A flub is defined as a mistake or an accident. But when it comes to a person with a shady history toward woman, a flub can be misconstrued as Freudian, and indicative of some deeper, hidden portion of a person’s psyche. For Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, the flub in question occurred while visiting Melrose Elementary School in an attempt to give back to the community and trying to invoke pride and confidence in the students.
According to photos, the majority of the children were Black. According to reports, the portion of is speech that has drawn the ire of some occurred when several male students seemed visibly bored.The students were a bunch of third and fifth graders. Ain’t no way in the world these kids were going to remain engaged for an extended period of time.
“All my young boys, stand up. The ladies, sit down,” Winston said, trying to energize them. “But all my boys, stand up. We strong, right? We strong! We strong, right? All my boys, tell me one time: I can do anything I put my mind to. Now a lot of boys aren’t supposed to be soft-spoken. You know what I’m saying? One day y’all are going to have a very deep voice like this (in deep voice). One day, you’ll have a very, very deep voice.”
“But the ladies, they’re supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men (are) supposed to be strong. I want y’all to tell me what the third rule of life is: I can do anything I put my mind to it.”
Just 20 years ago, nary an eye lid would have been batted at his comments. However, we live in an era that is increasingly shuddering at the very idea of gender stereotypes. Additionally, Winston does not have a stellar track record, and some never forgave him for his alleged involvement in a sexual assault that occurred while he was at Florida State University.
America is definitely built on second and third chances. However, we give those chances in the hope that individuals have learned the lessons necessary for them to become productive citizens in society. With this latest media blemish, Winston has inadvertently refreshed his prior track record in the minds of a great number of individuals. His words are not indicative of anything nefarious. However, it would be best to have a P.R. or media rep vet every public word he utters from here on out. Especially if it has anything to do with women.
He released a statement earlier today apologizing for his choice of words.
“I was making an effort to interact with a young male in the audience who didn’t seem to be paying attention, and I didn’t want to single him out, so I asked all the boys to stand up,” Winston said, according to the newspaper. “During my talk, I used a poor word choice that may have overshadowed that positive message for some.”
It is telling that Winston says his slip up came while trying to engage a boy that was not paying attention. Perhaps he should have then switched up to engage and energize the impressionable young girls who were present, instead or using antiquated “ball coach” verbiage to get a disinterested kid to pay attention.
