Michael Eric Dyson vs. Stephen A. Smith Remarks on Mark Cuban's Post Racial Society Comments

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s remarks pertaining to society’s challenges with racism and Donald Sterling exposed the issues white males have with racism, bigotry and prejudices in society. Mark Cuban’s remarks highlighted his white privilege, proved he believed we live in a post-racial society and he also attempted to balance his statements by addressing stereotypes. “I know I'm prejudiced, and I know I'm bigoted in a lot of different ways,” Cuban said. His remarks were alarming and problematic due to the negative connotations associated with his diction.

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN’s First Take, a notable Black figure in the mass media currently received backlash from the black community after he spoke about his opinion on Mark Cuban’s remarks.

Smith has stated numerous times on ESPN’s First Take that he did not disagree with Cuban’s statements. He has also clearly stated that he did not care about the individuals who emailed him or called him up because he has a right to blatantly state his own opinions on air.  As a public figure I do not believe that Stephen A. Smith is not wrong for agreeing with Cuban’s remarks if that is how he felt. Smith also stated in a debate with black scholar, sociology professor and author Michael Eric Dyson that he felt that many black celebrities have accomplished what he calls a “fantasy turned reality”. This simply means that he feels that they are put on a pedestal yet they are setting unrealistic expectations for the black youth in America. This reasoning is something I can agree with. I disagree that race and ethnicity are points which Smith was able to agree with Cuban on. It’s difficult for me to understand how he did not as a black man in the media feel offended by the remarks. As an analyst who is in a position in which he is deemed as the voice of black America to many I can see why he may disagree.

In a debate on ESPN’s First Take, Michael Eric Dyson spoke in detail about how he felt about Cuban’s remarks. He stated that Smith is not a sellout and that Cuban’s remarks were innocuous. “Cultural revulsion” and “aesthetic resistance” are terms which Dyson used to dissect Cuban’s remarks. These terms were important because they introduced the history of the “demonization” of black men in Western society. Because of this history, Dyson believes that Cuban’s remarks belittled the black man’s tragic and unfair experience in America which is wholly problematic. Blackness in Dyson’s words has been culturally repulsed and hasn’t been embraced aesthetically due to the stigmatization of blacks in America. The context in which he spoke was well put together and it is obvious that he took an analytical approach in dissecting Cuban’s remarks. By adding historical context, viewers may be able to understand why Smith stated his opinions the way he did. Dyson expressed his views and made it clear that he disagreed with Cuban’s remarks in a professional manner and also stated why he disagreed with Smith’s remarks.

As a whole racism in sports in an issue which many blacks in America do not speak about. If a coach or owner is exposed as being racist in my eyes this is not shocking. The slave and master paradigm in sports is notable to highlight and understand due to the issues surrounding it. It is unfortunate that many blacks in America do not see this correlation from treatment to the number of black players to the number of white owners.