When criticism becomes racism

By Kevin Glancy  – October 2018

The recent defensive uproar and cries of racism and sexism on behalf of Serena Williams, with regard to Mark Knight’s accurate and humorous characterisation of the tennis player in his cartoon, is a classic example of identity politics at work. You can add to that blatant double standards and hypocrisy.

Serena has form. Once threatening to shove a tennis ball down a line’s woman’s throat amongst other episodes of abhorrent behaviour. Her own claims of sexism completely ignored the facts. Over the last twenty years in Grand Slam tournaments, code violations and the like have been handed out to male tennis players at a rate, four times more than those handed out to female tennis players. So where is the bias? If anything it’s against males.

Knight’s cartoon highlighted an aspect of Serena’s character. Her behaviour at the US Open was disgraceful. By their very nature, caricatures are usually an exaggeration of one’s appearance. As for colour? What would have been the point of illustrating a white version of Serena. Forget humour, how about accuracy? Did Serena call the umpire a liar and a cheat? Did she threaten that his career would be destroyed? Did she smash her racquet? Did her coach use hand signals?  Did she completely spoil the victory celebration for Naomi Osaka, who outplayed her on the day? So, is this where we are now? Serena, one of the wealthiest sporting personalities in the world is beyond criticism, just because of her skin colour?

The reaction to Knight’s cartoon by many on the left side of the political spectrum highlights their hypocrisy. One law for them but open season on conservatives. Another ‘racist calling’ flag bearer, author JK Rowlings had no problem with the giant balloon depicting a caricature of US President Trump floating over London or any of the insulting ways they have depicted the President since his election victory. I didn’t hear JK Rowling using the racist card on those many occasions. Nor did I hear her complain about the many Mark Knight cartoons depicting a host of white people behaving badly, including tennis player, Nick Kyrgios.

In any event, criticism is not racism but all too often the cries of racism are levelled. It’s a left wing attitude and a blatant double standard that perfectly illustrates that these supposed moral superiors never look in a mirror to witness their own behaviour. Sadly, even Martin Luther King’s daughter, Bernice King has fallen by the wayside. Her father’s profound words lost along the way as she demonstrated with her criticism of the Australian cartoonist’s take on Serena William’s unsporting hissy fit at the US Open. Apparently, for Bernice King, Serena’s character was not the issue. Sadly, like many on the left who had clearly forgotten her father’s words of wisdom; Bernice was blind to that defining moment and could only see the colour of Serena’s skin.

‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.’ Martin Luther King Jr  1963