Leaving the World of the Past, one step at a time
on the departure of Larry Cochell
In film, rain can be used as a symbol of cleansing. Well, it was raining in Norman, Oklahoma today. Yesterday evening saw the University of Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell submit his resignation to President David Boren, ending an dark episode which began last Tuesday involving, to quote the Daily, "racially insensitive remarks made to ESPN broadcasters last Tuesday in Witchita, Kan."
The comments made by Cochell were in reference to freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan. According to ESPN, Cochell, in praising Dunigan to broadcaster Gary Thorne, said, "There's no nigger in him." Thorne, appearently, pushed the statement to the back of his mind until he found out about what Cochell had earlier told his partner broadcaster, Kyle Peterson. Again speaking about Dunigan, Cochell had said, "There are honkies and white people, and there are niggers and black people. Dunigan is a good black kid."
In an apology accompanying his request for resignation, Cochell claims that he is not a racist and that the comments he made are not representative of his feelings on race. The only two black players on the OU baseball team and their families have made statements supporting the coach and offering him forgiveness. President Boren, in a statement accepting Cochell resignation, said, "A good and caring man has made a terrible mistake for which he must assume responsibility."
I don't know Larry Cochell as a man, so I can neither support President Boren's assertion nor deny it. However, I am not sure I buy into the idea that this is just a case of a baseball coach trying too hard to be affable for the media. The fact that there are only two black players on OU's baseball team causes a problem for me. How could a nationally recruiting, Big 12 baseball team have only two African-American players? Because I am only conjecturing here, I am going to let you think about that on your own...
I feel that the proper course of action has been taken in this case. Cochell has shown considerable character in resigning from his position in a timely fashion, instead of causing the team and the university more bad publicity. Regardless of how his leaving of OU came about, I believe that Cochell should not have been allowed to stay. We cannot allow such sentiments to be reflected upon this fine institution.
on Kansas, fucking Kansas...
Reuters is reporting that Evolution is about to go on trial yet again in America, this time in the great Red state of Kansas. The new wave of pseudo-religious proponents of 'Intelligent Design' being taught in science classrooms is looking for a victory in the Kansas courts so that their theory can be taught side-by-side with evolution.
OK. I feel it is necessary at this juncture to make sure that everyone knows thejobeyon...'s stance on the evolution v. intelligent design v. creationism debate. It's a simple one: Let's keep that which is supported by science (i.e. Evolution) in the science classroom, and keep fairy tales of huge men in the sky with beards creating everything 10,000 years ago (don't look at me like that...) in the philosophy classroom. In a philosophy class, debate is usually encouraged and students could have fair game of ideas. Teaching something with no scientific relevance in a science classroom. I say that we should keep the current system where the controversy is mentioned, but nothing besides evolution is taught in the science classroom.
I've often thought of how particular policies mixing religion and public life will affect our country, and I see no bigger threat to our education system then 'Intelligent Designers.' They have a hidden agenda to get their beliefs in a higher power taught as fact in schools to all children. By teaching the idea of a higher power being the creator of life, science teachers are opening a Pandora's Box; How far should they go towards interpretting the meaning of life? What questions should they answer on morality? What do they tell their students about the nature of the higher power which possibly created them? If these questions aren't answered properly, we must assume that the next logical step after espousing 'Intelligent Design' in the classroom is to inflect one's own religious beliefs into the lesson, essentially preaching at students. A very dangerous situation, and, ultimately, an unnecessary one.
Have at it in Comments.
In film, rain can be used as a symbol of cleansing. Well, it was raining in Norman, Oklahoma today. Yesterday evening saw the University of Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell submit his resignation to President David Boren, ending an dark episode which began last Tuesday involving, to quote the Daily, "racially insensitive remarks made to ESPN broadcasters last Tuesday in Witchita, Kan."
The comments made by Cochell were in reference to freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan. According to ESPN, Cochell, in praising Dunigan to broadcaster Gary Thorne, said, "There's no nigger in him." Thorne, appearently, pushed the statement to the back of his mind until he found out about what Cochell had earlier told his partner broadcaster, Kyle Peterson. Again speaking about Dunigan, Cochell had said, "There are honkies and white people, and there are niggers and black people. Dunigan is a good black kid."
