Gilbert Arenas has made a complete ass of himself, the Wizards and the NBA by knowingly taking guns to “work” as a “joke”. The fact he made an ass of himself doesn’t bother me. People do it all the time, but when their dumb decisions have an impact on me that’s where I draw the line. How did Gilbert’s poor judgement impact me? In two ways: 1) it digs up the gun control issue out of context and 2) perpetuates the notion that blacks, through the misguided judgements of professional athletes, idealize the thuggish lifestyle.
The gun control issue is the one that burns me the most. Gun control advocates are already a motivated group and they will no doubt take Gilbert’s actions, in one of the most anti-gun cities in America, out of context and use this as further motivation to ban guns. This is my “Turn them into Monsters” reference on my post earlier on How to Stop the Hunting Tradition. Arenas will be turned into a monster that represents the hunting culture, though, I can say with virtual certainty that Gilbert knows nothing of the lifestyle. Don’t believe me? With public support for tougher gun control at an all time low, anti-gun rights groups will try to seize the moment. You only need to see some of the comments pouring in already (here and here).
The sad part is Arenas isn’t alone. You have Plaxico, P. Diddy and a host of black entertainers turning up with firearms in situations that impact not only gun control but the hunting lifestyle I hold so dear. It is important that anyone reading this still objective on the gun control issue, understand that people like Arenas do not represent gun owner (generally) and hunters (specifically).
The second impact this Arenas situation has on me is the fact he is black. Stereotypes are already ripe and, trust me, living in Iowa with hobbies that take me into rural settings I know what they are. It is on this issue I find myself agreeing with Stephen A Smith. I say throw the book on him. No, not with just unpaid leave for the rest of the season…what will that do? The guy has a $100 million contact so if you sit him out now when he’s already made roughly $7 million, he’ll only lose around $9 million dollars, or 10% of his contract. Me, if I tote heat to work – joking or not – they put me under the jail. Furthermore, my real rage comes from the parent in me. Children, including black kids, look up to professional athletes. Sure, bring out your Charles Barkley “I am not a role model” mantra. But even Sir Charles didn’t mean it in this bad of a context. Apparently I’m not the only person of color taking this stance. Reverand Al would just assume throw the book at Areans, too.
To many I am probably just an anomoly…a black, legal gun-toting American living in Iowa with a thirst for the outdoors and the lifestyle it affords me. Maybe so, but being responsible regardless of context is something I expect of my family, friends and of all Americans across gender, political and racial lines.
