Just wanted to throw in my $0.02.
For me, unfortunately, race does play a role in many discussions. Like many of you (whether or not you choose to admit it), I was raised in a racially/nationality-prejudiced environment. My parents were very ignorant about the equality of all individuals. Growing up in such an environment, where stereotypes are routinely enforced, it becomes almost instinctual to have certain reactions leap into the subconscious when a person of color is discussed.
Think about it - if your parents (and grandparents, aunts, & uncles) constantly told you, growing up, that British Bulldogs were vicious, mean-spirited creatures, no matter how much you eventually educated yourself on various dog breeds, and no matter how many Bulldogs with which you came in contact, no matter how much you knew that your parents were dead wrong, you still have a gut instinct when you walk down the street and see a Bulldog. That reaction stems from your very early childhood.
So, since that time, at least for me, every single instance which involves race, that gut instinct (twinge of prejudice) rises from my core, and I have to do everything I can to beat it back by reasoning with myself that this is not the proper way to think. It works, and works well. But this counter-action has taken years to effectively take hold, so that it now routinely and forcefully overtakes that initial gut reaction. Not a day goes by that I don't regret being a part of an environment that created that gut instinct. The twinge is always there.
So, in turn, I have vowed never to pass on any such stereotypes to my children. They have been brought up in a completely race-neutral environment (as far as their parents' teaching goes). Minor damage is sometimes done when their grandparents still slip with a bigoted comment now and then, but we quickly address the situation, and chastise the "elders" for perpetuating such false notions.
It is my sincere hope that my children, being brought up in a much more race-neutral environment will simply not have the same "gut reactions" with which I have had to grapple, and that their children, in turn will view the world as truly color-blind. My hope is that the first instance that my grandchildren ever sense that race is, or ever was, an issue is in studying history in grade school, and learning the devastating effects that such feelings caused a particular race in this country's history.
If each generation does their part to minimize the effect of prejudice and racism, perhaps our grandchildren will live in the world that Dr. King had envisioned almost half a century ago.
Now that I've spilled my guts out on the table ... on to Quincy. I am torn. Unlike many of you, I am not often able to easily separate a player's character from his performance. Character counts (to me). Given this kid's history, and how he turned his life around, I'd love for this kid to succeed. I love to point out sports figures to my kids who achieve greatness on the field, and achieve success in life, against great odds. Like it or not, kids look up to sports figures. They see you admire them, and they want to as well. They pay attention to what happens outside the ring of competition.
I love to hear about the great ones giving back to the community. I always share this with my kids. I've told them about Q making mistakes in his life both on and off the field, and how he buckled down, and has shown a tremendous work ethic. I've told them about Pat Tillman, and what he sacrificed to protect them.
Still in all, every time Quincy takes the field, it drives me crazy that he does not perform at a consistently high level. I want to see Aikman out there again. Now is this the "Bulldog" factor rising up, or simply just an objective analysis of performance? I can't be 100% sure, but I'd be willing to bet you dollars to donuts that to my two sons, the guy's skin color has nothing to do with it ... they just want to see the good guy do well.
