# Are any white people defending Peterson? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 17, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760 "2014-09-17T20:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/1 "2014-09-17T20:01:06Z")
I haven’t heard a SINGLE white player/coach/media figure defend him. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/2 "2014-09-17T20:39:31Z")
Mike Ditka did. Are there a bunch of black players/coachs/media figures defending him? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/3 "2014-09-17T20:41:15Z")
Yes! Reggie Bush Tony Dungy at least. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/4 "2014-09-17T21:08:26Z")
So… two to one, then? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/5 "2014-09-17T21:20:42Z")
It’s been a week, and I haven’t hung on every word of coverage. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/6 "2014-09-17T21:26:09Z")
On the flip side, Cris Carter (black) condemned him, basically saying, “Yeah, I grew up with whipping too. I turned out fine, too. BFD, that doesn’t mean whippings are a good idea.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/7 "2014-09-17T21:34:16Z")
Are people supposed to be defending Peterson or defending corporal punishment in general? Around here I’ve seen people say that spanking is alright in general but that seriously hurting your kids is still wrong. [Here’s more survey data than you probably wanted about spanking.](http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/americans-opinions-on-spanking-vary-by-party-race-region-and-religion/) Yes, a higher percentage of black people are OK with spanking. But the difference is about 80% versus 70%. It’s not as if all black people approve and all white people disapprove. If the OP is seeing a racial gap it could just be happenstance. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/8 "2014-09-17T22:59:45Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > If the OP is seeing a racial gap it could just be happenstance. Charles Barkley at least [helped make it a racial](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/09/14/charles-barkley-on-adrian-peterson-its-a-southern-thing/) issue. He said if it were illegal, every black parent would be in jail. > [@](#): > > “I understand Boomer’s [Esiason] rage and anger … but he’s a white guy and I’m a black guy. I don’t know where he’s from, I’m from the south. Whipping — we do that all the time. Every black parent in the South is going to be in jail under those circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/9 "2014-09-17T23:09:27Z")
Yup. Barkley also defended him. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/10 "2014-09-17T23:27:51Z")
FOX News is defending him. Hannity says he was hit with a strap and came out okay (though that’s debateable) and apparently either doesn’t know the real situation or doesn’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/11 "2014-09-17T23:51:19Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Charles Barkley at least [helped make it a racial](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/09/14/charles-barkley-on-adrian-peterson-its-a-southern-thing/) issue. He said if it were illegal, every black parent would be in jail. > [@etv78](#): > > Yup. Barkley also defended him. Charles Barkley said something hyperbolic and not strictly accurate? ::faints: Again, spanking is more “popular” in the South - and among black people, and among born-again Christians - and there’s overlap between all of those groups, but still, this isn’t a strictly racial or religious or geographical thing. > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > FOX News is defending him. Hannity says he was hit with a strap and came out okay (though that’s debateable) and apparently either doesn’t know the real situation or doesn’t care. Or all of the above. For that matter Sir Charles is a very successful athlete and broadcaster, but “not a role model.” ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/12 "2014-09-17T23:59:32Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Charles Barkley said something hyperbolic and not strictly accurate? ::faints: Again, spanking is more “popular” in the South - and among black people, and among born-again Christians - and there’s overlap between all of those groups, but still, this isn’t a strictly racial or religious or geographical thing. > > Or all of the above. For that matter Sir Charles is a very successful athlete and broadcaster, but “not a role model.” Did anybody ask for role models, or for white people who supported Peterson? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/13 "2014-09-18T00:02:34Z")
I really hate the “I got whipped as a kid and I came out okay!” argument. No, you didn’t. You came out as an adult who think’s it’s all right to whip kids. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/14 "2014-09-18T00:07:56Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Charles Barkley said something hyperbolic and not strictly accurate? ::faints: Again, spanking is more “popular” in the South - and among black people, and among born-again Christians - and there’s overlap between all of those groups, but still, this isn’t a strictly racial or religious or geographical thing. > > Or all of the above. For that matter Sir Charles is a very successful athlete and broadcaster, but “not a role model.” He’s a roll model. He thought Boomer was talking about whipping cream, not kids. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/15 "2014-09-18T00:11:32Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Did anybody ask for role models, or for white people who supported Peterson? You said it was debatable that Hannity came out OK, and I was pointing out that people could say the same about Barkley. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/16 "2014-09-18T01:57:05Z")
I haven’t heard any PROMINENT white people defending Adrian Peterson, but the usual white bozos who call sports radio are largely on his side. ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/17 "2014-09-18T05:41:05Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I haven’t heard any PROMINENT white people defending Adrian Peterson, but the usual white bozos who call sports radio are largely on his side. This is pretty fricken stupid. So what you’re saying is that only high profile white people should defend Peterson but if some “white bozo” does it, then it isn’t good enough. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/18 "2014-09-18T11:58:34Z")
> [@chicagowhitesox1173](#): > > This is pretty fricken stupid. So what you’re saying is that only high profile white people should defend Peterson but if some “white bozo” does it, then it isn’t good enough. That is a pretty bizarre interpretation of what I said. First, I do NOT support Adrian Peterson. I can’t think of ANY reason to use a switch on a 4 year old. My point was this: a LOT of prominent black athletes and commentators have defended Adrian Peterson publicly. I haven’t seen or heard any equally famous or prominent white people defending him. But since the OP asked if ANY white people support Adrian Peterson, I’m noting that, based on the sports talk radio shows I’ve heard, there are a LOT of ordinary Caucasian football fans who either support Peterson or don’t think he did anything that deserves much punishment. I haven’t heard any FAMOUS white people support beating 4 year olds, but I’ve heard PLENTY of white folks calling sports shows and saying, “My Pappy belted me all my life, and I turned out okay.” I hope I’ve made clear that ANYONE who supports beating up 4 year olds is, at best, a bozo. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/19 "2014-09-18T17:32:17Z")
Greg Davids, MN state representative basically said “if he did what he did then that is bad but innocent until proven guilty” Mostly because the Governor mentioned that benching him was good idea Brian ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760/20 "2014-09-18T17:40:31Z")
In the present environment, if anybody was inclined to defend him, they’d never publicly say so. One does not go to the media to defend someone who has been convicted by the media. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-white-people-defending-peterson/698760.md?page=2)