In an apology accompanying his request for resignation, Cochell claims that he is not a racist and that the comments he made are not representative of his feelings on race. The only two black players on the OU baseball team and their families have made statements supporting the coach and offering him forgiveness. President Boren, in a statement accepting Cochell resignation, said, "A good and caring man has made a terrible mistake for which he must assume responsibility."
I don't know Larry Cochell as a man, so I can neither support President Boren's assertion nor deny it. However, I am not sure I buy into the idea that this is just a case of a baseball coach trying too hard to be affable for the media. The fact that there are only two black players on OU's baseball team causes a problem for me. How could a nationally recruiting, Big 12 baseball team have only two African-American players? Because I am only conjecturing here, I am going to let you think about that on your own...
I feel that the proper course of action has been taken in this case. Cochell has shown considerable character in resigning from his position in a timely fashion, instead of causing the team and the university more bad publicity. Regardless of how his leaving of OU came about, I believe that Cochell should not have been allowed to stay. We cannot allow such sentiments to be reflected upon this fine institution.
on Kansas, fucking Kansas...
Reuters is reporting that Evolution is about to go on trial yet again in America, this time in the great Red state of Kansas. The new wave of pseudo-religious proponents of 'Intelligent Design' being taught in science classrooms is looking for a victory in the Kansas courts so that their theory can be taught side-by-side with evolution.
OK. I feel it is necessary at this juncture to make sure that everyone knows thejobeyon...'s stance on the evolution v. intelligent design v. creationism debate. It's a simple one: Let's keep that which is supported by science (i.e. Evolution) in the science classroom, and keep fairy tales of huge men in the sky with beards creating everything 10,000 years ago (don't look at me like that...) in the philosophy classroom. In a philosophy class, debate is usually encouraged and students could have fair game of ideas. Teaching something with no scientific relevance in a science classroom. I say that we should keep the current system where the controversy is mentioned, but nothing besides evolution is taught in the science classroom.
I've often thought of how particular policies mixing religion and public life will affect our country, and I see no bigger threat to our education system then 'Intelligent Designers.' They have a hidden agenda to get their beliefs in a higher power taught as fact in schools to all children. By teaching the idea of a higher power being the creator of life, science teachers are opening a Pandora's Box; How far should they go towards interpretting the meaning of life? What questions should they answer on morality? What do they tell their students about the nature of the higher power which possibly created them? If these questions aren't answered properly, we must assume that the next logical step after espousing 'Intelligent Design' in the classroom is to inflect one's own religious beliefs into the lesson, essentially preaching at students. A very dangerous situation, and, ultimately, an unnecessary one.
Have at it in Comments.
posted by TheJobey @ 5/02/2005 04:49:00 PM
1 Comments:
At 5/03/2005 03:49:00 PM,
TheJobey said…
Actually, Cochell's statement was the way most people spoke about race back then in the South. It wasn't as straight forward as people think, mostly in public, when they weren't in sheets, they conducted racism in a nuanced way, saying things like 'He's one of the good ones.' Saying something like that is like saying your ok, but you'll never be as good as me.
One of my main problems is that if he felt comfortable enough using such language that he would do it twice in a short series of conversations with those broadcasters, why would he claim that he was statements are not representative of his feelings and that this was an isolated incident? He also said it to members of the media, making me believe racist speech must really be engrained in his thinking, because when speaking to the press, on or off record, you are supposed to watch what you say. I feel like if he were that comfortable passing off statements like that without thinking about it, we don't need him at OU.
Also, to follow up on what you said about the heartfelt apology being enough, do you think that his apology would have come if not for the media getting ahold of his comments? And, therefore, do you think that any prompted apology would be truly sincere? I think he made the most sincere apology possible under the circumstances: giving up his coaching position, even though he was probably retiring soon anyway to make way for Sunny Golloway.
Post a Comment
<< Home