In high school, my football coach went down the line asking a loyalty question: would you be willing to run through a brick wall for your team? I didn't even let him finish the question when he got to me.
COACH: Aurin would you-
ME: -HELLLLLLLLLLLL NOOOOOO!!
What was supposed to be REMEMBER THE TITANS inspiration turned Katt Williams comedic. Hell no. Fuck no. Fuck that. No. Never. To summarize...fuck. that.
My coach was disappointed. "You see, this is why we don't win." It should be noted at this point that the coach in question was a white guy and most of the players were black. It should also be noted that I really really liked this coach and he was also my history teacher. I asked him how he could ask me that question after teaching me 1st period honors American History? How could you have the gall to ask me that question?
It feels like America has been asking that question to generations of black ppl? Would you be willing to run through a brick wall for your country? Die? Fight? Kill? Sacrifice it all? Black Americans always answer 'yes coach' and then we go charging into that wall of annihilation, into the enemy line, through the gates of hell! And those who return ask 'would you mind if you treated me as equal...or just stop killing me? And the coach replies 'stop whining!!'
We ended up having a great discussion from this loyalty question. I told the coach that he has not earned that level of loyalty. And It is a two-way street.' Other black players started saying 'wait umm...I'd like to change my answer.' The team earned the level of loyalty proportional to our mutual sacrifice. For me, that meant I was willing to work hard, try, collaborate...but not to die, not to injure myself, certainly not to go on a suicide mission.
Coach said that's why I would make a bad solider. Maybe he was right. We went 1-10 that year. Maybe it's time we let America lose a few games so that we can win back our self-worth. Yes, losing isn't fun and it hurts...but not as much as that brick wall.
COACH: Aurin would you-
ME: -HELLLLLLLLLLLL NOOOOOO!!
What was supposed to be REMEMBER THE TITANS inspiration turned Katt Williams comedic. Hell no. Fuck no. Fuck that. No. Never. To summarize...fuck. that.
My coach was disappointed. "You see, this is why we don't win." It should be noted at this point that the coach in question was a white guy and most of the players were black. It should also be noted that I really really liked this coach and he was also my history teacher. I asked him how he could ask me that question after teaching me 1st period honors American History? How could you have the gall to ask me that question?
It feels like America has been asking that question to generations of black ppl? Would you be willing to run through a brick wall for your country? Die? Fight? Kill? Sacrifice it all? Black Americans always answer 'yes coach' and then we go charging into that wall of annihilation, into the enemy line, through the gates of hell! And those who return ask 'would you mind if you treated me as equal...or just stop killing me? And the coach replies 'stop whining!!'
We ended up having a great discussion from this loyalty question. I told the coach that he has not earned that level of loyalty. And It is a two-way street.' Other black players started saying 'wait umm...I'd like to change my answer.' The team earned the level of loyalty proportional to our mutual sacrifice. For me, that meant I was willing to work hard, try, collaborate...but not to die, not to injure myself, certainly not to go on a suicide mission.
Coach said that's why I would make a bad solider. Maybe he was right. We went 1-10 that year. Maybe it's time we let America lose a few games so that we can win back our self-worth. Yes, losing isn't fun and it hurts...but not as much as that brick wall.
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