Opinion

Hookstead’s Hot Take: You’re A Racist If You Criticize Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel (Reuters Pictures)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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The racist criticism of Johnny Manziel needs to end.

Currently Johnny Football is partying his face off in Mexico while also getting suspended from the NFL, and there are tons of hot takes about all the “white privilege” that Manziel has.

The reality of the situation is that Manziel isn’t even fully white. In fact, his great-grandfather Bobby Joe Manziel was born in Lebanon and was referred to as the “Syrian Kid.” This makes the former Heisman winner part Arab, and according to liberals, that makes him one of the most oppressed people in America.

As a young adult white man in America, my viewpoint is clouded with white privilege. I shower in white privilege, I take it with me everywhere I go, and sometimes I even use my white privilege to pay for goods and services. I once even picked up a girl because of how much white privilege I have. It’s a privileged life. For the majority of my life I’ve stood on the sidelines when it comes to the trauma minorities in this country face, but I will no longer let the oppression of Arab-Americans who have won the Heisman go unanswered. I will pick up the torch of tolerance and defend Manziel from these relentless racist attacks.

Johnny Manziel Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports - via Reuters

Johnny Manziel Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports – via Reuters

Why is it that when a white man like Leo DiCaprio parties with women and claims to have sex with six models a night that he’s celebrated, but when Manziel, an American of Arab descent, does the same thing it’s a problem? (RELATED: Meet The Playboy Model Johnny Manziel Is Vacationing With In Mexico [PHOTOS])

Why can Instagram playboy Dan Bilzerian, another white guy, constantly show the world all the women he’s with and all the parties he attends, but Johnny Manziel gets criticized for drinking a beer? (PHOTOS: Check Out The Model Manziel Scooped Up During Unemployment)

George Clooney, another privileged white heterosexual man in America, has had a stable of women he rotates through and he’s treated as a superstar. Manziel gets photographed coming out of a club with a woman and ESPN will talk about how he’s out of control for the next 24 hours. This double standards against successful Americans of Arab descent needs to end.

Furthermore, the media has made it their mission to destroy the most successful part-Arab football player to ever live. Can you imagine the oppression and “micro aggressions” Manziel must feel when he turns on ESPN to see privileged white and black sports analysts judging his life? Why can’t ESPN find a single Arab sports analyst to comment on the eccentric quarterback? Perhaps it’s because ESPN doesn’t actually care about understanding the oppression a partially Arab family that made millions in oil must face in America.

Of course, Manziel is also entangled in an assault trial. “Experts” say he’ll get off, but liberals love to point out that the justice system is systematically racist against minorities, and yet none cry about the system when a football player of Arab descent is in the courtroom. (SLIDESHOW: UFC Star Arianny Celeste Is Nearly Naked For All Her Fans In These Pictures)

Manziel’s great-grandfather came to America from the Middle East to chase the American dream and succeeded. Yet, somehow instead of viewing the Manziel family as the pinnacle of success, many in the media and on the internet want to tear down this amazing story of coming to America and making millions. Why is it okay for white men who are venture capitalists to get rich and be viewed as role models while doing cocaine at the strip club, but Johnny Manziel, as a partially Arab-American, must be judged because his family has money from oil. When will these stereotypes end?

You’ll never know the oppression and racism that Johnny Manziel has faced in his life unless you’re an Arab-American who has won the Heisman and is worth millions. Check your privilege. I know I had to, but I’m glad I did. Now I can take a stand against all the racists in America that are trying to destroy the life of the most successful quarterback of Arab descent in history.

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