J.1.M., you have nailed it on the button. Today, I feel violated by the system and hurt deeply for the good fans at UL rendered helpless by that same inept system. However, I have recently read a book by an honorable African-American by the name of James McWhorter, linguistics professor at Cal-Berkley. The name of the book is "Losing the Race". and he courageously looks at his own heritage and his own culture and how it has imploded. The key word he uses is "victimology." See the synopsis below; it is a worthy read for people that aspire to want to understand and solve rather than sue the problems.
Are African-Americans using past racial injustices as an excuse for not working to take advantage of contemporary opportunities? McWhorter, a linguistics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, thinks he has the answers to this question and others and he points the finger directly at the black community. Starting with the premise that white racism is no longer the threat it once was, McWhorter singles out "the cult of victimology" and the glorification of white racism as a major cause for several social crises afflicting African-Americans. Offering little that has not been said previously by conservatives like Pat Buchanan and Shelby Steele, McWhorter uses a cookie-cutter approach to explain away recent race pressure points such as the arson directed against black churches, the high proportion of black inmates in America's prisons, the practice of racial profiling and police brutality. In each case, he finds fault with the African-American community's interpretation of these situations, accusing African-Americans of hypersensitivity to racial bias and a reluctance to relinquish the past. Victimology, as well as separatism, in his words, "gives failure, lack of effort and criminality a tacit stamp of approval." Like many of the new black conservatives, McWhorter spends much time going after liberal columnists and social critics, attacking both their intent and message. Even his closing segment "How Can We Save the African-American Race?"sounds more like a well-worn campaign speech than a call to initiate a dialogue on race in the African-American community and the nation.
"Why is it that the "race" card is always played and impugns the integrity of the good African-American people wanting to make a true mark in this world?" Does anyone ever remember Ty Winningham suing Notre Dame when he was released for "lack of performance?" Somehow, I don't think this happened.
When UL takes the proactive step to courageously hire the first African-American coach in the Sun Belt Conference, buys out his final year on his contract, and then gets raked over the coals for holding to the higher ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King and then gets "vandalized" to the tune of 2 MILLION DOLLARS - - something is horribly, horribly wrong!!