B.J. Penn: "I'm a Kimbo Slice fan"

by Luke Thomas on May 20, 2008 12:51 PM EDT in News Comment 21 comments

Read and weep latent racists and Kimbo detractors everywhere:

“I’m a streetfighter and I love streetfighters,” Penn said. “It’s great to have other leagues. UFC can’t have everyone. There’s thousands of fighters out there and they need a chance to make a living. Me, I’m a Kimbo Slice fan. I like fighting. I see where Dana is coming from and I respect his opinion, but I like streetfighting.”

I can't say that Penn's logic here is overly academic, but The Prodigy's sanctioning is enough for me.

0 recs | Comment 21 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

on of many instances where White lacks any tact in his comments.
I would have totally agreed with him saying “Slice has potential to be an interesting fighter, he’s making great steps in training with a legitimate camp and people. He’s just not ready to fight in the UFC though and against people with some experience he’d likely have a lot of trouble”.

instead we get White’s diatribe and vitriol.

by pr0cs on May 20, 2008 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I love reading this blog, but your constant accusations of racism against anyone who criticizes Kimbo Slice are laughable. I’m a huge fan of Kevin myself, but I understand why some MMA fans are skeptical, and I don’t think it has anything to do with race. If all these MMA fans are so racist, where is the backlash against Rampage, Silva, Rashad, etc.?

by MonsterTruck on May 20, 2008 1:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You're joking, right?

I live for comments like these.

I have never – NEVER – EVER said that everyone who dislikes Slice is racist. I said a significant portion of his detractors are either racist and allow their proclivities for sameness to cloud their vision. There are perfectly good reasons to dislike Slice and perfectly good people who do. That’s a fact I’ve ALWAYS stuck by.

Second, Rampage and Silva are universes apart from Slice. Slice is a former street fighter from the Internet who speaks in hip-hop slang and body guards pornographers. While hard data is non-existent, it seems to me he represents to some portions of the modern urban black male to White America that they do not know nor care for. This is hardly a controversial notion.

For those of you who really want to believe race is never and nowhere a factor – or even a small factor – you’re living in fantasy land.

by Luke Thomas on May 20, 2008 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I said a significant portion of his detractors are either racist and allow their proclivities for sameness to cloud their vision.

Any evidence of this? I’m asking gnuinely, not rhetorically, because maybe there’s ample evidence of racial prejudice being hurled Kimbo’s way that I’m unaware of.

Second, Rampage and Silva are universes apart from Slice.

Yeah, but their skin color isn’t.

Whatever. My point is that for you to label Kimbo detractors as racist, if and when they haven’t made any overtly racist comments, is ironically prejudiced on your part.

by MonsterTruck on May 20, 2008 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously

Do you read the forums at Sherdog or MMA.tv? Do you go to MMA events live? Both places are littered with racist comments. I can’t honestly believe people who go to MMA shows and follow the sport don’t think the MMA fan base has a large portion of blue collar whites who do not find Slice to be as warm and fuzzy as Bas Rutten does.

Seriously, are we having this argument? I’m the only person willing to acknowledge that some of the derision of Slice is rooted in racial discrimination? Are we really having this debate?

by Luke Thomas on May 20, 2008 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, those blue collar whites sure are ignorant.

You do realize you’re coming off as pretty damn racist here. Don’t you?

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on May 20, 2008 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe

If identifying a parallel of sorts between blue collar whites and ignorance/racism makes me racist, then I can absolutely live with that.

by Luke Thomas on May 20, 2008 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Making unfounded assumptions about white males is perfectly acceptable among the politically correct, or haven’t you heard?

by MonsterTruck on May 20, 2008 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know

Given that I am a white male with a background as a pollster, I feel pretty confident in describing some of the general tendencies and characteristics of this large group. They differ in sub-groups, but there are trends. And some of those trends among non-college educated whites making less than $50k per household annually is a distrust and aversion to both and women of minority groups. I’ve seen it over and over and over and over and over again, which is why I don’t understand your aversion to all of this. Kimbo Slice, more than Rampage and Silva, represents the image or idea of working class African Americans in their mind and is likely to be much more disliked.

If you want to carry on this ordeal of attacking a straw man and being offended at me for pointing out what it quite obvious, I don’t know what to tell you.

by Luke Thomas on May 20, 2008 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess lastly

If we combine we what know about this group and what we read on forums and hear at the shows (“USA! USA” being chanted at Prangley vs. Kondo is a perfect example), then it stands to reason there is something to the charges of racial prejudice.

I do not have hard data on this and until I do I recognize my arguments will always be dismissed. I have to live with that, but I don’t feel I’m off by very much on this one. People can disagree with me and I don’t have any monopoly on truth, but I don’t understand why it’s wrong to acknowledge racial bias may be playing a role.

