Peter Bodo Can Kiss My Black A--

[Bula!]

Bling is a black thing. Bodo doesn't understand? Big freakin' surprise. It's a fashion statement and it shouldn't be so puzzling to him that a young black girl would want to wear something differently from him, a 50 year old white guy or however old he is.

I don't think he's being intentionally racist, but there is some inadvertent racism going on if only for the reason he uses the word "bling" over and over again, a black street slang term. He doesn't decry her "jewelry," he's putting down her "bling." Is it ostentatious? Hell yes. But keeping up with the Joneses isn't just a black thing, every race does it. It just manifests in a way that he doesn't approve of apparently when it comes to black folk.

Another person who has no clue what racism is.

Please don't say "bling" is the new word which is off limits for white people, but black people can use it in every other sentence, there's enough of those already. Hmm, maybe white people ought to start copyrighting a few words so they can cry racism if a black person ever criticises them.

How many stoic white people in the stands wearing hats does this sport need?

Haha, now that's racist

 

[Cavaleer]

PumpCann wrote:
"they (Venus & Serena) seemed to be held at a higher standard, than that of, Blake, Rubin, or Washington."

How exactly do you come to this conclusion? On what evidence is it based?
From my perspective (which is actually objective), Venus, Serena, Blake, and Rubin are all held to the same standard. The difference is simply in the behaviors - the words and actions - of the principles involved. The 'standard' they are all held to, for example, is one of fair play, respect for others and the game, and overall common decency. In short, the same standard that the rest of the players - no matter their color or nationality - are held to. The difference is that Blake and Rubin demonstrate far more class and respect than do Venus & Serena - and so, as a logical result, they are generally viewed more favorably than are Venus & Serena.

Again - there is no evidence at all that Venus & Serena are held to a different standard than is anyone else. Opinions of them are different, yes - but this has to do only with their actions being different than those of other players. They are being judged by their words, actions, and behaviors - just like every other player. What is unjust about that?

Well said Deuce. I've disagreed with you before but you're absolutely correct about this.

It's unfortunate that of all the good things Richard Williams taught his daughters about tennis he seems to have forgotten or overlooked the essence of the game, and of all sports and life in general-- taste and grace under all conditions. You can even be flashy and flamboyant like Borg, Sabatini or Noah and still have taste and grace.

Tennis is different from every other sport in terms of personal scrutiny, from what you wear to how you play to your emotional displays on court. Instead of putting a chip on their shoulders, R. Williams should have taught his girls that they would be ambassadors of the sport, their country and their family, as well as champions.

All in all, I think Bodo's assumptions and colloquialisms are misplaced and ill-advised. He may have some problems with her style and shade of skin but underneath it all I believe his real problem is with how she's playing and treating the sport. But he shouldn't worry. There's always another player who's hungrier and ready to pounce on any weaknesses in anyone's game. That player just might be Serena's sister.

 

[bb47]

Assuming I accept Bodo's argument, if bling is the sign of insecurity, so what if serena is insecure? Didn't she grow up in the ghettos, trained on courts strewn with syringes? and when put into the "non-hood" world of tennis, why shouldn't she feel insecure? She almost has a right too, wouldn't you, if you were in her place? And to compare her against someone who could afford to escape their own country to come to the finest tennis academies in america, not to mention having gold on her shoes, and is not unknown to where her own bling, may not be racist per sae, but the article sure smacks of ethnocentrism all right.

Btw, in Malay language; Bodo means stupid, nuff said.

This is a totaly misjudged remark. I agree with ghetto part, but have you ever been to Siberia? Do you know that to play tennis there for the most of the year you have to bring the ice-breaker to the court? Have you heard about Chernobyl? Do you know that Sharapova family have lived in Chernobyl zone and had to move to Siberia when the whole nuclear thing blew up? Last time when I was in Siberia it was minors 56 C. there. Do you know how it feels? Do you know that Sharapova father's salary was smaller than the US unemployment benefit and he had to work for it hard to save money for America? Do you now how dangerous are some Siberian streets at night? Now tell me about the ghetto.
I have huge respect for both girls regardless of their tastes, first and foremost because they managed to get away. Theirstyles are of no significance compared to that.

