On Sunday’s edition of “The NFL Today,” Charles Barkley gave his opinion of Adrian Peterson’s arrest on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child:
Asked whether it was ever permissible to hit a child, the highly quotable NBA Hall of Famer suggested that not only is it OK to do so, but that the practice is so common in parts of the country as to be unremarkable. “Whipping—we do that all the time,” the Alabama native said, adding that if corporal punishment were made illegal, “every black parent in the South is going to be in jail under those circumstances.”
Bomani Jones, co-host of ESPN2’s “Highly Questionable,” found it highly questionable how Barkley seemingly has become the “most trusted black voice in white america.”
something is not necessarily true about black people just because charles barkley said it. i don’t think ppl understand this.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) September 16, 2014
charles is a good dude with interesting things to say, but ppl can’t quote him like he’s w.e.b. dubois.
AND PEOPLE DO JUST THAT.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) September 16, 2014
@bomani_jones if that's the case than as a race, we fucked up!!!
— Michael A. Watson (@MikeAceWatson) September 16, 2014
@bomani_jones at least is not Dennis Rodman
— Gary Lewis (@garylewis760) September 16, 2014
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https://twitter.com/fernandoinfanzo/status/512013570863669248
@bomani_jones but I thought he was the King Of Black People
— Phil (@I_B_Phil) September 16, 2014
https://twitter.com/TuneZanotti_206/status/512016074083016704
Jones wasn’t impressed either by Slate’s take on “What Charles Barkley gets wrong about corporal punishment and black culture,” written by Josh Vorhees.
“Josh Voorhees is a Slate senior writer. He lives in Iowa City.” now guess the headline. http://t.co/ySdUAEWa93
— bomani (@bomani_jones) September 16, 2014
the problem with that column? my mentions filled with ppl of all races using that exact same logic. to particularize that felt lazy.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) September 16, 2014
so instead, the white kid in iowa is telling black ppl how to raise their kids. not sure what editor set him up for that futile mission.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) September 16, 2014
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