Things That Make White People Uncomfortable, by Michael Bennett

As I read Michael Bennett's Things That Make White People Uncomfortable, I had conflicting feelings.  On the positive side, Bennett is an impressive, accomplished man.  He has achieved greatness in his field, becoming one of the best defensive players in the NFL, after going undrafted out of college.  His is a devoted father and family man, married to his high school sweetheart, with whom he has three daughters.  And he is a passionate activist and philanthropist.

On the other hand, he comes across as someone with an overinflated sense of his own importance.  This is not a big surprise.  Superstar athletes seem to believe the world revolves around them.  Bennett seems arrogant and whiny.  Half the book is about the travails of college and professional athletes.  Look, I get that many athletes feel like he does, that they are playing in college sports "to generate funds for the athletic department and billions of dollars for conferences and cable networks."  But I don't get their overlooking the privilege they have of getting an expense-paid education.  I live in Texas, and I've known plenty of kids who would love to have gone to Texas A&M with Bennett and his brother, but who didn't have the money or the athletic ability to attend.

And in the NFL, these guys, even bench warmers, make more money in a year than many people will
make in a decade.  For crying out loud, Bennett makes more per game than many of us will earn in a lifetime.  So cry me a river, Bennett, when you compare the NFL to slavery.  No slave lived his own multi-million-dollar mansion (much less a $4 million home in Hawaii).  And no slave was free to walk away from his or her employer like you are.  Everyone is now aware of the physical costs that come along with the game, but no one is forcing you to come to practice and cash those checks.

I am a white person, and Michael Bennett doesn't make me uncomfortable.  I don't care what race his is.  He is thoughtful and passionate.  He embraces the full spectrum of leftist ideology, which I disagree with.  But what irritates me is his insistence that he is oppressed and that we must listen to him because of his wealth and fame.  I can certainly get behind some of his causes and interests--women in STEM fields, better diets and food availability, particularly in poor neighborhoods--but what arrogance to use his wealth as a platform while simultaneously disparaging the entire system that helped him obtain that wealth and fame.

Actually, Bennett, I'll tell you what makes me uncomfortable.  When a guy in a high-pressure shooting situation acts suspiciously, is detained by police, uses his name and fame to identify himself, and then loudly and publicly criticizes the police, who were simply doing their job.  You know what else makes me uncomfortable?  A guy who disrespects low-level stadium employees, allegedly injuring a disabled 66-year-old security guard, and shouting at her, "Y'all must know who I am.  I can own this motherf-----."  What a jerk.


Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!