain about the lack of white players in the NFL, or anywhere else where the % of whites employed is below the % of whites in this country.

[MPC]

if i didn't know better, i'd say this story was from 'the onion'.

[Jehrico]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

 

So you're saying that Renteria is not black? Keep telling yourself that, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the blackest people ever.

Does everyone agree that Andrew Jones is black?

 

isn't his ancestry from Curacao

 

Yes, he is the most famous player from Curacao.

That's where he was born, but I don't think that's his ancestry. I can't find anything that confirms or denys that.

[Derwood]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

 

So you're saying that Renteria is not black? Keep telling yourself that, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the blackest people ever.

Does everyone agree that Andrew Jones is black?

 

isn't his ancestry from Curacao

 

Yes, he is the most famous player from Curacao.

That's where he was born, but I don't think that's his ancestry. I can't find anything that confirms or denys that.

 

I thought he was born in The Netherlands

[Jehrico]

if i didn't know better, i'd say this story was from 'the onion'.

I'd laugh my butt off if the Onion actually did run the story, without putting any spin on it. That would say it all...

[Jehrico]

In this country, "black" doesn't refer to a skin color, it refers to an ethnicity (ie those of african descent). A dark skinned latino is not black. Nor are dark skinned Spaniards, for example.

 

Saying Soriano or Sosa are black simply because of their skin color is akin to saying someone like Chris Duhon isn't black because of theirs

 

In other words, people make this stupid disctinction all the time even though they are wrong, so the only right thing to do is keep doing it.

 

Soriano and Sosa are both black. What they are not is african american.

 

this is an unproductive statement. In my definition, I'm distinguishing people by ethnicity. in yours, you distinguish them by skin color. how is that helpful?

 

So you're saying that Renteria is not black? Keep telling yourself that, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the blackest people ever.

Does everyone agree that Andrew Jones is black?

 

isn't his ancestry from Curacao

 

Yes, he is the most famous player from Curacao.

That's where he was born, but I don't think that's his ancestry. I can't find anything that confirms or denys that.

 

I thought he was born in The Netherlands

Curacao is an island that is a part of the Netherlands Antilles. It's a Dutch territory off of the coast of Venezuela.