Someone help me and tell me what I’m missing. Seriously, besides hard data, what am I not understanding on this one?

by Luke Thomas on May 20, 2008 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You make it sound as if blue collar white people are somehow the only or perhaps just most racist group. This is bullshit. Also, you’re trying to suggest that because a loud minority dislikes Ferguson because they’re racist that criticisms of him can be written off as racism. This is also bullshit. Nationalism is not inherently racist. I’m not sure if you’re trying to make that point or if you’re suggesting that ignorance of Pangley’s nationality is racist.

Basically what you’re doing is painting a very large group with the same brush because of your own personal biases based on interactions with a relatively small sample of people who look like them and come from a similar socioeconomic background. That’s generally considered racism.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on May 20, 2008 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also, by choosing to single out a group for ridicule based on race, it suggests that you believe race matters. Then one is left to ask, “Well, Luke, how does it matter?” Your answer, I’m guessing isn’t that white is a positive, so that leaves it to be a negative.

On a less serious note, did you honestly go to the “I’m not a racist, I’m white” card? That’s hilarious.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on May 21, 2008 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not me

Yeah, a lot of people don’t like Kimbo because they’re racist. They may not state race as the reason for their dislike, and they may not even consciously recognize their innate racism (babies, according to studies, react more favorably to people of their own race – that’s right: babies are racists). How “significant” that segment of Kimbo-haters is would be up for debate, but I don’t think the accusation of racism needs a whole lot of defending.

As for the Rampage/Silva thing: I’m reminded of a line from Chappelle’s show: “You know why white people like Wayne Brady? Wayne Brady makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X.” Yes, they share a certain skin tone, but that doesn’t mean that people react the same way.

Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.

by jemaleddin on May 20, 2008 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, a lot of people don’t like Kimbo because they’re racist. They may not state race as the reason for their dislike, and they may not even consciously recognize their innate racism

Wow.

by MonsterTruck on May 20, 2008 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What?

You don’t think that people (by which I mean everyone regardless of race) have innate racist tendencies? Here’s a good study to start you off: The Native Language of Social Cognition, Katherine D. Kinzler, Emmanuel Dupoux, and Elizabeth S. Spelke, July 17, 2007.

Race is an issue. Don’t pretend that it isn’t. And read some Jung while you’re at it. :-)

Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.

by jemaleddin on May 20, 2008 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Of course race is an issue!

I don’t know how much of a factor race is for some of those who don’t like Kimbo, but I do know that race plays a factor to some extent, especially when with regards to individuals in the public eye, like sports, politics, music, etc. All one has to do is take a look at the current race for the democratic nominee!

In Kimbo’s case, the mainstream media has already picked up on the race card. There have already been various news sources, like ESPN, SI, etc., that have commented on Kimbo’s appearance, his image, etc. How he’s everything from a scapegoat, an over-hyped bully, to a poor kind of branding that promotes a negative image of his race, etc. So race definitely is a part of how some people may see Kimbo. Unfortunately, we still have cavemen living in the 21st century. It’s a fact that we all have to deal with in one form or another. I wish it were different, but there it is.

by pud333 on May 20, 2008 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good call on the Democratic Primary season. African Americans are voting almost exclusively for Barack Obama. That’s clearly based on race because aside from their race, the two candidates are virtually indistinguishable.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on May 20, 2008 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Racism

I’d agree with Thomas on this one, and I think it speaks to the topic raised by LZ Granderson (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=granderson/080430). It’s not exactly the same argument, but it’s related in that Granderson argues Kimbo’s image reifies racist stereotypes of African Americans. I don’t fully agree with Granderson because I feel there are dimensions of Kimbo that are generally dismissed by the media (e.g., that he is extremely intelligent and insightful), and Granderson could have mentioned those aspects of Kimbo. But the parts of Kimbo’s current persona and/or history that do reaffirm negative African American stereotypes can, and I would think do contribute to racist sentiments of him. Or worse, those who are already racist, will look to selected parts of Kimbo to extend their racism. We do need proof, and as Thomas says, mining the forums would be a fairly easy way of accomplishing this.

by dmayeda on May 20, 2008 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I read!!!

I agree with you 110%. If this guy ryanSm actually took the time out to look around and read the forums he would be the clear racism that is involved here. On every forum or youtube video of Kimbo slice fighting there is someone throwing out the N word every other post or making racist comments. You would have to be an idiot or one of those racist people yourself to actually believe that this is not going on! Now let us go to a youtube video of chuck liddell or even GSP and tell me how many racist comments are posted on those videos? Come on Ryansm take your head out your ass because it is clear you are wrong or your one of those people yourself@

by damienthebeast on Jun 11, 2008 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dana White is a business man first. If he had signed Kimbo then he would be singing a diffrent tune not matter how he feels about it. They signed the goof that beat Kimbo in a street fight. Why wouldn’t they want the man himself. A lot of people jump all over Dana’s back, but its just business.

by szucconi on May 20, 2008 1:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What?

Excuse the logic to me of why Dana white signed that goof ball cop and not Kimbo slice. Where is the cop now? wait he is 0-1 and very much out of shape. I know this because he trains in brookline,mass at this MMA gym i train at myself.

by damienthebeast on Jun 11, 2008 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs