Mike Missanelli
Our first interview is with Mike Missanelli, a Sports Talk Radio Host for Philadelphia's ESPN Affiliate 97.5 The Fanatic. Sports and race have had quite the historical relationship and when a racially infused local or national story comes to the forefront, he isn't one to shy away from engaging his callers in conversation during airtime.
JTHR: How do you feel about Donald Sterling's comments? What should the NBA do about it? Do you think this kind of "behind the scenes" racism runs rampant in corporate sports culture?
Mike Missanelli: I think Sterling's comments are deplorable. The NBA must take the same stance as baseball did many years ago with Marge Schott by suspending him. The only thing I can say is that I HOPE this kind of racism amongst ownership doesn't run rampant in the corporate sports culture since a majority of the athletes in many sports are black.
(NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has since banned Donald Sterling for life and fined him the maximum amount of 2.5 million dollars for his comments)
JTHR: Have you experienced racism in your life and if so how did you react to it and how did it make you feel?
Mike Missanelli: For me to say I've experienced racism would be cheating the people who have actually EXPERIENCED racism. I've been called ethnic slurs at various times of my life and it made me angry enough to fight someone. I can't imagine having to deal with racism on an every day basis and having enough decorum not to react with anger.
JTHR: If you have a discussion with someone regarding a racial issue and they don't understand nor care, what do you do to guide them towards a better understanding of it?
Mike Missanelli: I try to open people's minds to that possibility. Most white people cannot relate to the concept of racism because they live in their own little bubble or certainly in denial. Living in denial helps you press the issue downward and you dont have to consider whether you've ever been guilty of racism. To deal with that possibility means you actually have to work at it and most people don't want to face up to that workload.
JTHR: Do you think it's possible to eradicate racism and if so, how? If not, in your opinion, what can everyone do to make it less of a problem for future generations in America?
Mike Missanelli: It CERTAINLY is possible to eradicate racism if people can open up their minds to that possibility and make special effort to do so. I ask people all the time: how is it POSSIBLE to be TOO politically correct. Fact of the matter is, being politically correct doesn't take much effort. All it takes is to understand the other person's position. If someone is telling you they are offended by something, its not YOUR choice to decide if they are. It's their ball game. Racism is filtered out by education. The more educated we are about the problems, the more we can understand it. Our ancestors at one point or another had racist tendencies. Today's generations should have a better understanding of racism because we have been more educated, we have been given more opportunity, we have traveled more, we have met more people of other cultures. JTHR: Do you think "reverse racism" exists and regardless, what do you think of the term?
Mike Missanelli: Reverse racism? So far as I can tell, white people still have it pretty good in America, whether they have had to sacrifice any bit of their existence to acknowledge that other cultures and creeds DO exist.
JTHR: From a White perspective, do you think there’s a responsibility to understand why race in America is an issue and why it continues to be a “controversial” topic, especially for black people and other minorities?
Mike Missanelli: I think it is ESSENTIAL that white people acknowledge that racism still does exist, otherwise we're not going to make any further dents into the problem. JTHR: One time I was at a bar and I had a drunken white guy come up to me and he bought me a Long Island because I'm black and he was sorry about "the past." He offered to hook me up with his white girl friends or something - I'm not kidding, I swear this happened. This probably would be a hilarious yet exaggerated example of “white guilt.” - Do you feel that there's a "white guilt" backlash? What do you have to say to people who accuse you of having “white guilt?”
Mike Missanelli: White guilt? Trying to help bond other races and cultures and creeds for the sake of a more harmonious society is white guilt? I laugh at the ignorance of that term.
JTHR: Is there a subliminal "we got it first now it's your turn" sentiment between minorities and white people in the entertainment industry regarding white jokes?
Mike Missanelli: I dont get what white jokes are. I think white people should find a comfort level that they are not the aggrieved party. No white joke can offend me enough that I equate it as offensive as racism. JTHR: How do you feel about the term "Post-racial America?"
Mike Missanelli: Post racial America is an idealistic term. I hold hope that little by little, we are getting there. But we certainly are not there yet.
JTHR: It’s been my observation that racism and hate in general is taught. Do you agree with this or not? Regardless what do you think is the right thing for parents and adults to say to young children regarding the topic?
Mike Missanelli: I see SO many racial attitudes in young people and that disturbs me more than anything. Obviously they are getting that from semi-bigoted and still bitter parents. That's a real shame. But again, only education is going to foster better understanding. We all stood up to our parents about attitudes and methodologies that we didn't agree with. It is the responsibility of young people to do that now when it comes to racism.
Join The Human Race thanks Mike Missanelli for sharing his thoughts!