Larry Johnson’s Suspension: Deeper Than Missing a Game

By: dwil

Larry Johnson wants out of Kansas City. Johnson is also frustrated. The 29-year old running back wants away from the Chiefs and is so frustrated that he might strap himself down and begin pulling out his own teeth.

Instead Johnson hit Twitter just a few hours after the Chiefs suffered a 37-7 beat down at the hands of San Diego:

Here are the first few tweets from Johnson that started the heated exchange:

“my father got more creditentials than most of these pro coaches. … google my father!!!!!!!

My father played for the coach from “rememeber the titans”. Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn”

Then Twitter user @jaredlaunius chimed in (his tweets are still are public) with the following:

“Interesting comments by Larry Johnson ( @toonlcon ) about “coaches.” Hey LJ, is it Haley’s fault you fall when D-Linemen blow on you?

This is when things get interesting. Johnson’s next few tweets were as follows:

@KD2407: then don’t rely then,. Still richer than u. Keep goin. Come play our game oops forgot u can’t.

@DrewK30: got nuthn to do wit hiring my father. But u wouldn’t know cuz u don’t play either so keep on the sideline lil gril n cheer.

@DrewK30: sorry to tell u ur the reasony ur broke n dissn on twitter lmao

@jaredlanius: think bout clever diss then that wit ur fag pic. Christopher street boy. Is this what us east coast cats call u

@jaredlanius: Sorry ur a cornball n ur mom birthed u broke. But I’m cakn patna. While u work or school for 5 dollas n hour. Ha!

And “lil gril” is most likely “lil girl.”

Johnson then used another gay slur directed toward a member of the media in the Chiefs locker room. The Kansas City Star posted an audio of Johnson saying:

“get your faggot ass outta here.”

For the Twitter exchange and the locker room comment Johnson was suspended by the Chiefs until November 9.

However, Johnson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, feels the suspension is a breach of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA):

“We will be filing an appeal on behalf of Larry tomorrow,” Schaffer told the Associated Press. “While we respect the Chiefs’ ability to try to discipline a player, we disagree and respectfully disagree that the punishment they propose is warranted by the facts or allowable by the collective bargaining agreement. Hopefully, we will be able to work out a mutual and positive resolution with the Chiefs short of a hearing. If we don’t, then this will go to an arbitrator.”

Schaffer said his goal is to expedite the hearing of the appeal so that the issue would be resolved by November 8.

Should Larry Johnson be suspended? I don’t know. Using the word “faggot” has been in the lexicon of heterosexual males around the world for quite some time – and we’re not talking decades. It is a trump word used to allege one man’s superiority maleness over another man.

In fact, the word, “punk,” is another term for homosexual. Yet if Johnson used punk instead of “fag” and faggot, he would be in no trouble at all.

Somehow “punk” is an accepted term to assert one’s sense of masculinity over another man, while fag or faggot is not. In the gay male community, “bitch,” “fag” and “faggot” are used constantly used to describe other men in many different settings, including in a derogatory fashion.

Is this the same as Black men using and justifying the use of the word “nigger” in conversation with each other?

It is interesting that members of White America will cringe when they hear of Black men using this word toward other Black men. Equally interesting is that, in turn, Black people do the same.

Yet.

Never is there a cultural anthropological discussion of the use of bitch, fag, or faggot in male homosexual culture. This academic discussion is neither repeated in the general society nor is it politicized as are discussions surrounding the use of nigger by Black men.

The lack of discussion throughout all gradations of American society, at least, is a signpost of there being an applied selective double standard attached to the use of these words by heterosexual males. Women can use the terms, and do, though not as often as men, and do so without reprisal.

Then, representing the issue of Johnson’s words through the following segments of society, heterosexual women, homosexual men, and heterosexual men, is is apparent that for two-thirds of these societal segments, fag and faggot are not seen as social crimes. Yet when members of American society perceived as “dominant” use the words, they become derogatory.

This would be fine if the onus of the burden of change was squarely placed on the shoulders of White men. But to transfer this onus to Black men at the exclusion of White women is specious in a society where there is a clear socio-racial hierarchy where White men are at the top of the heap followed by White women Black men, and Black women.

It is equally specious for heterosexual men of any race to be chastised for the use of these words when referring to gay men as this act seeks to clearly emasculate gay men. It is as if gay men cannot fulfill the societal roles in the work place that their heterosexual counterparts can; gay men cannot be policemen, firemen, football players, construction workers, soldiers or any other work thought of traditionally as hetero-male in orientation.

Surely, the fact that gay men and women are not afforded the same indemnities as are Black men and women through the Civil Rights Act; gay men and women are without rights in America. And it is an absolute truth that heterosexual men from bands and go “gay hunting” to cause physical harm to any man they perceive as gay, while gay men do not band together and do the same to heterosexual men.

But is is becoming public knowledge that the legislation against equal rights for gay men and women is being led largely by a segment of our legislative branch of government that is itself derived largely of gay men and secondarily women. These same people are also often virulent racists who practice misogyny on a daily basis.

Johnson’s words are insensitive. Do they exist on the same plane as nigger or other derogatory terms toward Black people?

No.

While male homosexuality is a forced subculture, there is no portion of history where the Black equivalent of today’s Congress exists, where Black men are powerful rulers of a dominant society and are able to skew society through their sexuality, demeaning their sexuality while steering that same society in the direction of their sexual preference. While these closeted legislators may have the perception that their constituencies will reject them if they make public their sexuality, it has been proven that the exact opposite occurs. They are viewed sympathetically and more often than not portrayed as heroes to other gay and hetero people for their ability to be strong enough to come out, for better or worse.

All-in-all there is far less power in using what is termed a gay slur than there is a racial slur. And in the end, it is as if giving power to the words Johnson used is largely a contrivance to elevate them to the level of racial-racist slurs.

It is not to say they do not have some power, but their power has been artificially conflated in an effort to lessen the power of slurs that have historical an institutional meaning.

And Larry Johnson, while acting in a knee-jerk, insensitive and ignorant manner shortly after a resounding physical defeat, should in no way be suspended. Address his words for what they are and move on.

Save the expressions of anger and distaste for Johnson’s comments for the words used that actually act to divide our society and keep entire groups of peoples from achieving the heights of the dominant other.

Tags: acting, birth, chiefs, civil rights, congress, crime, football, google, hearing, hiring, homosexuality, hunting, image, larry johnson, locker room, media, police, practice, punishment, san diego, shoulder, suspension, teeth, wikipedia

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