Dustin Skinner, son of former NASCAR driver Mike Skinner, responded publicly to the finding of a noose at Talladega Superspeedway. His sentiments were pretty alarming, but I cannot do them justice in my own words so I will let you see for yourself.
More news on Skinner is reported on Sporting News‘ website. Before I dig too deep into that, I want to bring some recent comments from Bubba Wallace to your attention. Take a look at this CNN interview with Bubba Wallace that addresses the repercussions of the FBI noose investigation.
Bubba Wallace = Jussie Smollett 2.0
The FBI concluded the “noose” was just a rope. Now would be the time to step back and say, “hey good news guys, we rushed to judgement. it’s just a rope!” and move on.
But Bubba & the Media decide to gaslight America.pic.twitter.com/UHzhfalWAB
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 24, 2020
There is quite a bit to unpack here, but let’s start with the caption of the tweet. People are out here calling Bubba Wallace the Jussie Smollett 2.0 or Bubba Smollett. Seriously? The only connection I’m making is the image of a noose but in the case of Bubba Wallace, the noose actually exists. Which brings me to my next point. The FBI declared the noose at Talladega Superspeedway not to be a hate crime because it was there since 2019. In other words, whoever put the noose there was not directly attacking Bubba Wallace, but it was, indeed, a noose.
I don’t think I need to educate you on the use of a noose as a symbol of fear and hatred towards African Americans, and I’m not here to do so. But it should be easy to admit that planting the noose was racist in and of itself. Not a hate crime, but an act of overt racism. Even if you aren’t convinced of that, a noose is an undeniable representation of violence and does not belong at a NASCAR racetrack. Now let’s get back to Skinner.
Dustin Skinner had the audacity to say he wished Bubba Wallace was tied to the noose. Not only did he say that, but he then went on to call Wallace the scumbag. Unfortunately, I do not believe Skinner to be alone in his sentiments. Comments like his are why Wallace feels the need to try and make NASCAR a better environment for people who look like him. Banning the Confederate flag is a start, but NASCAR clearly has a long way to go. Before I digress, I want to bring attention to the apologies that were issued by the Skinner family. We’ll start with Dustin.
After his post gained attention, drawing some criticism, Dustin Skinner said his comments were not about race. “I love everyone this was not about race at all,” Skinner wrote. “I disagree with what [Wallace] is doing, but it was stupidly foolish for me to say what I said and I truly regret every bit of it. If there was a way to take last night back I would. All I can do is say I’m sorry. I love everyone and wish the world to pull back together and us all find a positive way to agree or disagree.” Dustin’s father, Mike Skinner, released a series of posts concerning Dustin’s comments but his tone was much different than his son’s.
Dustin Skinner Is my son and he’s an amazing father and amazing man he’s also a full-grown adult his views are not the same as Angie and myself we support Bubba have his whole career we don’t like what’s going on in our country anymore than anybody else
— Mike Skinner (@MSTheGunslinger) June 23, 2020
Mike Skinner later released a longer post saying he was “shocked” by his son’s comments.
— Mike Skinner (@MSTheGunslinger) June 23, 2020
I have no idea what Mike Skinner says or does in the comfort of his own home, but his attitude, at least in public, is far more progressive than Dustin’s. What I hear Mike saying is that he understands the racial implications of the Confederate flag and a noose and that he wants NASCAR to do better. He even went as far as saying that he is proud of Bubba Wallace. Mike Skinner supports the man that is Bubba Wallace, even if his values are in opposition to his own son. In a world that has so many Dustin’s, be more like Mike.
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