What We Must Now Watch for After the Fall of Chris Doyle
I think everyone can agree on one thing after the past few weeks in terms of this country and racism, and that is that we can do better. We may disagree on where or what that looks like, but we all (at least I hope) can agree with that very same sentiment. Well, the fall of Chris Doyle has shown me an area where we can be better.
Chris Doyle is the University of Iowa Football Strength and Conditioning Coach who was recently placed on leave by the university after accusations of racism by former and current Iowa players.
As someone who grew up going to a predominantly white school, predominantly white churches, and currently attend a conservative Christian university, it seems to me that being openly racist is becoming less and less socially acceptable. Note, however, that I said openly racist.
Even amongst the vast-majority of people I have met that are honest, welcoming people, I know there are still a few racist people out there lurking in the shadows. These people will still perpetuate a racist ideology, but hide behind a front of some sort.
Being a coach of a sports team is an easy way to do that. Chris Doyle may pass the racist things he said by saying things such as, “I was just motivating the players,” or something to that effect. There are multiple other areas outside of sports that this can happen such as a political argument or social media.
Areas like this are where I believe racism most perpetuates itself in our society. Someone continues to oppress whoever they so choose behind a front of some sort, which keeps their reputation in tact and keeps them clean in the eyes of the public.
While we must not become too cynical of people, I do believe that we need to be more aware of things like this. If someone says or does something that is definitely racist, do not let them hide behind their front. As long as we let people like this hide behind a front, racism will forever perpetuate our society.
