Thursday, March 28, 2024

Responding To NY Times Racist Attack On Serena Williams.

July 17, 2015 by  
Filed under News, Opinion, Sports, Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Ever get the feeling that you are trapped in one of those never ending Greek myths? You know, like the one where the Heracles (better known by the Roman rip-off name,”Hercules”) has to fight Anteas, the giant son of Mother Earth who derived his strength from contact with the earth. Whenever Heracles threw the giant down, he arose with even greater strength. Or the story of Hydra, the nine headed sea serpent who grew two heads every time our hero (Heracles again) smashed one of its heads.

You may be wondering why I’m starting this blog with references to a Greek mythology paradigm. Just as we are trying to celebrate the Confederate flag coming down across the South, the New York Times publishes an article on Serena Williams that is so outrageously, blatantly racist that it would have been more appropriate had it been published by your local KKK, or Willie Lynch, for that matter, than what had at one time been considered America’s preeminent newspaper. Smash one of racism’s gruesome heads and two grow back.   As you may know, Serena Williams just won her sixth Wimbledon title and her twenty eighth victory in a Grand Slam match. She is easily the greatest female athlete of her generation, and arguably one of the greatest athletes, male or female of any generation. Just how did the noble New York Times approach Serena’s magnificent accomplishment? Did they analyze the magnitude of her achievement or draw comparisons record to Billy Jean King or Martina Navratilova? No, instead they published a piece entitled “Tennis’s Top Women Balance Body Image With ambition,” an indictment of Williams’ body!

This piece is so incredibly wrong on so many levels; it is difficult to begin to even unravel them. In the first place, just WHO THE HELL does Ben Rothenberg, the author of this drivel, think he is to even talk about Serena’s body like that? In my community, we call that “Talking under her clothes,” an act of complete disrespect. I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked to inspect her teeth the next time she takes the court!

The racist author, after describing Williams’ “mold breaking muscular frame,” goes on to report, “Her rivals could try to emulate her physique, but most of them choose not to.” He goes onto quote the coach of one of Serena’s “rivals,” (like I rival Lebron James for best basketball player): “It’s our decision to keep her as the smallest player in the top 10,” said Tomasz Wiktorowski, the coach of Agnieszka Radwanska, who is listed at 5 feet 8 and 123 pounds. “Because, first of all she’s a woman, and she wants to be a woman.”

They couldn’t bring Serena down based on her tennis so they attack her womanhood? This piece was born in the nexus of racism and sexual dysfunction that has nurtured all that is evil in race relations in America. The black man was painted either as a sexual brute (note that the deluded killer in the recent Charleston church slaughter claimed “you rape our women” despite the fact that the small crowd was mostly older black women); or as a non-sexual being as evidenced by the prepubescent appellation, “boy”.   Similarly, since the American ethos painted women as either whore (Eve) or virgin (as in Mary) and since ever virtuous white women, by definition had to play the “Mary” role, that left black women in the role of Eve. When black women weren’t portrayed as the sluts whose sole purpose in life was to relieve the lecherousness on white men, they too were de-sexed in the role of “mammy.

Yet I’m afraid the author of this piece has been hoist by his own petard, or to paraphrase the African proverb, his one finger pointing at Serena leaves three fingers pointing back at him.     His assessment of Serena’s sexuality says a whole lot more about his, than hers, starting with why in the world would you go there in the first place? Not to mention why you would attack her femininity through the words of a scrawny, little white girl and her coach? The whole point of my blog is that Serena’s body type should be completely off limits. But as a man, please forgive me, I cannot let this go. He thinks she looks masculine? Are you kidding me?? Yes, Serena is buff. But she is what I called, in my days of alliteration, a voluptuous vixen and a paragon of pulchritude. She has grown woman curves. Her curves have curves! Mr. Rothenberg, as well as the editorial staff that gave the go-ahead for this racist nonsense, apparently didn’t notice because they were looking at the size of her arms??!! Really?

