Beyond FACE VALUE: The Price of “Painting with a Broad Brush”

Denver Post columnist Jim Spencer puts a pertinent spin on the general condemnation of Air Force Academy football coach Fisher DeBerry’s regrettable observation regarding black athletes. At a recent new conference, DeBerry stated that “Afro-American kids can run very, very well,” a comment that brought him and the Academy significant negative national attention. In his column published today, “Swift Foot in Mouth of Prejudice,” Jim Spencer points out that, in addition to using “Afro-American,” a term from the ’70s that most now consider demeaning, DeBerry stepped out of line by falling back on age-old stereotypes.

“The problem with old…stereotypes,” Spencer writes, “is not what African-Americans are expected to be, but what…they’re not expected to be: Doctors, lawyers, and architects.

“DeBerry screwed up by painting with a broad brush. (His) trouble stemmed from the root of all racism: limits.”

Spencer adds that he’s wondered whether a similar uproar would erupt if a black head coach were to make a statement identical to Berry’s. “But few black coaches would make the mistake of publicly equating race with physical prowess,” he concludes. “They know from experience, usually painful experience, that the comparison inevitably leads to an assumption of brawn over brain.”

Let’s all stop “painting with a broad brush” and consider instead the individual strengths of those around us. Maybe then regrettable, hurtful comments like DeBerry’s not only will become less common, but will cease to exist.