Some Thoughts About Bigotry

The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines bigotry as follows:


1 : the state of mind of a bigot

2 : acts or beliefs characteristic of a bigot


The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines a bigot as follows:


1 : a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices


Andy apparently believes that since Dan Issel made a bigoted remark he must be a bigot. I disagree with the conclusion and I think the definition of a bigot shows clearly that this does not have to be the case. First of all people say things that they wish they could take back. I know I have. Secondly people say things that they wish they could take back more often than not to inflict pain because they themselves are feeling pain. I believe that this was probably the motivation for what Issel said.


I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio in the 50’s and 60’s. I lived in a suburb that did not have one black resident and it wasn’t a coincidence either. As you all probably know this was a period of time where there was a great deal of civil unrest and a great struggle for equality took place. From my perspective it was a struggle that needed to take place and that we as a country are a lot better off that it did. Yes the struggle continues today as it should but I believe that things are much better today and that much progress has been made. I believe that my experiences growing up in this era are incredibly valuable ones. I was able to perceive and observe the bigotry that the struggle was waged against on a daily basis first hand. Where I grew up the ‘N’ word was very common in fact it was nearly universal. My parents, god bless them, taught their children not to use this word but this was hardly enough. One of the big concerns that the residents had (including my parents) during this era was what if someone decided to sell their house to a black family? You can’t envision the revulsion that the adults had for Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders. Civil rights legislation why what the hell do these people want anyway? You can’t imagine the fear and the ignorance that existed in this environment. It didn’t existed only in the suburb that I lived in, as it was prevalent throughout much of Cleveland’s West Side suburbs. So you can see that prejudice and bigotry are things that children are taught and perhaps can see that breaking this cycle is very difficult. I truly believe that many of my contemporaries rebelled in the 60’s because they rejected the prejudice and bigotry they were taught. The conflict that this kind of environment and upbringing causes is hard to know unless you’ve experienced it. I always found it ironic that the Deep South has such a bad reputation regarding bigotry when I couldn’t imagine more racial hatred than I witnessed growing up in a northern industrial city.


Over the years I’ve come to realize and believe that many remarks that are derogatory towards other ethnic groups are born out of ignorance, thoughtlessness, and are made by people of low self esteem. Oh yes there is plenty of true racial hatred in the world in fact there is too much. I certainly believe that all remarks putting down ethnic groups do not indicate racial hatred though. Perhaps Dan Issel grew up in an environment that where the kind of racial bias and hatred existed that I described existed. That's not an excuse but is offered as an explanation. At the risk of offending those reading this, I believe that Issel’s remarks were in poor taste and certainly were an ethnic put down but compared to the racial hatred that I’ve witnessed in my lifetime they seemed rather mild.


One of the joys of my life is seeing my nine year old grow up without a racially prejudiced bone in her body and yes she goes to school with children of many ethnic groups. My wife and I have never really had to discuss this with her, as it has never been an issue. Perhaps I’m naïve but I think the future is very bright.

Issel played at Kentucky. Not a very progressive place in terms of its race relations, particularly when he was there. :-)


I don't know exactly what to think of the remarks. I think it was possible that he used a racial insult to hurt that one person because he was mad without having completely racist views. But it was surprising to me that someone who has been in the NBA as long as Issel would use such a term. I don't know him though and can't say what was going on in his head.

Great post, Tom.


I do believe, however, that someone who said what Issel said is bigoted. Whether it stemmed from ignorance, the environment in which he was brought up, racial hatred, or anything else, a person who was not bigoted would not have said it. There was no reason to call the man "Mexican" unless being Mexican (or at least appearing to be Mexican to Issel) was part of what upset Issel. People's innermost feelings probably come out when their guard is down, when they're out of control, under pressure, as Issel was.


I am far from a saint and I have said many things in my life that were wrong, cruel, and incredibly stupid. But I have never uttered anything remotely like this because it would never occur to me that the behavior that had so upset me was in any related to the person's ethnicity or country of origin.

Let's ask Jimmy the Greek about unfortunate racial remarks. Issel's remarks were bigoted by definition. Bigoted remarks are often a "Freudian slip" and reflect the true attitude of the speaker. He may be a great guy and all, (although when he played pro ball, he was anything but nice on the court), but he is a public figure. That fact alone puts a higher level of responsiblity on his actions than some Joe off the street. If he survives with only a 4 game suspension, he's extrememly lucky.

Lets give the guy the benefit of the doubt.May have said it in the "heat" of the bball battle.

This is straying a little bit off your post, and it bothers me it happened at all. There is a local homeless shelter where I live that received a few hundred dollars a year from me, not a great amount, but more than nothing. They were the almost sole beneficiary of my monitary contributions.


Last year a local group wanted to make a special donation to this homeless shelter, and held car washes and did some other fund raising to get money. They collected about three thousand dollars, quite a nice amount I thought. So they get together and try to present it, and guess what? The local homeless shelter doesn't take money from 'those types' of people. These charities stated they based their decisions on 'religious' grounds.


Seems kind of silly to me as 'those types of people' probably made parts of their cars, the clothes they wear, and the food they eat. But their money is somehow tainted? Not to be deterred they decided to donate to another local charity...same result, and the same with a third.


A second year has arrived and the homeless shelter that I donated to for almost ten years hasn't seen a single nickel of my money. I wonder how my donations would have been received if they knew, my donations were of late partial profit from playing poker? Probably won from gambling addicts, assorted convicted felons, and drug dealers blowing a days profits. Would my money have been no good too? I guess I will never find out.


This year these same charities who so proudly stood in the light of right last year are crying the blues, their donations are down over 45 percent from last year. What is sad, is I really believed in the good the homeless shelter was doing, but I was forced to make a decision on where I stood on bigotry and tolerance, and the holier than thou type of attitude they took. I feel bad for the people who I won't be able to help, but I am happy with the other charities I have since given my money too.


I am also happy many other people voted with their pocket books on this matter. I wish other issues such as yours were as easy to fix.