Mr. Rothenberg and his editors are cowards, intimidated by the athletic prowess and womanliness of Serena Williams. If they want to know what an ideal feminine physique looks like, they should

survey some heterosexual African American men, like me. Like the sugar-free chewing gum commercial, nine out of ten black men will tell you they love Serena’s physique. And the tenth one? He was accidentally knocked out when the survey was taken.

Staff Writer; William Griggs

One may connect with this talented writer over at; http://WilliamGriggs.Net. You can also pick up his “newly” released novel entitled: The Megalight Connection.

 

 


Comments

13 Responses to “Responding To NY Times Racist Attack On Serena Williams.”
  1. USA Tennis says:

    If you know the author, Ben Rothenburg – he is a pasty looking redhead that could pass for a 17 yr old. His remarks are usually sophomoric and broaderline offensive. Doesn’t surprise me he wrote this flame bait of an article. What DOES surprise me is that NYtimes continues to hire the likes of him to publish for tennis. Is print media so dead they can’t hire a real journalist these days?!

  2. sherrie says:

    You are truly a member of the stupid fool writers of the usa. Get a grip, your life must be in the toilet. I don’t even know how you have the position of writing let alone publish such nonsense. At all costs have a nice day.

  3. Judyb says:

    I think for a person to have a negative comment about one of the most powerful and wonderful champion tennis player of all times Serina Williams should stick thee head in sand forever

  4. JOSHUA HENRY says:

    The article and the responses show just how far apart we are in understanding black the perspective. Whatever his intention, Mr Rothenberg (and the NY Times) was, at least, a bit insensitive to the level of mistrust that exist around issues of gender and race.

  5. jonn says:

    The very subject line of this article clearly underscore what the intent of the author was. While I agree with Sheldon that direct racial parallel like those of “kkk” cannot be drawn,one cannot help but see the hidden undertones to frame Serena in racial and sexual terms. Bottom line is this author knows better than sell cheap racial thoughts clothed in “..oh she has come to terms with her body type…” what does that even mean?
    Sir, do a serious report on Serena, instead of focusing on her broken French , hear the laughter of young girls in Africa where Serena is building schools . Sir,hear the inner city girls and boys who she inspires every day. Sir,hear the musical tones of a great American who shows the world how great America is. But again,you may just be interested in selling one more newspaper for being controversial. I’m not angry I actually feel sad for you and your thoughts. Long after you are gone from NYT,Serena will have inspired generation of Champions like my daughter.

  6. wonderfulme says:

    This article somehow came up on my “Google Now”, although I have zero interest in both tennis and/or the Williams sisters.

    I’m glad it did.

    Aside from the general asinine content, it rewarded me with this:

    “..she is what I called, in my days of alliteration, a voluptuous vixen and a paragon of pulchritude”.

    I’m going to try to casually introduce that into every other conversation I have from now on.

  7. bemk says:

    I honestly feel that Mr.Rottenberg has no business writing his article, particularly because he is not an expert into human body or female body development. Some people even if they want, because of the type of the body that they have, they are not able to put on body mass that they want. For Mr. Rottenberg article to be taken seriously and have any relevancy he should have consulted experts and give scientific opinions.

    The way his article is presented whether Mr. Rottenberg wanted it or not, clearly insinuates that other ladies care their bodies and Serena does not. Taking unwise quote for other Tennis players did not do Mr. Rottenberg good service.

    I refuse to give Mr. Rottenberg and his accolytes the benefits of the doubt because they knew the biases that were against Serena’s muscular body. This is not the first time that Mr. Rottenberg write about Tennis. He knows better. He should write an apology to Serena, because he did not even talk to her and get her opinion about how she likes a muscular body and others did not. For God’s sake he even talked to Radwanska coach.

