Finneran: Colorism
Tom Finneran, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™
Finneran: Colorism
The country has gone stark-raving mad, completely brain-dead.
I refuse to join in the rampant idiocy. Call me a conscientious objector.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe latest nonsense in the tidal wave of stupidity cresting across America has to do with Will Smith, the highly successful African-American actor. Now I’m a white guy over the age of fifty so I know that the social justice mobs insist that I turn myself into the thought police, never to venture an opinion on any matter for the rest of my life. But I’m a slow learner. And I’m stubborn. And I have an opinion.
Will Smith is black. Will Smith is a good actor. Will Smith is talented enough to play any role, black or white. He could play Macbeth or Hamlet or Julius Caesar. He could and did play Muhammad Ali. He could play Frederick Douglass. He could play Hamilton or Washington or Adams. His merit as an actor is not based on the color or shade of his skin.
But wait, say the critics. He’s not black enough. Huh? Say that again, slowly---“he’s not black enough”. Apparently, Will is to be cast as Richard Williams, the father, and coach of his fabulous tennis champion daughters Venus and Serena Williams. And apparently, the real Mr. Williams is of a darker hue than Will Smith. Aren’t you aghast? Aren’t you outraged?
Welcome to the world of “colorism” where one’s ability to perform is apparently tied to the shade of one’s skin. Are these critics serious? Is this some kind of racial game? Doesn’t America have enough challenges without another “ism”? Martin Luther King may you forever rest in peace. You would not believe the infantile nonsense afoot in the nation today. Colorism indeed.
Were these the same warrior critics who repeatedly asked “is Obama black enough” during the early months of 2008? Were African-American voters to be forever tied to the skin tones of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton? Or Shirley Jackson or Barbara Jordan? If that color coding perhaps proved confusing for a black person to figure out, then imagine the confusion of some poor white slob out there just hoping to find a good President. Exactly what skin tone is acceptable? Is sienna OK? Or must it be burnt sienna?
America’s race issues can get very complicated very quickly. Dr. King kept things on a simple yet urgently moral plane. A first principle was the imperative of “content of character” rather than the color of skin. God’s children you see are created equal, neither superior nor subordinate based on the spectrum of hue. A second principle was to be merit, where black aspirants would no longer have to be “twice as good” to be considered for an opening or opportunity. It’s been called equal opportunity, rightly so, for a very long time.
But today’s social justice poseurs never sleep, anxiously searching for any scab at which to pick. Thus, we now have colorism.
Will Smith needs no help from me nor any advice from an old white guy. I assume that he’s fabulously wealthy and, more importantly, I hope that he’s blessed with good health and a loving family. And I hope that he gets the part in the upcoming movie.
As for me, the phrases “too black” or “too light” are meaningless. Kevin Garnett was a great basketball player who happened to be very black. Steph Curry is a great basketball player who happens to be very light. Too dark? Too light?
No! The answer is that they’re too good not to play.
A final irony regarding all the sturm and drang about colorism. The real Richard Williams, allegedly too dark for the talented but allegedly too light Will Smith, now has a granddaughter. That little girl is lighter than Will Smith! Perhaps we need that Crayola color chart from our childhood…………….
God laughs at our follies.
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