 

[RafaN RichardG]

PumpCann wrote:
"they (Venus & Serena) seemed to be held at a higher standard, than that of, Blake, Rubin, or Washington."

How exactly do you come to this conclusion? On what evidence is it based?
From my perspective (which is actually objective), Venus, Serena, Blake, and Rubin are all held to the same standard. The difference is simply in the behaviors - the words and actions - of the principles involved. The 'standard' they are all held to, for example, is one of fair play, respect for others and the game, and overall common decency. In short, the same standard that the rest of the players - no matter their color or nationality - are held to. The difference is that Blake and Rubin demonstrate far more class and respect than do Venus & Serena - and so, as a logical result, they are generally viewed more favorably than are Venus & Serena.

Again - there is no evidence at all that Venus & Serena are held to a different standard than is anyone else. Opinions of them are different, yes - but this has to do only with their actions being different than those of other players. They are being judged by their words, actions, and behaviors - just like every other player. What is unjust about that?

only thing youve ever said that makes some sort of point without totally bashing them as usual.

but you cant escape the fact that even if they do something good, its never good enough. in another thread serena was getting heat for not donating enough money to katrina, even though she donated her 40,000 dollar earrings. that seems to me like thyere being held to a high standard in at least that thread. i dont see many other players donating, and yet the only thread that was made was about her, who donated over 40,000...im not saying its a black/white thing, although sometimes it definitely seems like it, but they are often overly criticised to a point where its just pathetic what people come up with.

 

[RafaN RichardG]

This is a totaly misjudged remark. I agree with ghetto part, but have you ever been to Siberia? Do you know that to play tennis there for the most of the year you have to bring the ice-breaker to the court? Have you heard about Chernobyl? Do you know that Sharapova family have lived in Chernobyl zone and had to move to Siberia when the whole nuclear thing blew up? Last time when I was in Siberia it was minors 56 C. there. Do you know how it feels? Do you know that Sharapova father's salary was smaller than the US unemployment benefit and he had to work for it hard to save money for America? Do you now how dangerous are some Siberian streets at night? Now tell me about the ghetto.
I have huge respect for both girls regardless of their tastes, first and foremost because they managed to get away. Theirstyles are of no significance compared to that.

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=782074&cdi=0
http://cache.gettyimages.com/comp/7...99169AC85D6DE7795443E3AD3ADAFA894BF1D36375CA2
did sharapova grow up worse than this? gangs, drugs, shottings?
house full of kids, that small?
im sure she at least had her own bed
they both had it very hard, but i wouldnt say which is worse than the other, because i have not lived either lives.

 

[West Coast Ace]

but you cant escape the fact that even if they do something good, its never good enough. in another thread serena was getting heat for not donating enough money to katrina, even though she donated her 40,000 dollar earrings.

Serena only decided to auction off the earrings after the media storm over her lack of a donation and her sister's incredible "hurricane - it's over now - no big deal" statement - so the donation just looked like a damage control move, not a sincere act of kindness.

 

[Deuce]

(Deuce, that's the) only thing youve ever said that makes some sort of point without totally bashing them as usual.

Well, that's an outright lie.

Not surprising, though, coming from one who knows not even the faintest level of objectivity in matters concerning the Williams sisters/family.

 

[35ft6]

35, I used to think you were intelligent

Well that shows how smart you are.

- now I have my doubts. Jet Magazine even had a cover story "Do WE wear our Paychecks?"

But your point doesn't stand when it comes to the Williams sisters. A poor person living with their mom and working at Taco Bell saving up to buy a $10,000 diamond encrusted necklace is definitely dumb, but it doesn't apply to the Williams sisters who make 10 to 14 million each per year.

And your comment about Richard Williams is so stupid - lovable? - that it defies logic. The man is a racist and a liar.

