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Hugh McElroy discusses current status of race relations in America

June 8, 2020
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Following his vacation, Gabe kicked off the second hour of Monday's show by offering his opinion on the current state of race relations in the United States following the murder of George Floyd which prompted a phone call from Texas A&M legend Hugh McElroy.



Key notes from Hugh McElroy’s thoughts

  • My reason for the call is because you had intentions to have Steve Solari on this morning, and I don't want to undermine anything you had planned, but I am always willing to help and share my thoughts.
     
  • In the wake of the George Floyd death, my emotions - not particularly in this order - were rage, disbelief, and disgust. That's probably not too different from a lot of the listeners' reactions. My reaction is that it could've been me or one of mine. In this case, it makes it more personal. When things are personal, you will take more steps and go further down the road to make corrections.
     
  • It's important to have these conversations. I shared a message with my congregation, and one of the first things I said was to be sincere. If you say something wrong or in the wrong way, if it's sincere, you'll get a chance to get it right. It starts the conversation. Some people don't have the types of relationships needed to start these conversations. After being sincere, be open and honest. "I don't know" and "Help me" are okay and will lead to better things.
     
  • I will say that there has been progress. That is undeniable. A lot of the racism has gone from being overt to covert. That's not a condemnation on everybody. It's no longer Jim Crow on the street corner, it's James Crow in the corner office.
     
  • A lot of us have blind spots. The problem with the blind spot is that you don't always know it's there. We need others to help us see.
     
  • How many people thought about Colin Kaepernick when they saw all of this going on? The reason I ask that question was because when he took his knee a few years ago, it was very controversial. It was actions like this that he was protesting. If you remember, he started by sitting down. He received an open-letter from Nate Boyer – a former Green Beret and NFL long snapper. Kaepernick sought him out, and they had a conversation. Nate told him he should kneel as it's done when we pray or by the gravesite. I've never thought to kneel during the national anthem, but I recognize that Kaepernick has that right. My father and grandfather fought in wars for the rights for you, knowing that I might never have them. They fought for you.
Discussion from...

Hugh McElroy discusses current status of race relations in America

6,087 Views | 4 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by Lbilling
fightintxaggie10
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AG
Good talk. Glad he shared his perspective.
Spyderman
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AG
We are all racist to one degree or another IMO. Legalized abortion in this country is flat wrong as well. Would I take the knee while our countries anthem was being played? Need to be wise. Probably not. Would I take a knee somewhere else..absolutely. Protest..yes. Prayers...no doubt. Remind people with every opportunity presented? Yes, yes yes.
Both must come to an end.
Grab some popcorn...why the ongoing cover-up? The Phenomenon: FF to 1:22:35 https://tubitv.com/movies/632920/the-phenomenon

An est. 68 MILLION Americans, including 19 MILLION Black Children, have been killed in the WOMB since 1973-act, pray and vote accordingly.

TAMU purpose statement: To develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good. Team entrance song at KYLE FIELD is laced with profanity including THE Nword..
The greater good?
Jeremy F Taco 97
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AG
Tebow never knelt during the national anthem: https://sports.yahoo.com/tim-tebow-fires-back-people-misrepresenting-tebowing-photo-anthem-protest-171821335.html

The part about Kaepernick initially sitting and then kneeling after a conversation with a Green Beret who thought that kneeling was better is true: https://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-kaepernick-kneel-boyer-20180916-story.html
Lbilling
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Hugh sounded very reasonable in sharing his thoughts and feelings. I will do the same. Of all the cases of police brutality or death of a suspect, why does Floyd's death cause Hugh McElroy to fear that he or his son could have been Floyd? Hugh and others assumed the cop killed Floyd because he was black. We do not actually know that and maybe we never will. White people die in police custody also. Statistics I have seen do not support the assertion that it is more dangerous for a black male to be arrested by police. Did the cop have Floyd in handcuffs because he was black? No, he was being arrested for an alleged crime. Floyd certainly did not deserve to die for his offense. But I simply cannot picture Hugh McElroy passing a counterfeit $20, being high on meth and resisting arrest. So why does Hugh fear for himself and his son?

My take: we have bad cops in whatever color, but they are a small minority. Bad cops need to be fired and/or charged with crimes, not protected by their union. Floyd's death may not be an example of racism, but it created an opportunity for the concept of racism to be brought to the front of America's attention. Now what? Is everyone supposed to become less racist because of it, take down some statues, give money to BLM and NAACP? If anything positive has occurred it is the confirmation that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to succeed. To the extent that equal opportunity was not happening, maybe our heightened awareness will improve those circumstances. Maybe one day Hugh will feel better about the corner offices.

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