If it wasn't so pitiful, and obviously meant to stir up a hornet's nest that should be left alone -- it would be comical. That would be the talking heads trying to breathe new life into the Riley Cooper story. It appears their motto is whatever it takes to (re)sensationalize that which is otherwise old news.
You remember Riley Cooper. He's the Philadelphia Eagle wide receiver that got caught on camera at a public event a while back saying the word "nigger". Because Cooper happens to be white, this was considered an outrage by many of different stripes. Nevermind the fact that particular word is quite commonplace and acceptable amongst others -- Cooper was taken to the media/public woodshed. Evidently, such terms are OK for some people to use, but taboo for others. Nevertheless, Cooper quickly "faced the music" and issued a public apology. That's pretty much all he could do. Most of those concerned found it acceptable and moved on -- but some still look for ways to drag it on -- and on -- and on. Draw your own conclusions as to who are the true race baiters. Anything for publicity, regardless of whether it has merit.
On that note, the latest issue of Sports Illustrated has an article by one Jack Dickey (page 20) that shows how far some are willing to blindly reach in pursuit of the non-story. The article started off about Cooper, then cited his "idiot defenders, who crafted false equivalencies and mangled the Constitution", while daring to claim first amendment rights to free speech. Sure, that argument is certainly debatable in some cases, but like others now seem to prone to do, Dickey then proceeded to extrapolate into la-la land in pursuit of his own agenda.
Somehow, Dickey took Riley Cooper saying the "N" word and tied it into the 2014 Olympic Games, which will be played in Sochi, Russia. According to Dickey, Russian leaders aren't fond of homosexuality. Though it's legal, such things that might promote it in public, like hand-holding, rainbow flags, and any associated media coverage of same would be construed as "damaging to minors". Such "gay propaganda" is highly frowned upon, at the risk of foreigners risking detention or deportation.
Dickey ranted on about whether Russian authorities would or would not enforce such non-laws during the Olympics. While he was at it, Dickey also found a way to disparage China's bad record of human rights and environmental protection when they hosted the 2008 Olympics. Then he went on to project Rio de Janeiro, host of the 2016 Olympics, being swarmed by protesters over high taxes and corruption. Incredibly, Dickey even went so far as to include Istanbul, merely a finalist for the 2020 games, but not a done deal, as having their own protest movement going on. How Dickey can profess to know what may or may not be going on in Istanbul 7 years from now would seem to be Nostradamic indeed.
All of which leave yours truly with just one question....
What the HELL does all that have to do with Riley Cooper saying the "N" word at a concert a couple months ago?
I'm telling ya. Give some people a peanut, and because they're predominantly grown in the south, which was once the home for slavery, which was an issue during the Civil War, which eventually led to segregation, Jim Crow laws, mass demonstrations, landmark integration legislation, Supreme Court rulings, affirmative action, etc -- and they'll find a way to blow it up into the absurd.
Hey, it was only a silly peanut to start with. Eat it or don't, but I see no need to start another war over such a trivial thing.
And such would seem to be the case of Riley Cooper. Just leave it be and everything will be alright.
PS. Now that the NFL pre-season games have started, there's a few talking heads yapping about how Cooper might get popped by defensive backs. True, the vast majority of defensive backs in the NFL are black. But guess what? Show me a defensive back that doesn't try to punish a receiver after he's caught the ball -- and I'll show you a defensive back that will quickly be looking for another job, because he won't be on the team for long. It goes with the territory and every wide receiver knows it, regardless of what color he is. Who's kidding who?
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