I am a fan of both Colbert and Lewis, so I’d like to think they aren’t promoting racism. I think the point is that deprivation is damaging to individuals and society. The old cliche about how many Einstein’s are there in the world who never realize their potential because of they are too busy starving. The point is to invest in everyone’s development. This is also the point of my blog “War Budget Gone Bad”; that all the money wasted in Iraq could be better spent on pressing social needs here; as well as a humane foreign policy.

OK, that interview was very disturbing.

The story, of course, is the happy story of a poor neglected child who’s given a chance and shines. That much is moving. Then comes the disturbing part…the author and how he tells it…

Perhaps he is just terrible at speaking in public. Perhaps I’m just too sensitive. But this guy really came across as if he were saying:

1. Black people are poor and lack family values to nurture their children properly.
2. Rich, white, evangelical Christians have those family values and that more people should be rich, white and evangelical…
3. Underprivileged black children are an untapped resource for sports.
4. And finally, how many times can I say white in an interview?

There were sparks of truth in what he had to say. It’s true that a child that’s supported and shown love will almost always do better in life. It’s also true that conditions in the inner cities across this country are dire in many cases…and in need of peoples efforts to improve them. But this guys delivery of those points was awful. It was overpowered with “OMG this kid was an OBVIOUS football player, thankfully he was discovered through a series of “accidents” (also see “miracles”) by a rich, white, evangelical family…god bless their hearts…

Did I mention that the family was rich, white, evangelical Christians? Oh, ok, I just wanted to make sure you got that…