Dwight Phillips vs. Lauren Fleshman and Nick Symmonds on Twitter

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agip wrote:

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Well, that's his problem. wrote:

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agip wrote:

re; racial awareness -

here's a tip for the white people: read either the Autobiography of Malcolm X or Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me.

Those two books do a good job at showing how front and center race is in the minds of many African Americans. Race is the lens they view the world through. Almost everything that happens to many A-A's is interpreted through the lens of race. For many it is certainly their first attempt to understand something.

White people don't really understand the primary nature of race in the minds of many A-A's.

and

Many Black people assume that white people ALSO interpret everything through the lens of race.

And I think that Black people who think this way err.

Many conflicts are better understood if you know this

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Thanks, Professor. But the issue here is not that we don't understand the conflict. The issue is that Dwight is simply wrong in this instance. End of story.

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exactly. No effort should be made to understand Dwight's error or try to avoid this sort of racial conflict in the future. Good!

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TRUTHFULLY SPEAKING FTW wrote:

Personally I do not take the position that Phillips is racist but that he is deflecting criticism away from himself by using the so called 'race card' as an all too convenient straw man.

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In a "grown-up conversation", if one injects blatant, or even veiled, racist accusations, they better expect to receive defensive fire.

Any serious person recognizes the attempts at race-baiting are exhausted, and fueling problems that simply exist on an incredible micro level.

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Well, that's his problem. wrote:

Again: the issue is not that we don't understand where Dwight might be coming from. Any serious person recognizes the racial problems that minorities in the country still face, but that is entirely beside the point in this case. The issue is that he is wrong, and this conflict is entirely of his own manufacture. I at least have enough respect for him to expect him to respond to criticism from the athletes he supposedly represents without playing the hurt feelings card. He doesn't need to be molly-coddled and psychoanalyzed in order to get a deeper understanding of his biases and and feelings - he's in a grown-up conversation, and at least some of us expect him to act like it.

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It seems crazy that Dwight would be throwing the race card into the mix.... that actually makes him look like an ignorant racist himself. Lauren Fleshman has always been a class act, and from the looks of the Twitter conversation, she was throwing it out there into the Twitter-verse to have some questions answered.

Dwight took it and ran with it. He reminds me of a little girl who cries for attention because she's not getting any. Any reason to bring his name up and into discussion because he's pretty irrelevant at this point. He made himself look terrible and like a complete joke tho. Bad look. He's actually making African Americans look bad by doing this.

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Well, that's his problem. wrote:

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agip wrote:

re; racial awareness -

here's a tip for the white people: read either the Autobiography of Malcolm X or Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me.

Those two books do a good job at showing how front and center race is in the minds of many African Americans. Race is the lens they view the world through. Almost everything that happens to many A-A's is interpreted through the lens of race. For many it is certainly their first attempt to understand something.

White people don't really understand the primary nature of race in the minds of many A-A's.

and

Many Black people assume that white people ALSO interpret everything through the lens of race.

And I think that Black people who think this way err.

Many conflicts are better understood if you know this

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Thanks, Professor. But the issue here is not that we don't understand the conflict. The issue is that Dwight is simply wrong in this instance. End of story.

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It's hard to read text, moreso with tweets. Easy to misinterpret. The 3 ought to get together by webphone or in person to discuss issues.

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Party Line wrote:

Why couldn't Fleshman just phoned the office to see if any emails were sent out. She "needed" to make it public. Phillips is just telling her to F off.
end of story.

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When all else fails (backed into a corner or you know your wrong and need to divert attention) go right to the race card. Most times whites will back right down - seems that Lauren is not like most white people. You go girl

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Curt Flood fan wrote:

It's hard to read text, moreso with tweets. Easy to misinterpret. The 3 ought to get together by webphone or in person to discuss issues.

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Exactly. LF was passively aggressively calling out Phillips in public and then he overreacted.

