Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s thoughts on racism and journalistic corruption

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has always fought for social justice. Here are his three thoughts on society.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an NBA legend. But aside from all the accolades, he has earned in the sport of basketball, he is also an advocate of social justice. He has headed many protests and wrote many books and essays on the matter.

Abdul-Jabbar was raised prior to and during the Civil Rights movement. As a young teen in high school, he attended many demonstrations to fight against the injustices against African-Americans. He also wrote many essays criticizing the maltreatment of minorities. He continued to express his displeasure while he was in college, during his time in the NBA, and after he retired.

Here are his three thoughts on racism in America and journalistic corruption:

1) “Black people don't have an accurate idea of their history, which has been either suppressed or distorted.”

This is a similar sentiment to what Malcolm X believed.

There is a saying that goes something like this –“history is written by the winners.” And because of this, the stories of the oppressed are often inaccurate. The reason why is because the history that we learn in schools are told from the memories of the winners; it is shared through the perspective of the colonizer.

So by saying that it is “suppressed or distorted,” he is challenging educators and history writers to do a better job. He is also informing the general public and challenging them, too, to put in more effort to learn the true history of their people (and others’ as well).

2) “The problem is that the longer we continue to deny the problem of racism exists, the longer it takes to solve it. It’s like ignoring that Texas-shaped mole on your cheek that keeps getting darker and more tender. You could just give it a cute name and ignore it, hoping it magically goes away on its own. Or you could seek aggressive treatment that would probably save your face and even your life.”

Too many people deny the existence of racism.

They will say it no longer exists because blatant racism is “rare.” Or that there are more successful minorities now, so racism must be a thing of the past.

But racism is still here and it is still strong. Just because there was a black president, that doesn’t mean that African-Americans are no longer oppressed. Racial stereotypes still exist, police brutality cases are still being reported in the news, and there are still many (so many) African-Americans living in poverty because of discriminatory social policies.

3) “The greatest threat to our basic freedoms and to democracy comes from the relentless attacks on the news media from politicians and business leaders who fear journalistic scrutiny.”

Okay, so the mainstream news industry is messed up and corrupt. Most of us can agree with that. But why?

Abdul-Jabbar believes that it’s because of politicians and business leaders who fear journalists saying negative things about them and their business. And to prevent this, they pay journalists to only say good things. Or they buy the news organization and suppress the truth; they control the narrative.

That’s why when an election is around the corner, a lot of mainstream news channels will talk about one politician more than others. They will also say more positive things about a specific politician, while giving unfair assessments to others (or sometimes telling straight-up lies).

Read More: James Baldwin’s 3 thoughts on society

 So, those are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s three thoughts on race, racism, and the mainstream media. Did these thoughts reveal anything about society to you? Let me know down in the comments.

If you're interested in learning more about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, check out these books on (and by) him:

[These links are affiliate links. What this means is that I will get a small commission if you decide to use the link to buy the product, at no extra cost to you.]

Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court

·         Buy From Amazon Here: https://amzn.to/2SdKyl3

Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White

·         Buy From Amazon Here: https://amzn.to/2SgrhPL