Hey, Media: Call a Spade a Spade

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Hey, Media: Call a Spade a Spade

Topic Author: Paul Gessler

Posted: 5:21 PM Apr 14, 2008

Replies Posted: 6 comments

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Hey, Media: Call a Spade a Spade

In my desperate need for infotainment this past weekend, my channel surfing led me to CNN Headline News' prime time program hosted by Nancy Grace.

The topic: NBA Child Support. Professional athletes in legal trouble is certainly appealing and newsworthy.

I saw "NBA Star Arrested for Not Paying Child Support" on the screen. Aside from the media conviction, I expected to hear about Shawn Kemp or another deadbeat player who was at one time a "star."

Who do we get instead? Jason Caffey.

Yes, that Jason Caffey who averaged 7 points per game in a 10-year NBA career. Granted, he made more than $28 million throughout that career. That kind of makes you wonder why he can't afford $100,000 in child support, but that's beside the point.

Is it bad Caffey allegedly has 10 child with 8 different women? Not only is it bad, it's kind of laughable. That's one "baby's momma" on every road trip.

But, memo to the media: while I appreciate your effort to humiliate this guy, call him what he was. "Former NBA Role Player Arrested, Charged With Not Paying Child Support."

See if you can fit that on the screen next time.

Posted by: Sue It is unnecassary and people need to stop reading undertones into everything everyone says. I don't get bent out of shape everytime someone says something that is anti-Native American. And it does happen. And alot of the politically correct stuff goes overboard. Just because it may have been a racial slur where someone grew up some years ago, doesn't make it one know. Language is dynamic. It changes. Get over it.

Posted by: debbie While I'm certainly ready to let this issue die, I'll have to say I'm sure Brian is correct. However where I grew up that saying was definitely used as a racial slur. I'm sure that area was not a rarity.

Posted by: Brian "Calling a spade a spade" is an expression that originated with the garden tool known as a spade. It appeared in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable in 1913 defined as such; the word spade was not documented as a racial slur until 1928. You can read about all this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_a_spade_a_spade It's good that everybody is cautious of certain terms, but in this case it's unnecessary.

Posted by: Debbie Sue, what you fail to see, is where that saying came from, At one time Black folks were called spades, as well as other things, and that's where the saying came from. I never said race was the issue, what I said is some make it that no matter what, and in this day and age of pcness, I'd be really careful what I said. I'm sure Paul had no idea where the saying came from either and meant nothing by it.

Posted by: Sue I fail to see how any of this is a racial slur. Race is not the issue, someone not paying child support is.

Posted by: Anonymous While I'm sure you meant no insult to anyone, that was actually a racially charged statement back in the day, and I'd be very careful using sayings like that these days. The good Rev may want you off the air.