Wesley Morris Argument

 Kevin Durant Going Back to School?

Ever since I can remember professional athletes have never came “dressed up” for the occasion of a conference. But, lately the National Basketball Association (NBA) has been through a change. Athletes; Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kevin Durant, even Blake Griffin are changing the face of the “black athlete”. Wesley Morris’s gives different arguments. Morris explains how this change in the clothing of these NBA athletes creates a lot of controversy. From 1980-2000 this type of clothing; long sleeved shirts buttoned up to the neck, backpacks strapped tightly, large square framed glasses (which only Stoudemire has a prescription for), bow ties, and even cardigans were clothes the stereotypical “nerd” would wear. But, this wasn’t the only thought; anyone caught wearing this clothing was a potential target for bullies. Even today there are many issues with bullying, even escalating to committed suicides. Morris only hits the racial aspect behind this diversification between the black and white person. But, I believe this revision in the clothes these athletes wear strongly changes children’s lives. The once called “nerd” now just seems to have been ahead of his time in apparel for the last 30 years. This makes me think this movement in the NBA could be potentially targeting bullying in schools, and possibly a way to stop bullying. But, still I completely agree with Morris’s argument, because his evidence is valid. Many shows during the 3 decades that dealt different race actors would have similar stories; the race was inferior to the dominant race (being the white race). My favorite example is the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air; Will Smith played a role that is a great example behind Morris’s argument. The series is all about this transformation Smith makes from a poor household in West Philadelphia to the very wealthy Bel Air mansion. Once again Smith plays the role of a stereotypical black man. Smith is poor, dresses with very large clothing, and accessories of flat bills and large watches. Morris again is very accurate when he explains how Smith makes fun of Carlton, Philip, Ashley, Hilary, and Geoffrey. Without focusing on the race Smith should be the one who is being laughed at. He is poor, lacks education, and dresses very “street” like. After researching more into Morris’s argument I even found Chris Paul is a big part of this change in apparel. State Farm has been using Lebron James and Chris Paul for advertisements. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbRdDhYFGSw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl5R0fsJdOU