Stephen A Smith's Suspension

[The_Admiral]

I've noticed that the modern feminist movement howls whenever any possible physical difference in men and women is brought up (stop mansplaining! nice biotruths!), with the exception of the idea that women should be able to assault men without reproach because men are so much stronger. The proper tack to take, as Whoopi Goldberg did, is that no one should hit anyone.

I've known a few girls who can kick my ass, for whatever it's worth. I make sure they don't!

[Xist2inspire]

Except he didn't say that. He said, "don't provoke it." He didn't explain himself till off the air on Twitter. Insinuating that we should punish the victim instead of the abuser is quite ridiculous. There's easier ways to subdue someone than knocking them out and that goes for any situation.

This always comes up in every discussion I've had/seen about this issue, and I simply don't understand how you can jump all the way from "letting a person know what they might have done wrong" to "punishing the victim," "shaming" them, or "sympathizing with/making excuses for the abuser." I'll refer back to my hypothetical situation: I mouth off in an extreme, disrespectful way to my father and slap him. He beats the crap out of me and breaks bones in the process. If someone sits me down and explains to me that I deserved a beating for my actions, just not one as severe as the one I received, did they do something wrong?

Personal responsibility for all one's actions is a thing, after all. For both sides. One person does something stupid, the other takes the reaction too far. The extreme reaction doesn't excuse the catalyst, and pointing out the catalyst's part in it doesn't excuse the extreme reaction. I do agree that Smith didn't choose his words in a way that made his meaning absolutely, 100% clear, though.

[rams80]

I think ultimately the place where everyone erred was attempting to have a bipolar debate about Ray Rice. There are topics where you really can't or shouldn't have one. Just spend your 30 minutes screaming about something mundane, such as whether Skip's choice of breakfast (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, for that day), was a good one.

[Chicageaux]

I would question whether or not Stephen A didn't get the reaction he was hoping for. Him and his partner in crime, Skip Bayless, tend to say quite controversial things just to stir the pot whether it'd be Smith dropping the n-bomb on TV and blaming it on his New York accent or Skip calling out Jalen Rose and then having half a show dedicated to the two of them. It would have been one thing for him to explain himself on Twitter but then he said, "Tune in on Monday to First Take and you'll hear from me, all questions will be answered." Please.

[Gothamite]

I'm sure Smith got exactly the response he wanted. That's the character he plays.

But I am I the only one who hadn't heard that the NFL only interviewed Rice's wife in the presence of her attacker and her attacker's employer? That's unconscionable. Scumbags.

[FiddySicks]

What if a woman is swinging a tire iron or a frying pan at you and connects? Can you hit a woman at that point?

Only with your car while drunk.

[crownking30]

Smith is very popular on TV, he's the only one that keeps the First Take show with high ratings. He should learn from this mistake, however.

[The_Admiral]

I think ultimately the place where everyone erred was attempting to have a bipolar debate about Ray Rice. There are topics where you really can't or shouldn't have one. Just spend your 30 minutes screaming about something mundane, such as whether Skip's choice of breakfast (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, for that day), was a good one.

I think this is spot-on. ESPN has to Embrace Debate on things that aren't really supposed to be up for debate. The Ray Rice video was appalling. Should have been the end of the story.

Man, I remember when Stephen A. Smith was just a panelist on NBA pre/post who was bedeviled by the existence of Slava Medvedenko. How far we've come.

[HedleyLamarr]

What if a woman is swinging a tire iron or a frying pan at you and connects? Can you hit a woman at that point?

Only with your car while drunk.

*crickets*

[The_Admiral]

Speaking of Skip's choice of breakfast, I think he's one of those weirdos who eats the same things every single day so as not to mess with his workout routine or something. Quite a contrast to his brother. I gotta dig up that article, because it paints the picture of a really boring, lonely husk of a man.

Here it is:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/skip-bayless-espn2-first-take-co-host-may-be-the-most-hated-man-in-sports/2013/09/13/c001a7c2-170a-11e3-804b-d3a1a3a18f2c_story.html

The Chinese food deliveryman lights up when he sees Skip Bayless answer the door. “I thought it was you,” he says with a smile, handing over dinner.

Bayless is a regular customer. At his core, he’s a man of routine, and at the beginning of each week, he orders five days’ worth of chicken and broccoli (no sauce), his nightly dinners. Every weekend he stops by the same Manhattan deli and buys five sandwiches to bring back to his weekday home in Connecticut, his daily lunch. He’s a health nut who exercises twice a day. Every Sunday morning is church, every Friday is date night and every evening in between is the same: chicken and broccoli — and sports.

I hope he puts the sandwiches in the fridge.

People don’t know who he is, Bayless concedes, and can’t fathom how much he’s sacrificed for this job, how he’s devoted every waking hour to winning made-for-TV sports debates. His daily routine is split between exercise — he’s 62 years old but has the body of a man half his age — and work.

He’s divorced and childless and sees his good friends only once or twice a year. “No regrets,” he says. “This is my calling. I was born to do this.”

ugh

[DDR]

Rick Bayless > Skip Bayless

[Mac the Knife]

A knife or gun just means the broad needs extra hugging.

Dummy.

Dude, that's just wrong. Wrong.

Chicks don't like being called "broad."

[JayMac]

I'm sure Smith got exactly the response he wanted. That's the character he plays.

But I am I the only one who hadn't heard that the NFL only interviewed Rice's wife in the presence of her attacker and her attacker's employer? That's unconscionable. Scumbags.

It's the NFL. They are all scumbags. That doesn't surprise me at all.

And to all of you claiming the "I don't know the whole story" surprise me. Some of you are the same ones who are against the Redskins moniker. So you are against racism but domestic abuse seems okay? BOTH are a bug problem and should garner the same attention.

[Gothamite]

Really would have figured that once this situation came up, the Commissioner would have called an expert on domestic violence before acting.

[The_Admiral]

He did call an expert; the expert hung up when Rodge wouldn't shut up about London for some reason.

[Lee Noire]

I really wish he would've gathered his thoughts better because he made a valid statement. At the end of the day no man should hit a woman, and no woman should hit a man.

I had the misfortune of being with a woman who got physical whenever we had an altercation and thankfully I've never done more than try to restrain her. To Steven A's point, when I would walk away she would get really aggressive in hopes of getting some sort of violent reaction out of me. Thankfully I didn't, but had I been without my parents voice in my head, who knows what may have happened.

She had been told her whole life that a man can't hit her, and if they did then call the cops or whatever. That's a great message, but some women think they are invincible because of this. My ex thought she had the power to do as she pleased because I couldn't hit her, and that isn't a positive message. I think women should also be taught to keep their hands to themselves, and if a man decides to walk away from the altercation, let him do so.

Again, I don't think it's right to hit a woman, but I do think that domestic violence is more of a two way street than we want to believe. As a parent of a little girl I will have that conversation with her, and she will know not to stay with a man that puts his hands on her. She will also know not to think it's ok for her to put hands on her man. He may not be as good a guy as her daddy after the fact. If he wants to walk away, let him.

Here is one of the better articles I have read on this whole Steven A Smith thing:

http://uptownmagazine.com/2014/07/espn-stephen-a-smith-apology-correct-domestic-abuse/

Like I said, I wish Smith said it better, but he wasn't wrong.

[Rays]

mod edit

[Gothamite]

The problem is that we can't have the "provocation" conversation in the context of a story where a man beat his girlfriend into unconsciousness.

That might be fine for another time, when it won't be so universally understood as "Rice gave her what she had coming." Context matters.