Bounty hunter’s rant is least of concerns.
MY sister has a doctoral degree in anthropology from Harvard University. She has taught at numerous prestigious universities across the country and for many years she served as a Peace Corps director in Liberia. “The Doctor,” as I often call her, is well educated, highly respected and travels in what society would call good academic, international and social circles. But when her son’s white girlfriend gave birth to his child, she sounded worse than Dog the Bounty Hunter, who was recently tape-recorded by his son, Tucker, using the N-word in reference to the young man’s girlfriend, who is black. My nephew didn’t bother to document his mother’s ranting. Nor did any other member of our family try to make public her racial intolerance. Would “The Doctor” have been put on administrative leave had the news leaked out? Would the public have cared about her position in this matter of being the grandmother of a bi-racial child? I doubt the National Enquirer would have been interested in the story. My nephew would have been hard put trying to collect the $15,000 Dog’s son was paid for the betrayal, according to an interview with Dog on Larry King. Truthfully, what harm has Dog the Bounty Hunter actually caused? He, like the rest of us who haven’t been outed, said what came to mind. Does this man’s use of the N-word actually give a clear portrayal of his racial tolerance level? The conversation surrounding this story should not be focusing on the word. Instead, we should be talking more about the very sad relationship he has with his son. For so few pieces of silver, this young man, just recently released from prison, set his father up as a result, maybe, of a troubled childhood caused in part by the absence of his father. But instead we’re all weighing in on the word itself. In a clip from “The View,” co-host Sherri Shepherd claimed she was very hurt that Dog would use that word. Let’s get real. Please. As black people struggling to establish ourselves in this troublesome society, we’ve got a hell of a lot more to be hurt about than Dog using a word we use in private on a regular basis. Let’s get hurt about the rappers who’ve taken the N-word to new lows. Let’s get hurt with the teenagers taking their cue from the rappers, who can be heard everywhere greeting each other with, “What’s up, my n—–.”‘ If American institutions were not so preoccupied with the business of creating and then ignoring the racial divide, there would be real dialogue about racism and the establishing of a process for eliminating it, instead of continually devoting headline stories focused on the word alone. I don’t watch Dog’s show, but on the occasions that I’ve happened to catch parts of it, I never noticed that he was catching only African Americans and turning them over to law enforcement. So, it isn’t Dog who is filling up our prisons with black men. Why isn’t Shepherd from “The View” hurt about the absence of men in her community? Why isn’t she hurt about the racial disparity prevalent in our criminal justice system? Suspending Dog’s A&E show, “Dog The Bounty Hunter,” is totally inappropriate and smacks of the those in charge waiting to see how Al Sharpton will play this one. Will Dog’s misspeak be called a slap at the black community? Will my people march? Let’s hope not. Dog is apologizing everywhere. He says he’s even taking training. My sister held her ground and never spoke to her grandchild, and in later years hasn’t yet spoken to her great-grandchildren. Neither of these instances are isolated cases in America, but which of them causes the real hurt and truly reflects the mess our society is really in?
By Shirlee Smith
