The days and times in which we live have been called everything from a Post Racial Age to Pre-Apocalyptic Dystopia. To what degree we fall on this scale in terms of societal hope or optimism largely depends on one’s point of view. After years of writing about race relations as they pertain to this great nation I can honestly say there are few things that have disgusted me more than Artie Lang's comments about ESPN's Cari Champion.
This nation was built on the premise of free speech and it seems that because of this building block we continue to find ourselves as the bastion of ignorance and stupidity. What of the civility that is common place in societies that ours is supposed to be superior to? That was actually a trick question. There really is no such thing as American civility, especially in the age of social media.
We’re not going to post any of Artie Lange’s Twitter comments here because The Shadow League believes we would be doing ESPN's "First Take" Cari Champion a disservice if we continue to disseminate those vile words in their entirety. However, we will say they involved slavery and sexual acts.
When reading comments such as those Tweeted by so-called comedian Artie Lange we are reminded of how some people fail to grasp even the simplest of concepts. Really, what idiot publicly mentions how he would like to enslave an African American woman and expects little or no backlash? Artie Lange is the answer to that question.
The New Jersey native has always been a willing a-hole for money and was once a mainstay on the Howard Stern Show. Hard drinking and cocaine abuse got him booted from the now defunct FOX sketch comedy show "Madtv." Since then he has appeared on several sitcoms, such as the "Norm Show" starring Norm McDonald, as well as other bit parts. Over time Lange has garnered his own sports talk radio show with Nick DiPaolo, which was then renamed for after him following the departure of DiPaolo. Abrasive, insulting and sometimes suicidal, Artie Lange’s comic styling is typical of a Northeast, blue collar mindset. A mindset that is gruff, unapologetic and as ignorantly White as it wants to be and it could care less about how you perceive it. It’s highly likely that Lange wouldn’t consider himself a racist and we would be hard pressed to prove he is one. However, he's most certainly a sleaze. We're all for a good dirty joke, but when it's not funny the purveyor ends up looking like a creep.
Just like Lange.
However, after the Twitter comments he made towards ESPN host Cari Champion regarding his fantasy of enslaving her for the purpose of performing sexual acts on him it’s hard for him to find a rock of solace under which to slither. Since these comments have come to light, Lange has remained unapologetic as he now claims to be the victim of overzealous PC groups and that these outside forces are the reason why Comedy Central has canceled his appearance on "@Midnight". Now he’s coping major pleas on social media and playing the victim, doing the usual things that sleaze balls do when confronted, Lange is hiding behind the premise of comedy and states vehemently how he’s not a racist. Meanwhile, ESPN has banned Lange from appearing on their airwaves indefinitely and issued the following statement.
“His comments were reprehensible and no one should be subjected to such hateful language,” said the network. “They objectify and demean one of our valued employees under the thin guise of ‘comedy’ and are offensive to all of us. We will not dignify them with any other comment.”
Meanwhile, Cari Champion being the classy individual she is, has remained mute on the affair as of press time.
Proves that her actions speak louder than his words.
