Slurs unacceptable in any form
Joakim Noah says he got “caught up” in the moment, angrily lashing out at a fan in Miami with a profanity and a gay slur.
He apologized and will have to pay $50,000 to the league for his actions. That’s appropriate. We believe him when he says, “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m not like that. I’m an open-minded guy.”
Trouble is, not everybody watching that game knows what’s in Noah’s mind or heart. Not everyone knows whether he’s open-minded or homophobic or worse.
What people know is that he used the gay slur in anger — as too many people do — on a national stage. That word has no place in sports or everyday conversation.
So, when the Bulls’ Luol Deng says “it’s human nature to react,” we say you still need to choose your words more carefully.
How ironic that Noah would use a gay slur just as the NBA is running commercials during the playoffs against gay slurs. The professional sports world has a long way to go in terms of acceptance, but the fact that Noah was fined — like Kobe Bryant before him — helps to shine a light on what is and isn’t acceptable. This isn’t political correctness anymore. This is showing respect for people’s differences and teaching society as a whole that word choice matters.
And that’s a lesson that needs to be taught right here in the suburbs as well. Two ugly incidents at the high school level make that apparent.
Just last week, two freshman on the Naperville North boys lacrosse team were taunted with racial slurs at a game in Wheaton. That follows an incident last month at St. Charles East High School in which several fans made racial remarks about players from Elgin’s Larkin High School, which is primarily Hispanic.
On Tuesday, two Wheaton Warrenville South sophomores — including an African American who used the “N” word — admitted to the lacrosse taunting, which apparently went on throughout the game. They will be disciplined and will write letters of apology.
“This wasn’t a couple of guys playing ball in the park. This was happening in front of parents, coaches and other players,” said Rosalind Crosby, mother of the Naperville North boys. “I’m still disappointed that no one else stood up and put an end to the language being used.”
We agree. It’s up to all of us to step up and step in and let people know the use of slurs in any form is unacceptable. Tell them there aren’t different rules when sports are involved. Tell them you don’t care if this was common when they were growing up. Tell them the victims don’t need to get thicker skins. Instead, tell the offenders they need to learn about diversity and tolerance.
Tell them it’s not appropriate, period.