Dave Sez

The Throat Slash And Stereotypes

Ed of the ACC Basketblog has a great post up today talking about the media's reaction to Rashad McCant's throat slash and whether there were racial overtones there.

It is a well-written and well-reasoned piece.

To me, and I think I've made mention of this, the throat slash is an extremely silly thing to get all worked up about. It's a gesture that has been used for decades (at least) to mean that something's over or turn something off or end something, etc.

When a mechanic is working under the hood and wants the driver to kill the engine, he makes a throat slash. When your mom wants you to stop talking about Uncle Joe's herpes sores at Thanksgiving dinner, she gives you googlie eyes and a throat slash. And often times when playing sports and someone makes a play that they think effectively ends the game, they make a throat slash.

That's it. It's not uncommon and it's not offensive. No one really thinks that Taron Downey or Rashad McCants had plans to really slash anyone's throat.

It's just something for the guys in the media to generate false outrage about. It makes for easy stories.

False outrage in the media. Now THERE'S something to get upset about.