Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Professional or White?
The National Basketball Association has a new dresscode: business casual (dress shirt, dress slacks, dress shoes). I found some of the "forbidden" items interesting: no headgear, no chains or pendants outside the clothes, no sunglasses while indoors. My reaction to some of these forbidden fruits was the same as Stephen Jackson's: these bans look more like an effort to make the NBA players more "white" than more "professional"--especially the ban on chains worn outside of one's clothing. I appreciate wanting folks to dress appropriately for a given situation, especially if they are representing your business; but to what extent does white hegemony get to dictate what is "appropriate"? I think that some of the items in the ban step over the line into racial prejudice.
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8 comments:
Man, even Tennis isn't that strict anymore.
What does a chain "state"
I'm black?
Or "I'm wealthy"
or "I'm important"
I think in part it may be deeper than that. Bandanas, baseball caps, chains, pendants, etc., are all gang attire. They state that you're in a gang, which gang you're in, what you do in it. You see it a lot here in NYC, especially on the edge of Harlem (where I live).
But you have a point Daniel.
yes...
bandandas, caps, chains and pendants can be gang attire.
however, none are essentially so, and quite often--actually, more often than not--persons wearing such clothing are not gang members.
though, with particular clothing articles such a statement should be ammended: i.e. a red or blue bandana carries much more baggage than does a black one.
also, i should say that i spent much of my high school years in richmond, ca (owner of one of the highest murder rates per capita) and have friends who dress thuggish, as well as those who are actual gang members. Much of the attire in question is simply worn at large in african american society with no direct or strong link to gang members--there is a link in how these items came to be in fashion, but at this point it is very much like jeans--they were at one point gender and economic specific (male and/or poor) but they have long lost any significant link.
I just assumed that the NBA's purpose in banning visible nacklaces/chains was try try to reduce ostentation. This, I think, is really the root issue, since ostentation is much more highly valued (IMO) in the african-american community than in the white american community.
I always find myself thinking, "for that amount of money I would wear pretty much anything they old me to." Heck, I've even worn a McDonald's uniform for less money than the poorest NBA player makes. But that's just me.
It does seem that, in this world of Sudanese racial genocide and Islamic/Israeli desires to anihilate races, this could perhaps be a less than judicious allocation of our limited moral indignation resources.
I think that Ryan has articulated well the sorts of thoughts I was having.
Paul: I had this response develop in my brain in response to your "I'd wear whatever they said for that much money": "I'd pretty much be willing to give up BLT's and have an operation on my penis for as much as God has promised to give us in Jesus--but part of the point of the gospel is that we don't have to adopt another culture, much more the Law of God given to Israel, in order to be included." I guess that I'd hope a free, racially inclusive country could attain the same.
Giff: I see the matter quite differently. I can't imagine us ever getting upset about racially motivated genocide that we can't see (as we honestly never have in our country) if we don't cultivate an indignation against the racist expressions that we can (as we frankly don't in our church or country). As majority people, we lack a posture of concern for racial issues here that translates into a lack of concern abroad. Both will come together, or be left aside together.
So are you saying McDonalds shouldn't require uniforms, or that uniforms shouldn't apply to the well paid, or that race should be allowed to be a factor in uniform policies?
Took me a second took parse your reply though.
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