    Bemk

  8. Love40 says:

    That article was not racist at all. If you are going to use that term, use it carefully. It is shameful to throw it around loosely as you’ve done here. The NYT article may have been a bit sexist, but not racist. Serena was mentioned in the article along with several other players, for their opinions on body image, so it was not elusively about her, and never about race, so you shouldn’t attribute meaning to something that was never really alluded to. Get it right next time Theseus….

  9. Marvin8 says:

    The ONLY question I have whenever I see shoulder and arm development like that is whether or not steroids have been used. Sorry, but that ain’t racist.

  10. Ira A. McCown, Jr. says:

    Wether Griggs’ critique of Rothenber’s “article” was written before or after Serena’s 2015 Wimbledon title is not germane. What is at issue is whether Rothenberg was being fair to Serena and toned, muscular women in general to delve into this issue.

    Further, the fact that the NYT publishes an article about attractiveness of different types of woman tennis players is definitely sexist. I don’t remember ever seeing an article comparing body types of male tennis champions.

    We don’t all look alike. So I think it’s unfair of Rothenberg to perpetuate the beauty pageant/model view of skinny women as epitome of white fashion world’s viewpoint when so many women get eating disorders and other health problems trying to attain it.

    On issue of racism, I have no idea whether Rothenberg is bigoted regarding race or not; however, his article could easily be interpreted as such because it mostly focused on differences of Serena from most other player’s when she has far more similarities. Rothenberg, in my opinion did not offer evenhanded review of Serena’s overall beauty by offering couple of comments, such as Pam Shriver’s that being curvaceous is fine too.

    Just as some historic points can be made by flying a Confederate flag, NYT should block articles that go out of their way to get into overall sexist discussion of Serena’s appearance.

  11. Deborah says:

    Well I wanted to make an informed opinion about the article so I read it. What Mr. Rothenberg felled to mention was Ms. Williams was born into her body she didn’t manufacturer it or construct it. This is the body God have her and in being an athlete staying healthy and running around a court for 20 years will get you. I myself a full figured woman oftem marveled at Serena’s physique saying “wow how does she move like that” also Mr. Rothenberg did mention other women with muscles but he didn’t mention the ones that had the same or more muscles than Ms. Williams such as Ms. Navratilova, Ms. Mauresmo or Ms. Henin, and even small framed Francesca Schiavone don’t know if any of these women lifted weights or maybe this just how God made them. Hummmmmmmmm

  12. William Griggs has written a horribly dishonest commentary. Rothenberg’s NYT article is not an attack on Serena Williams. To the contrary, it says that Williams, “who has appeared on the cover of Vogue, is regarded as symbol of beauty by many women.” It adds that “Not all players have achieved Williams’s self-acceptance” and quotes various women tennis players, some of whom worry that getting more muscular will make them appear less feminine.

    As for the notion that Rothenberg’s article is “racist,” his article never once mentions race. It is entirely about the question of whether women tennis players are judged (and judge themselves) based on stereotypical assumptions that women’s bodies should not be muscular. It quotes multiple women tennis players who are considered muscular. Most of the women it quotes in this regard are white.

    Finally, Rothenberg’s article was written while Wimbledon was still in progress, before Serena won this year’s title. It is therefore incorrect for Griggs to describe Rothenberg’s article as a response to “Serena’s magnificent accomplishment.” Her magnificent accomplishment of winning at Wimbledon had not happened yet when Rothenberg wrote his article.

    Serena Williams is indeed a phenomenal athlete, and personally I think she looks great. I’m in agreement with Pam Shriver, who Rothenberg quotes in his article: “The way Serena wears her body type I think is perfect,” Shriver said. “I think it’s wonderful, her pride.”

    It is absurd and dishonest for Griggs pretend that an article which contains these sorts of quotes could have been “published by your local KKK.” If Griggs thinks that Rothenberg’s article is the sort of thing the KKK might publish, he must have no idea how vile and vicious the KKK really is.

  13. Tim says:

    Great article! Thanks for writing this. Rothenberg is a hack. The NYT should be ashamed, but I don’t know if they’re capable of that. Go Serena!

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