Why He Fears the Fist: A Response to Jonah Goldberg

[marmar]

via CommonDreams:



Published on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 by The Nation
Why He Fears the Fist: A Response to Jonah Goldberg
by Dave Zirin


Jonah Goldberg’s regular column in the Los Angeles Times is usually an awkward grab-bag of right-wing talking points backed by an incredible lack of historical knowledge. Goldberg stepped on to my beat this last week with a column about the 1968 Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who infamously raised their fists on the awards podum in protest against state-sanctioned racism in Africa. His piece was such cheap, dishonest scribble, I feel compelled to respond.

The column’s starting point was the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, given to Smith and Carlos at the recent 2008 ESPY Awards. Lest you had any doubt about Goldberg’s take, the headline blares, “‘68 Olympics salute deserves no honor: ESPN ignored the violent extremism behind the black power salute given by two medalists at the Mexico City Games.”

You could tell right away that Goldberg didn’t read a book, an article, even a fortune cookie, about the 1968 Olympics before whipping out his laptop. Smith and Carlos never advocated any kind of violence. Furthermore, they saw their symbol as a sign of resistance that would connect broadly across ethnicities, not a narrow expression of “black power.”

But the title turns out to be the intellectual summit of the piece.

Goldberg writes, “The stench of self-congratulation surrounding ESPN’s decision is thicker than the air in a locker room after double overtime…. The argument that Smith’s and Carlos’ critics must dine on their denunciations rests on an inch-deep nostalgia and the triumph of celebrity culture.”

Note that Goldberg doesn’t mention a word about why Smith and Carlos made their stand and why his intellectual forbearers “must dine on their denunciations.” Smith and Carlos wanted South Africa and Rhodesia banned from the 1968 games because of their apartheid politics. They demanded more black coaches in sports. They sought to hold Avery Brundage, president of the International Olympic Committee, accountable for what many black athletes thought to be policies of barely concealed racism. They wanted Muhammad Ali to have his heavyweight boxing title restored after it was stripped because of the Champ’s refusal to fight in Vietnam. Goldberg never makes clear if he even knows this history. I’m guessing he doesn’t. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/05/10815/

[vadger1]

1. Jonah Goldberg never ceases to amaze...

If he isn't the worst right-wing pundit in the public eye, he's definitely up there.

[DailyGrind51]

2. Perhaps the gesture reminded him of a painful experience?

[HughMoran]

3. Sucks that people even have to waste their breath responding to RW trolls like Goldberg

There are no words to describe his ignorance IMHO.

[sasquatch]

4. Goldberg needs his ass beat