I understand Dempsey was racist, a rpduct of his times, but had to reform later when so many champion boxers were black. But of course that quote was not remotely racist. What folks consider sounds right or not is overwhlmingly conditioned acceptance or disgust. In other times colored was fine & negro might be found too clinical like caucasion...really what matters is the spirit & any presumptions behind a word.
Probably a lot of truth to that. Certainly after Joe Louis had been champion for so long, more people started to look back at the 'color line' era more critically, and see how white champions had benefitted at the expense of black contenders. Dempsey's alleged racism is hard to pin down though. Unlike, say, Muhammad Ali's racism, which was blatant. If Dempsey was trying to avoid the good fighters, who happened to be black, playing to the racism of the times was a convenience.
The Ring still used the word negro in its articles and on its covers also throughout the 1960's. Its a matter of not knowing the times.
True , and the Ring also supported Ali when alphabet organizations rushed to strip him of his title. During the Ring's early years Fleischer took a brave stance and publicly and repeatedly came out in support of Harry Wills getting his deserved title shot.
As someone who is in his early 60s, I can tell you that the terms, "negro" and "colored," were perfectly acceptable until sometime in the middle or late 1960s. During my lifetime, there have been dramatic changes in regards to using certain terms in describing minority people or telling ethnic jokes in private conversations or gatherings. Even among people who thought that there shouldn't be discrimination, the use of the certain terms in describing minority people and the telling of ethnic jokes in private conversations or gatherings was very common for at least a couple of decades after the 1960s. - Chuck Johnston
Mc, and so do I. I cannot let holier than thou comments go unchallenged so I get back in the fray. WE ARE products of our times, no more no less. And a boxing forum as this should have no place for "trolls", disguised as wits. Not funny when most of out posters are serious about their comments whilst the "trolls" belittle their thought out opinions.... Wouldn't you agree ?.
:rofl I'm surprised anybody actually took Seamus's comment seriously, and didn't see his style of humour in it immediately. I thought it was pretty funny.
Quiet you. There is SERIOUS WORK being done here... rehashing statements most of us read a decade ago and dressing them up from the bottomless reservoir of Dempsey idolatry.
Jack actually qualified it in an article by saying if they fought in a phone booth, Dempsey would be the one walking out, I presume Joe would wait in the booth and ring the emergency services.