Vigdor: Cam Newton Is the Latest Victim of America’s Double Standard

We are one week removed from Super Bowl 50 and I’ve had some time to let things marinate in my brain. The Denver Broncos were able to somewhat dominate the Panthers for the trophy. However, I’m here to talk about an issue that came up after the game that really irked me and that’s the reaction to Cam Newton by numerous people in the media, on social media and just in general. I’ve been watching this storyline play out with Newton for a year now, so it comes as no surprise to me that people feel the need to shit on him. And yes, I know the negative reaction that he gets isn’t how everyone feels, but there is a minority of people that feel a need to talk ill of him, rather loudly, in order to prop their own selves up.

I’ve been watching Newton get destroyed in the media for a double standard that exists in society and that I can’t picture it ever being nonexistent. That double standard that I talk about really bothers me. It’s the reaction that black men receive in comparison to a white man. As a white man, I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to walk in the shoes as a black man daily. To be clear, America has come a long way in race relations, however, you’re being truly dishonest with yourself in my opinion if you don’t think that we still have a long way to go.

Just as my anger was starting to cool a bit on the way Newton was treated this year, I was yet again reminded of the double standard in America when a news story broke on Saturday that details Peyton Manning’s dark side coming to light. Typical excuses started to pour in to defend Manning. Excuses that are rarely heard when incidents involving black men are brought up. So here I am again. Here I am staring at the double standard bullshit that STILL exists in society.

Back to Newton, I know there were many people rooting for his Panthers to lose the Super Bowl simply for the fact that he needed to learn a “lesson.” Let’s take a look at what was the culmination of the poor treatment of Newton all year long.

THIS is why Cam walked out (listen to what’s being said in the background). pic.twitter.com/6LdLFwv8tj

— Brian (@bmweezy13) February 8, 2016

Cue the negative reactions that summed up a lot of peoples feeling towards Newton after the game in which a young man that wears his heart and passion on his sleeves just lost the most important game of his life.

Wow. What a press conference from Cam Newton. So gracious!So classy! So humble! What an example to kids! Just like Peyton. #dab #SuperBowl

— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) February 8, 2016

Or what about former NFL scumbag Bill Romanowski’s reaction.

This of course coming from a POS that once spit in a player’s face.

After being called out for his dickish comments, Romanowski would later apologize and go on to explain what he meant by the word “boy.” Save the apologies, Bill. You’re an asshole. You always have been one and you always will be one.

There were plenty of people that shared Romanowski’s feelings towards Newton after watching that interview. My how fast they ignore reality. Here’s a photo from Kevin C. Cox of Getty Images that seems to me to show Newton being gracious.

Yeah, Newton really seems like scum there, huh? Give me a break. Peyton Manning gave his thoughts on Newton not being gracious.

Here’s what Manning had to say of their exchange:

Cam couldn’t have been nicer to me. He was extremely humble. He congratulated me, wished me the best. I told him just congratulations on his outstanding season and what a great future he has. He’ll be back at that game, I promise you.”

On the other hand, here’s someone that wasn’t so gracious. Look closely and tell me if someone looks familiar yo you.

That’s just Peyton Manning walking off the field after losing to the Saints in Super Bowl 44 immediately without shaking Drew Brees’ hand after the game was over. I realize that social media wasn’t as popular then as it is now. But, the main talk after that game from the media was Manning choking, not him being a poor sport.

Newton is just one of many Black people to suffer from America’s double standard when it comes to the difference between being white or black. And while many black people get screwed over daily, let’s take a look at some of the more notable double standards in recent history.

Here’s President Obama being called a liar during his State of the Union speech.

Have you ever heard a congressman ever scream out any nonsense like that during one of the the previous President’s (All White Men) State of the Unions? I sure as hell have not. But again, this doesn’t shock me. After all there’s a portion of America that thought that the guy who isn’t “one of us” was going to implement Sharia Law in this country AND that he was going to come for ALL of the guns in America. In fact, there are still plenty of bat shit crazies that are spewing that garbage. That’s even after FACTS come out that show gun sales are booming under President Obama. Who deals with facts though? Pffffff…

Don’t even get me started on the other hypocrisies this President deals with, especially as it pertains to the people that keep screaming Benghazi, when those same people were dead silent in regards to the largest terrorist attack in history on American soil called 9/11. Plus the fact that 13 of our embassies around the world were attacked under the prior administration leading to 60 or so American’s deaths, but let’s just ignore facts and all of those deaths and shout Benghazi at the top of our lungs because it took place under President Obama’s watch. Spare me! I’m not trying to come off as insensitive to the four lives that were lost on that tragic day in Libya, but it’s important to point out the inconsistencies of many in this great nation.

