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"If the media and oversensitive racism watchdogs continue this witch-hunt for racists, they are doing more to slow relations between races than to improve them."
So writes Ricky Bauer of Gambling Review, one of many online gambling and poker information websites commenting on this week's controversy suggesting that poker pro Daniel Negreanu might be a "racist".
The uproar began after Thomas Somach, a special contributor to the Gambling911.com website and the proprietor of PokerHelper.com, authored an article asking whether "Negreanu was a racist" following one of his weekly blog entries.
"Negreanu made some outrageous comments about the sensitive subject of race, comments that would have created a firestorm if Negreanu had any relevance outside the poker world but which have been generally ignored because he is, after all, just a poker player," Somach wrote.
Bauer had this to offer up in defense of Negreanu:
"All the man did was ask a question about a double standard that exists. Having grown up a product of both races, I am continually upset and offended by the oversensitivity in our culture towards racism and the abuse of the term. It is a sensitive topic, which is why the media jumps all over it for sure, but labeling people racist all willy-nilly does more harm than good. For starters, whoever is labeled the racist is usually damaged severely. Their family and professional lives are often left in ruins over racist claims that usually don't hold water. Secondly, it draws attention away from and numbs us to spotting true acts of racism.
"Asking what would happen if a channel was called White Entertainment Television begs an obvious answer. One that black and white alike know to be true: it would cause an uproar. Asking does not make somebody racist. Asking questions is what enables us to learn and grow. The key to knowledge and growth is through understanding and it is difficult to understand other people without asking questions. If the media and oversensitive racism watchdogs continue this witch-hunt for racists, they are doing more to slow relations between races than to improve them."
Ace King, Gambling911.com