They both look like huge jerks as a result. If the tweets look that bad to those of us that read a lot of letsrun threads, i wonder what normal people think seeing the exchange!

Hmmm, maybe the problem is just a misunderstanding because Dwight no spell gud. DECIMATED??? Either that, or Dwight just asked Rizzo to kill 10% of his event group. You be the judge.

https://twitter.com/Dwightdagreat/status/717433823299047425

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Patrick I sent you all the pertinent info including website info. Was that info decimated to your event group?

Dwight Phillips added,
Patrick Rizzo @RunPRizzo
@Dwightdagreat I messaged you about the "anonymous" survey @USATF sent. No reply. I said I wanted more info on your company. No reply.
12:28 PM - 5 Apr 2016

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I seriously doubt that "normal people" are reading the Twitter exchange

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Bring Back the 880 wrote:

Exactly. LF was passively aggressively calling out Phillips in public and then he overreacted.

They both look like huge jerks as a result. If the tweets look that bad to those of us that read a lot of letsrun threads, i wonder what normal people think seeing the exchange!

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What's up with the Twitter handle "Dwightdagreat"? And the "Be Legendary" on his Twitter profile picture? A bit self-absorbed perhaps? Or does Dwight feel the need to compensate for some inadequacy? Sounds like someone with small, ahem, hands syndrome.

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Look The wrote:

I seriously doubt that "normal people" are reading the Twitter exchange

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agip wrote:

I'm developing a race theory that says basically black people have some trouble taking normal criticism - we all get criticised...many black people automatically think it is race based. Very hard to work with them when this happens.

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Open your eyes and brain... wrote:

In 2016, screaming "racism!" is the ultimate cop-out. Just last night, I watched ten's of thousands of white people, cheer for shots made in one of the most exciting finishes to a basketball game, that most people have ever seen. The people who took and made those shots, were black. Those gentlemen will be high-fived, congratulated, and be even bigger men on campus' that are a majority white.

One of the fans of the game that was shown very often, was the biggest and richest athlete of our time... a black man by the name of Michael Jordan. A billionaire who has made a majority of his money by white people admiring him. Thirty years ago, white kids were wearing shoes that were inspired by this black man... white parents paid for those shoes. Many of those same kids were hanging posters of black men on their walls... again, white parents were predominantly responsible for paying for those posters, not to mention, allowing their white kids to hang posters of black men on their walls.

Everyday in the United States, there are arenas and stadiums that are full of people watching/cheering/admiring black men as they showcase incredible feats of skill that are ingrained into the minds, and often times hearts, of the fans... the majority of those fans, are white. Everyday, those same white fans stand around the watercooler to talk about the previous day's heroics and physics-defying displays of awe. Many of those same people travel home from work, only to sit down and turn on ESPN to follow the day's action, and to again, live in awe of black men. Let us remember too, the richest female athlete on the planet, is black.

To add to the god-like status of many American black men and women, we turn on our radio/iPod, etc. to listen to music inspired and performed by black men and women. We watch late-night talkshows and groove to the beats produced by house bands that highlight black musicians.

I can continue, but the point should be clear enough.

Yes, there are problems in American society, but the vast majority of those problems, are NOT race related. And when an issue comes across as being race related, it is most-often discredited after a thorough investigation. In other words, crying "racism!" is a complete cop-out that is only serving as a tool to create divisive environments... much of which, we are witnessing as a growing trend. And most unfortunate of all, is being used intentionally.

In 2016, it is virtually impossible to not 'make it' for one's self. The wonderful world of the internet has allowed a platform for ANYONE to set up an LLC and produce/trade a product that another party desires. The internet does not know the color of your skin... it does not know your gender, or sexual orientation, or religious belief. Create a business, sell a product, and ANYBODY can be living a life of happiness and respect.

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Look The wrote:

I seriously doubt that "normal people" are reading the Twitter exchange

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Is Fleshman the one that said women should continue to race a shorter XC distance than men because it's tradition?