You can take the Serena out of the Compton, but, after this weekend’s US Open semi-final melt-down, her old address is clearly still securely stored under favorites in the limo’s GPS, right in there with haughty addresses in S. Florida and S. California, for sure. I’m talking about her extremely liberal use of the f-word in a threatening manner to a lines woman, who foot-faulted her against Belgian Kim Clijsters, leading to a semi-final match-ending penalty.Sure, she’s apologizing now and for real on the second go-round, but that’s probably only because of the e-word, endorsements. No company paying millions wants to be associated with a loose-cannon, ready to back up her physically threatening words, and forgetful of what it means to behave as a true champion.
In fairness, the lines woman should be exiled to Greenland. She compounded a wrong call, with a bad (bogus) call. Anyone who knows championship tennis knows that a foot-fault should never decide a game, a set, or a match. Everyone loses, both players, as well as the fans. It is unconscionable for a judge to insert themselves into the game this way. Nonetheless, it is even worse for any player, and certainly one of Serena’s caliber, to launch into such an expletive-laced tirade.
With all this said, let's step off the baseline for a minute for a point or two. The first is that Serena is known for comebacks, even at championship-point – she rarely gives up. So I believe her feelings of being ‘jacked’ (as they say in Compton) were real, even though most people watching thought it was past time to hoist a Belgian brew. No excuse, just the reality. Second, that lines woman posted the equivalent of Republican Joe Wilson’s “You Lie”, when she foot-faulted this future hall-of-famer, just when Serena’s got girlfriend Clijsters feeling over-confident.
So where did the lines woman get the ovaries to make that never-before-witnessed bad call, at the worse time. Perhaps, the same place that Wilson visited to rent the testicles to call President Obama a liar to his face, in front of Congress and the Senate, and the whole of America. Each was reflecting, whether they meant to or not, that in today’s Glenn Beck America, be you tennis champion or President, if you don’t look like my ideal, then prepare to get new, heretofore uncharted, mounds of disrespect broken over your 'uppity' ass. There, I said it. Deal with it.
James C. Collier
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Technorati Tags: Acting White: Straight Out Of Compton, Serena Williams, US Open, Foot-Fault, Kim Clijsters, Acting White
25 comments:
A correction.
She didn't lose because of the linesman call. She still was in the game with one point left to lose before losing the match.
She lost that last point when penalized for her outburst.
If she had kept what was left of her composure she could have had a chance to make that come back but apparently she had no composure left to keep since she was being soundly bettered by her opponent.
And let's not forget she had already been warned (and fined $500) for breaking her racket in the first set.
And still attempts to reason her outburst with her "passion" for the game.
That does not equate to the things she said to the linesman in any way shape or form.
My point was about Glenn Beck, America, the lineswoman, and Joe Wilson. Admittedly, Serena very behaved badly.
Anon 7:00 PM, you clearly are not a serious tennis player, or you'd recognize some disrespect from that linewoman, not so different from "You Lie" Joe Wilson. FTR, I love me some white folks.
yeah serena went str8 ghetto in the match i guess cuz she knew she was about to lose. Clisjster owns both the williams sistahs. As a woman moreso as an adult u should have higher standards esp. in the hi-profile arena of sports. Take a look at Kanye just the other day...freakin madness an azzhole in tru form. What does this say to today's youth? As long as u got paper u can do whatever the hell you want? I understand ppl make mistakes but think b4 u act...
What is HBD?
Jeff, HBD stands for Human BioDiversity. I'll let you google up on it on your own./JC
Do not place one bit of blame on the lines woman. She made a call and even though wrong it was her's to make.
Yes she made a mistake but "it" happens and that was no reason for Serena or YOU to insult her.
If Serena were white it wouldn't even be an issue with you so that makes one wonder how "equal" even you stand on race.
I guess you'd really be pouring it on if the lines woman had been white huh.
That call alone did not cause Serena to lose. Her penalization for her abuse of the lines woman is what made her lose.
She alone is responsible for those actions and she is correctly suffering the consequences.
And considering she got a $10,000 fine over the weekend after the tapes were reviewed she got even more consequences.
If only that would happen more often......
I guess you don't like a truthful America. One that doesn't hide things like how the democrats voted down a proposed amendment to the current house HC bill that would have required citizenship verification before qualifying for benefits, effectively creating a loophole for illegals to YES, receive benefits.
Do your research. All fact.
That's why Wilson went off. Not because of some made up racial crap.
Interestingly enough the democrats are NOW saying they are considering verification of citizenship before qualifying for benefits in any bill, no doubt changing their tune because of the attention the subject is receiving due to Wilson.
Thank you Congressman Wilson.
Thank you VERY much for watching out for Americans.
