Home run king Henry “Hank” Aaron shed his quiet demeanor last week, chastising Republicans for derailing President Barack Obama’s agenda. Aaron — like many — believes the vitriol many spew at Obama has less to do with political disagreements and more to do with race.
In an interview with USA Today, Aaron said, “the bigger difference is that back then they (Obama’s opponents) had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts.”
It was a shocking comment from an athlete who’s always had a reasonably quiet persona, even as he faced death threats and hate mail in 1974 as he approached Babe Ruth’s home run record. However, Hammerin’ Hank has a point, and it’s something we should all consider as we determine this country’s future.
Were Aaron’s comments a bit extreme and hyperbolic? Absolutely. But after five years of incessant obstructionism and anger spewed at Obama like a cobra’s venom, there’s more to it than simple disagreement with his policies. So in that regard, Aaron’s comments are worth noting and perhaps give us a launching point for further discussion on the future of the U.S.
Has Obama pursued an agenda that is risky and a change of pace for a country that spent the previous eight years under the conservative tutelage of the George W. Bush administration?
Without a doubt; but isn’t that why a majority of voters in both the 2008 and 2012 elections cast ballots in support of Obama and his agenda?
The trends in the U.S. are unmistakable. It is becoming a more diverse nation that is slowly but surely less dominated by white males. Obama’s election presented a scary prospect for the white males who ruled the Western world for centuries: White male dominance over western governments is slowly being eroded.
What happens when we’re scared? We react with anger.
Obama’s election was historic, and maybe we’ve spent too much time dissecting what that victory meant for the country — or perhaps not enough. Regardless, we’ve entered an era that, putting aside the president’s agenda, is still dominated by the discussion of race, and now we masquerade race relations in America as a debate on the issues.
Last week, Obama, along with four former U.S. presidents, spent time in Texas honoring the legacy of Lyndon Johnson and the monumental Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts. In an interview with NBC News, Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, said without the policies pursued by Johnson, it’s likely Obama would not be president today. Although it’s obvious we’ve come a long way since the days when people like Lewis were beaten while standing up for what is right, the contempt some show for our current president proves we have a long way to go.
If a baseball icon who rarely, if ever, spoke out on the issue of race relations in America decided now was the time to make a statement, perhaps we should listen. Aaron may not be the most eloquent or politically savvy, but he has a point.
After five years, enough people in this country have masked their own hatred for Obama as nothing more than a political fight. It’s capitalism versus socialism, Americanism versus communism — but it’s not that simple. The fight today is not about what we say or do but about our innermost demons that we constantly ignore. Until we’re ready to face it, we’ll never get past it.
It’s easy to say this is nothing more than a liberal calling conservatives racist, but that’s not the point.
After the death threats, hate mail and everything Aaron dealt with on his quest for 715 home runs, he finally had the courage to stand up and say what needed to be said.
Will you be next?
[Joel Mendelson is a UF graduate student in political campaigning. His columns appear on Mondays. A version of this column ran on page 6 on 4/14/2014 under the headline "Home run king speaks truth about Obama"]
