By now you've heard all about it.  Last week a youtube video of Dallas Maverick's forward Josh Howard mumbling ridiculousness about the National Anthem surfaced (warning: explicit language).  

Everything about this video and the way it's been handled by Howard and the Mavs is disheartening. In case you haven't seen the video, Howard is shown mugging with other participants before a charity flag football game and says, "The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on right now. I don't even celebrate that [expletive]. I'm black." Then he mumbles something incoherent about "Obama." The videographer moves on to other participants and the whole episode only lasts 10 seconds or so. 

The outrage over the video has been loud and predictable. Race baiters made have made ugly comments in chat rooms and on blogs (including Mavs owner Mark Cuban’s). Apologists said it wasn’t a big deal; that this was just one man exercising his freedom of speech (however indelicately) and that everyone should just chill out. Some TV talking heads have tried to bring a sociological perspective to the incident, offering explanations for why Howard might say such things based on his past behavior (arrested for road racing) and comments (casual admittance of marijuana use).

I don’t know Josh Howard. I don’t know the guy who was handling the video camera, or any of the other football game participants who also appeared in the video. But I do think the video is interesting fodder for discussion in terms of trying to understand how a guy who is set to make almost $10 million this season feels like this country has failed him, or perhaps not met his expectations.

Closer analysis of the video (see the link to the 4:07 version above - those 12 second clips floating around on youtube and in chat rooms are useless because you don’t get a clear picture of the context in which Howard’s comments were made) reveals something interesting. The actions and statements of those who appear on the video indicate a strong sense of individual superiority and outright arrogance. I argue that Howard's statement and the context in which it's related demonstrate a failure to acknowledge and understand that the celebrity and the opportunities he's come by as a professional athlete have been created by democratic capitalism, not solely by his own efforts.

How responsible is Howard for his own “success?” That question is at the heart of what bothers me about his comments. Howard seems to have no problem making use of one advantage afforded by the social contract that comes with being American – free speech – to say something that shows a profound lack of awareness that this social contract even exists. Howard is paid obscenely well to exercise his skill at putting a ball in a basket. This is allowed by the grace of the American politico-economic system. This society pays people well to entertain them, whether the entertainers are white, black, brown, yellow, or red. To say he “doesn’t celebrate that [expletive – in reference to a revered symbol of the American social contract from which he benefits]” is to dismiss the very system that allows him to feel like he’s an accomplished individual, regardless of his race. One need only to pick up a newspaper from time to time and read about the rest of the world to realize how unique both the promise and execution of the American social contract are.

Among other things, Howard is rich, relatively safe, and free to do what he wants for a living. Sounds like the whole life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness thing is working out pretty well for him. His comments don't sound like the words of a happy man, but he's certainly been afforded the opportunity to pursue happiness. Howard's comments fail to consider that the American system, objectively, is working quite well for him.

That Howard can say what he did and all we do is talk about it, buy more NBA tickets and gear, and go about our business is what makes this country both beautiful and maddening to live in. Americans are permitted to not only do and believe stupid, selfish things, but say them out loud, too. Despite not “celebrating this #$@%$,” Howard might consider celebrating that he’s here and not in China, Cuba, North Korea or any other less-accommodating country. Instead of preparing for training camp right now, he’d be preparing for re-education camp.

Cuban’s solution to this matter, “advanced communication skill sessions” during training camp, is short-sighted nonsense. It sounds like Howard could use a refresher on world history, civics, and economics instead. Teaching him how to spin his ignorant arrogance won't go as far as reminding him how what he has here compares to what he could have (or more accurately would not have) somewhere else.

Again, beyond ignorance I think a lot of his sentiment goes back to arrogance. You didn't achieve "success" yourself, Mr. Howard. Without a society around you that's safe and prosperous enough (thank you American social contract) to care that you're good at a schoolyard game, you'd be just another tall guy with a chip on his shoulder.

When you get done celebrating yourself, maybe you’ll change your mind about celebrating all of this [expletive].