So what's your take of the MTV awards where the black guy took the mic out of the white girls hand during her acceptance speech?
That was a direct stab at whitey but you won't hear a peep from anyone saying as much.
Now if he had been white and the girl black......
Oh MAN! We'd be hearing it right and left!
Mostly from the black left.
Gimme a break!
Yeah, what say you about that?
Obama said he was a "jackass".
Way to go pres!
Anon 3:51, Check to see if the USTA invites said lines woman back next year - I seriously doubt it. The victor is suppose to result from competition, not official ineptitude. The mistake you treat so lightly is a cardinal sin in officiating. FTR, John McEnroe was a bigger ass, with a long history of official abuse. Serena earned the loss. I merely drew a point of comparison between Glenn Beck, foot-faulting, and calling the POTUS a liar.
Kanye's stunt defines the word jackass. Actually, it's kind of insulting to male donkeys when you consider it.
Let's go over this again.
The victor won because of her better play AND because of Serena's outburst. NOT because of the lines woman's call.
Better play or she would not have gotten to within 2 points of the match to start with.
Serena held that last point in HER hands and she shouted it away with profane abuse that came exceedingly close to physical threat.
She alone gave that last losing point away. She alone.
Yeah you are taking one thing that has nothing to do with the other things you are trying to complain about and twisting it into a mockery of journalism.
Get a grip and stop the blame game.
Heck the most complaining I see about the lines woman's call is here.
Very little was said about it on the various sports networks being such a big deal.
I guess that's because the real issue was Serena's reaction to it.
Bush's COStaff claimed Obama was disrespectful for shirtsleeves in the Oval office, but Wilson yelling 'you lie' in the chamber is just being honest. Convenient.
Now don't go away mad.....
It was an offense and he admitted it and apologized quickly.
No it's no comparison to shirt sleeves but neither was it racial in nature and to attempt to make it as such cultivates nothing positive at all.
I'm just glad the issue of illegals in any proposed HC bill is getting the attention it deserves.
It was a bad way to get attention but hey, it worked, even if the wrong way.
Like the president said after Wilson apologized, apology accepted and time to get to work on both sides.
Lots of issue need attention and people need informing. The government not informing it's citizens is the biggest reason there's so much debate about HC now.
And they complain when people question how they plan a HC bill?
Wow james, you have a new fan in me. I loved this article and it is so on the money. I have read the comments and I have no ill feelings towards Caucasians, but this incident along with the Obama incident shows how racist America truly still is today. I mean PLENTY of people before Serena have cursed at an UMPIRE and were they penalized? People need to remember that she was penalized for language NOT her behavior. So if this is true why wasn't Johnny Mack or even Federer (the new greatest ever) who cursed just two days after Serena's incident, fined for cursing at the umpire??? Not a line person, the umpire them self, which in my opinion is way worse. Seems like racism to me because these other individuals got fined. Ok, I agree with that, but possibly being taken out of future grand slams and taking away a 350,000 semifinal check and possible suspension from the game all together. That is B.S. and if it were Sharapova a.k.a the great white hope in tennis, we would have only heard whispers in the press, instead of this onslaught of disapproval. And I know what I am talking about I am a tennis player and have been watching the sport for over 13 years
Thanks James for reminding us of McEnroe. Connors as well back in the day made Serena's outburst look tame. McEnroe and Connors have not been denied their glory despite their history.
People have reacted to this incident like she has a long track record bad behavior. She does not.
Any record of those in the past saying they would like to "take this effin ball and shove it down your effin throat"?
It wasn't just the cursing.It was also the implied threat.
While many are happy tolerance for differences is growing and less tolerance for bad behavior is growing why are some asking for more tolerance in the instance if this VERY bad behavior........
If she were white and the lines woman were black how many would be screaming racist?
Gimme a break....
"hoist a Belgium brew"
Belgian.
And to think I used to visit this site because the author didn't try to blame everything on anti-black racism.
And to think I used to visit this site because the author didn't try to blame everything on anti-black racism.
My thoughts exactly.
Anon 7:33, "everything"?
Honestly, JCC, it seems like you've been on a bit of a crusade in September. Your treatment of the accidental discharge as a "race issue" when it seems 100 times more obviously a gender issue, and your followup reports seemed a bit vengeful. Bringing Joe Wilson and Glenn Beck into the Serena incident was a reach.
I'm just calling it like I see it. I enjoy reading your perspective, but I would hate to see this turn into just another black grievance blog.
I agree with 2:10 anonymous, but I also recognize that it is a logical progression for any liberal creationist author that covers racial differences and discrepancies and, at the same time, categorically denies HBD. Take HBD out of the equation and these racial problems become strangely frustrating and perplexing, ultimately driving the denier into perpetual grievance mode.
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