Mr. President, The Clock Is Ticking
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Mr. President, The Clock Is Ticking

The president has been badly tone-deaf on issues of race this week.

52
Mr. President, The Clock Is Ticking
iStock

A week from now, I’ll be taking a position at the San Jose State University Institute for the Study of Sport, Society, and Social Change. And Mr. President, with your antics this week concerning NFL players and my Golden State Warriors exercising their First Amendment rights, I have a feeling my colleagues and I will have a lot to talk about when October rolls around.

A year ago this week I watched you debate Secretary Clinton in the first of your three disastrous presidential debate performances. You moaned about the nation's crime rate and gushed over introducing law and order into this country. That’s despite the fact that crime in this nation is lower than it’s been in decades, and the phrase “law and order” conjures up terrible law enforcement practices such as stop and frisk and countless acquittals of officers who were way off their line.

September must not be your biggest fan. Because it’s suffice to say since last September you’ve learned nothing when it comes to race relations, and more importantly, civility.

So let me spell it out for you again: Black men and women are far more likely to be pulled over than people who look like you. They’re more likely to live in poverty, and more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts. When black athletes stand up and demand change, they’re not empty complaints. They’re things to get angry about. Things you use your sports pulpit to preach about.

That means when these “sons of bitches” raise grievances and beg you to fix their “inner cities,” you listen to them. You do something about it.

The Constitution you swore to protect on your inauguration day ensures the rights for individuals to peacefully assemble and disagree with you. And it protects the rights of people like me who write about you — the same people you’ve tried so hard to disparage.

What you haven’t yet realized, despite months in the highest office the land, and many more months on the trail campaigning for the presidency, is that you can’t be the superior in this office. Perhaps you’ve spent too much time bossing people around on The Apprentice. Or maybe that small loan you got that built your empire got to your head. But the pint is this: The American people are your boss. Not you.

That means you report to them, and you’re accountable to every single one of them. Black, white, brown, and everything in between. Chriatian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, atheist, agnostic, and everything else in between.

And you’re subject to a peer review of your performance every four years. If we were to look at your peer review at this very moment, it doesn’t bode very well for you. The number one job of the president of the United States — before securing our infrastructure or destroying health care or reading your daily list of compliments hand-delivered to your desk — is protecting the American people. It’s the same mandate delivered to you and the 43 other Americans who held this sacred office before you.

And you’re failing at that too.

So pick up a newspaper. I promise you The New York Times isn’t as biased as you think. Read some statistics. Visit some cities in America and try not to be so pretentious when you go to them. You’re the president, not the guy with a monocle from Monopoly.

This October, the Golden State Warriors will hoist another banner to their rafters in honor of their 2017 championship. Although you won’t have the honor to host them before then, Mr. President, at least they’ll be hoisting a banner they can be proud of.

And the way things are going this month, I have a feeling October won’t be too good for you either. That is until you do something about it. The clock is ticking, Mr. President.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

18530
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

946941
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

123536
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments