Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The High Road?

A few posts ago, many people commented that I had "Taken the high road" in my response to an elderly racist woman.
But in reality - there was no need for such a road to be taken.

Charles Barkley once commented that the rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings was not a real rivalry.
That for a rivalry to exist each team has to suffer defeat and revel in victory.
But since the Kings had never advanced past the Lakers - there was no real rivalry.
What existed was disrespect being shown by the Lakers and envy being shown by the Kings.

This rationale makes sense.
Ali-Joe Fraizer was a rivalry.
Ali-Gerry Cooney was not.

UBJ-Institutional Racism is a rivalry.
UBJ- Bill E. Bob is not.
(In many cases, there is no need for a high road to be taken. In many cases, one already resides on the higher ground.)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

UBJ-Institutional Racism is a rivalry.

No offense, UBj but Institutional racism will be here when you are dead and gone. That's not much of a rivalry either.

uglyblackjohn said...

Yeah...
I'm gettin' whooped.
Maybe I'm the Kings to IR's Lakers.

brohammas said...

One may intially inhabit the high ground and then give it up. Its a classic way to loose a battle.
Why need there be a rivalry? Why not a simple confrontation or opposition?

I go this way; if one is to impllre another to change, for whatever reason, they can only expound and be respected if they are in some fashion shown to be a reliable source. The "high ground" or doing the most ethical thing despite consequences or opposition, is hard to maintain. If lost, the individual has to shut up.... rivalry or not, the Kings just need to score more points. They can't tell Kobe he travelled if they all take four steps themselves.

uglyblackjohn said...

Nah brohammas...
If a Black guy calls a white guy a "Cracker", "Whitey" or whatever - the white guy would just laugh and say, "F.U. Nigger" because he doesn't care what the Black guy has to say.
Is he taking the "High Road" or is he just not concerned with what he feels someone on a lower level thinks of him?

Anonymous said...

If a Black guy calls a white guy a "Cracker", "Whitey" or whatever - the white guy would just laugh and say, "F.U. Nigger" because he doesn't care what the Black guy has to say.


You called it, UBJ.

brohammas said...

Maybe our high roads arent the same.
I say the white guy in question from the last comment does not hold the high ground because he said "FU...", not simply because he didn't care.
Returning insult for insult is finding common ground, not maintaining high ground... naw, more like wallowing in the mud.
High ground >or= turn the other cheek.

I win. Game over. (steals the ball and runs home)

uglyblackjohn said...

Sure, "Turning the other cheek" would be taking the high road.
But 'treating an ENEMY as oneself' is similar.
The people couldn't do anything to or for me, it was I who held all the cards.
Their well-being depended upon my generousity.
Their trite comment was laughable and without weight.
There was no need to take the higher ground because they were already aproaching from below.
I didn't have to turn the other cheek because her remark didn't even hit me above the knees.
Maybe "brush the dust from ones shoes" would be a better Biblical reference point.