Stereotypes

Talking about stereotypes, what kind of people do you think of when you hear the word NASCAR? The safe answer is white. The more typical answer outside of class and outside of a blog, if just shooting the shit with your friends is redneck. Almost all of the drivers and their crew are white as well as the people in the stands. I grew up around car racing. We used to go to the racetrack on some weekends to watch the local open-wheel dirt-track racing series and my dad was always watching the NASCAR race on the television on Sundays. I would be the first to admit that there is definitely that kernel of truth in this particular stereotype, but like every stereotype, it’s just a kernel of truth. The majority of the stereotyped population does not act like or do the things that they are being accused of with a stereotype…. but there is that kernel waiting to pop.

 

The kernel of truth popped again last week for those involved with NASCAR. The crew chief for Nationwide Series driver Brendan Gaughan was suspended indefinitely for using a racial slur about fellow driver Marc Davis, who is black. The Nationwide Series is similar to a farm system or minor league to NASCAR. The racial slur apparently came after an incident on pit row in which the two drivers got tangled up while Davis was trying to exit the track and head for the garage. Gaughan basically t-boned Davis causing damage to his own car. The AP is reporting that Bryan Berry, Gaughan’s crew chief, apparently used the slur as he walked toward the Nashville Speedway garage to confront Davis during Saturday night's race. At least two people heard the slur and reported it to NASCAR, which investigated the claims before suspending Berry. You can see the on the track incident with the link below.

 

http://www.qcitymetro.com/news/articles/nascar-suspends-crew-chief-over-racial-slur-095219932.cfm

 

This is the kind of stuff that adds fuel to a fire or stereotype in this case. We do not know exactly what was said but we all have a pretty good guess. And I think everyone agrees that there is no place for this in sport, especially a sport that is almost exclusively white already. NASCAR recently settled a $225 million dollar harassment lawsuit that involved both racial and sexual harassment of an African American female. And now they are having issues over the confederate flag flying in the fan’s area in the infield. See link below.

 

http://autos.blackvoices.com/2009/05/21/naacp-possibly-to-boycott-nascar-over-confederate-flag/

 

However, in our society for the most part, we are not, and the news outlets surely are not interested in the people who didn’t say something racist or who cheered for the black driver because he was a teenager and not because he was black. Just like when a black man who commits a crime, there were many more black men who played with their kids all day or had a productive day at work, but that’s not news.

 

So I think it is up to us as individuals to prove stereotypes wrong positively whenever we get a chance. I am raising my hand and proclaiming that I was raised around auto racing and I am not a racist. Deal with it.