Barkley appeared on CNBC with Maria Bartiromo and gave some refreshing analysis on the case. And he said some mind-blowing things that black men on TV don’t usually say. Among them, other races besides whites can be “racist.”
The Round Mound of Rebound said that he did see “racial profiling” in the case, but added that “something happened that changed the dynamic that night.” He noted that it was “probably not a popular opinion among most people,” but “looking at the evidence” he said he agreed with the jury’s decision.
Most controversially, Barkley called out the media for not having a “pure heart” when it comes to race. “Racism is wrong in any, shape or form,” Barkley said. “A lot of black people are racist too. I think sometimes when people talk about racism, they say only white people are racist, but I think black people are too. I don’t think the media has clean hands.”
George Zimmerman did carry out a form of “racial profiling,” in Barkley’s opinion, and “Trayvon Martin, God rest his soul, he did flip the switch and start beating the hell out of Mr. Zimmerman.”
Barkley added that he “feels bad” that the trial gave “every white person and black person who is racist the platform to vent their ignorance. That’s the thing that bothered me the most. I watched this trial closely. I watched these people on television talking about it. A lot of these people have a hidden agenda. They want to have their racist views, whether they are white or black… Their biases come out.”
Charles Barkley… the future first post-racial President of the United States?