Here’s another outrageous case of double standard running wild in America.

A grand jury has declined to indict two Cleveland police officers for their role in the shooting last year of Tamir Rice. Rice was a 12-year-old black boy who was holding a pellet gun at a playground when shot. Here’s the video from the shooting incident.

Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback were responding to a call in November 2014 about a man waving a gun near a park. Moments later Officer Loehmann shot and killed Rice.

Here’s the statement from Ohio Governor John Kasich regarding this case.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich on the Tamir Rice case: pic.twitter.com/u3yK1tB4oJ

— Henry J. Gomez (@HenryJGomez) December 28, 2015

Was the 12-year old Rice a threat to the two officers? Did they even give the kid a chance? You could imagine what my thoughts on this are, but what do you think after seeing the video? To make matters worse in the Rice case, the city of Cleveland had asked for reimbursement from the Rice family for the ambulance ride that took their dead son to the hospital. Are you kidding me? The Mayor has since apologized and dropped the Ambulance charge. Gee thanks, asshole!

Surely if faced with another situation like that, officers could get it correct, right? A 66-year old white woman in Connecticut had a brief standoff with police officers after she drove around a police department with a fake gun and pointed it at officers. She even said:

“What are you doing? Shoot me!” Elaine Rothenberg told the Torrington police. “Boom, boom, boom.”

Hmmm. Were the officers not threatened by this? I know it was an older woman, but surely having a gun aimed at them would be cause enough to shoot her, right? Don’t get me wrong, this is NOT an attack on Police Officers in the slightest. But, this is me pointing out the interesting reactions to people that look differently.

What about what happens in good ol’ Florida? Florida, where a man can pretend to be a cop (George Zimmerman) and literally follow, shoot and kill a black boy (Trayvon Martin) that has a hood on and claim self defense. Oh, and he can get away with it too. And yes, I’m aware that Zimmerman wasn’t white. The point is that the reaction to the case by some ignorant people and the criminal justice system because of Trayvon’s skin color is disgusting.

Again though, surely a black male or female would be given that same “stand your ground” courtesy that the POS George Zimmerman was given, right? Nope! A Florida woman received a twenty year sentence for firing warning shots in the air of her own home when defending herself against her allegedly abusive husband. Yeah, that seems about right.

Maybe this is a complete reflection on just how shitty America’s criminal justice system is, but I think it’s very legitimate to bring this to light and ask tough questions. Take a look at this chart as of February 2015 that illustrates the incarceration of black males in America as it compares to other countries.

There’s something going on here and don’t get me wrong, there are many factors for this. However, perhaps our justice system is skewed against black males. Take a look at these numbers from the US Dept of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistic in 2014.

(Imprisonment Rates In The US By Race, Age, And Gender, 2014) “Imprisonment rates by race and Hispanic origin were highest for males ages 30 to 34 (6,412 per 100,000 black males, 2,457 per 100,000 Hispanic males, and 1,111 per 100,000 white males). More than 1% of white male residents ages 30 to 39 were in state or federal prison at yearend 2014. Black males exceeded 6% of their total U.S. population in prison for persons ages 30 to 39. “Female prisoners ages 30 to 34 had the highest imprisonment rates among black (264 per 100,000 black females of the same age), white (163 per 100,000), and Hispanic inmates (174 per 100,000). Black females were between 1.6 and 4.1 times more likely to be imprisoned than white females of any age group.”

Still think there’s not an issue in America?

Finally, back to Cam Newton. Newton has been crapped on for smiling and dancing this year and essentially being black and happy, to now being black and sad. What do you want from the guy? Seriously. Pick what you want from him and take that same standard you apply to him and apply it to everyone across the board. Don’t be a hypocrite!