A Thoughtful Conversation On Race In America.

I remember seeing this picture of a young Lew Alcindor when I was a kid.

At that time I was rabid for all things basketball.

So much so that my friend Danny M. and I actually joined a church just so we could play on their team and, more importantly, acquire a key to their gym.

Anyway...

Even back then I was skeptical that a young superstar like Alcindor (who by the time I first saw the picture above had already crushed the NCAA while at UCLA with John Wooden, won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, and changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar) was ever as truly thoughtful as the kid in the picture above appeared to be back when he was riding the subway in his high school letterman's jacket.

Well, for the record, in this case at least, my skepticism was misplaced.

How do I know I was wrong?

Because I listened to Mr. Jabbar talk to Marc Maron for an hour or so yesterday.

It's an enlightening conversation on a whole lot of levels, not the least of which is the fact that there is no discussion whatsoever of career statistics, et cetera.

The link is....Here (starts at the 41 min mark).


________
And, slightly tangentially to the topic....I find it most interesting that a small clutch of Canadian media types who have long associated themselves with hate mongers are now suddenly surprised to learn that such mongering actually begets hate...Sheesh.


.