Larry Cochell--there's no trailer trash in him

Would someone say that when talking about a white person? "You don't sweat much, for a fat girl" is an insult, no matter what kind of bow you put on it. And when University of Oklahoma head baseball coach Cochell said of Joe Dunigan Jr., "There's no nigger in him," it was an overtly racist statement. Cochell also said, "There are honkies and white people, and there are niggers and black people." Nice try, Larry, but "honkie" is to "nigger" what "flirt" is to "slut."

To make it even worse, Cochell added: "Dunigan is a good, black kid."

What is bothering me most of all is the converation that is going on at Shakespeare's Sister, where some commenters are saying that Cochell should not have resigned, that we can understand what he "meant," and that it's a pity he had to use the "n" word. Hairs are being split over "nigger" and "nigga."

Hello! Leave "nigger" out of it for a moment. What Cochell said, in essence, was "He's okay, even though he's black." That's what he said and that's what he meant, and that's as racist a statement as I can imagine. That people cannot see that that is what makes the statement racist is quite disturbing.

Every time someones says "some black guys were behind us on the way home," (why tell us their race unless you are implying something about their race?), "some woman detective questioned me" (what does her gender have to do with anything?), or "he's gay, but he's a good teacher" (why wouldn't he be?), s/he is expressing bigotry. To say that someone is good, even though he is black, is about as insulting as it gets.

The other thought that's nagging at me is that the university administration thought that the resignation was in line because of the "n" word and not because of the racist context of the entire statement. If that is the case--and it very well may be-- then no one learned anything.