My Italian grandmother would make disparaging remarks about Polish people, and she didn't like black people, and she hated just about everything. But she accepted me, an Asian boy, into her family, and was a lovable kook in her own old-world way. Richards Williams seems like my grandmother. An old kook whose old way of looking at the world was pretty much confined to sh it talk. The wife beating is inexcusable, though.

And if I remember correctly, the racist label fits you pretty well, too. But who knows. If I met you, I might think you're a lovable kook although you obviously have issues with black people and their entitlements and double standards and so on and so on.

 

[brinkeguthrie]

where is the peter bodo article?
the problem i have with SW is she doesnt apply herself. she's lazy. all she cares about is the fashion, the movies, the video, the reality show, the jewelry..everything except playing matches and practicing.

if she doesnt apply herself, she deserves the losing record. what a fake.

 

[Ronaldo]

So, like, how does the 2002 SW fit into this thread? Why/how did she get it together? If Venus, Justine, Kim, Mary rose again, why can't Serena? Hire Venus as your trainer. "Serena, now, when we played, you had that eye of the tiger, Sis, the edge! And now you gotta get it back, and the way to get it back is to go back to the beginning. You know what I mean?" Any woman that big with a six-pack can get back that bod. Eye of the Tiger, dawgs

 

[West Coast Ace]

And if I remember correctly, the racist label fits you pretty well, too. But who knows. If I met you, I might think you're a lovable kook although you obviously have issues with black people and their entitlements and double standards and so on and so on.

I have plenty of Asian and black friends - but they don't do things as stupid as Serena. If a white player did the things she did I'd call them out too. Just like I said in another thread about the OJ murders - if a high profile white ex-star athlete did it and got away with it I'd be just as pissed. And so would almost all white people.

Easy for you to hide behind your Asian background and call anyone who disagres with you a racist. You're a bitter, little person. I'd say 'have a nice life' but I don't see that happening for you.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Back to Bodo

I've always enjoyed reading his stuff. He's a writer first and a tennis guy second. At least that is my impression. He's definitely a lot longer on sensationalism than, say, Richard Evans or Gene Scott...or the guys on TennisPlayer.net or CNN SI et al.

That said...man, he disappointed me with that hackneyed moving backwards going beep beep beep line about Serena. Yeah, she's out of shape. Sure, she's put on a few LBs....but a fat joke? Bodo Please. Not funny. Not original. You're better than that Bodo.

Of course, it's only a blog. His editors probably never saw it. Unfortunately we did.

 

[Steve Huff]

I think the Williams sisters ARE held to a higher standard, but it's their own fault. They entered professional tennis telling to world (at least their dad told the world) that they were the best tennis players ever. And, for a while, they backed up their dad's claims. Blake, Rubin and Washington are humble and classy. I think Venus is trying to be more humble in her interviews etc., but Serena tries too hard to convince people that she's a "diva"--whatever that means for a tennis player. She, in a way, tells people, overtly and/or suggestively, that she's better than the rest. Naturally, she is held to a higher standard. She asked for it.

 

[Deuce]

iDil wrote:
"Assuming I accept Bodo's argument, if bling is the sign of insecurity, so what if serena is insecure? Didn't she grow up in the ghettos, trained on courts strewn with syringes? and when put into the "non-hood" world of tennis, why shouldn't she feel insecure? She almost has a right too, wouldn't you, if you were in her place?"

The problem is that her insecurity manifests itself in ugly ways - conceit, disrespect, arrogance, obnoxiousness...
Being insecure in itself is simply a part of life - and certainly not worthy of any criticism which isn't designed to help the insecure individual. But it is how one deals with one's insecurity which is the point here. Serena deals with her insecurity in a very flaunting, arrogant, disrespectful and obnoxious manner - and it is to this that I object - not to the insecurity per se, but to the manner in which the insecurity is manifested.

 

[35ft6]

Easy for you to hide behind your Asian background and call anyone who disagres with you a racist. You're a bitter, little person. I'd say 'have a nice life' but I don't see that happening for you.

The fact that I'm Asian was only brought up to illustrate how grey this world is, and that even racists can be decent people, my grandmother, who I miss a lot, being a prime example.