Roland Martin’s Tweet-sanity: Mantalk or Malice?

Not since Janet Jackson’s “Boob Bowl” has the super sport of football been upstaged by controversy until now. It wasn’t the politically-charged Chrysler ad or the post-game tirade launched by Tom Brady’s supermodel wife. Instead, it was CNN commentator Roland Martin’s salty tweets that unleashed a cyber Katrina.

Who knew David Beckham’s itty bitty tighty whiteys would surge such strong reactions? Some say the resulting suspension by CNN was justified and others cry foul. I think a dissection of Martin’s tweets on the basis of (1) context and (2) perception might lend a greater understanding.    

CONTEXT:

No matter how you dice it, context matters. Here context refers to the circumstances in which an event occurs. Behind closed doors, Martin’s testosterone-packed tweets amount to mere mantalk. It’s a fact that conversations far removed from political correctness take place in venues where men congregate daily.

The award-winning journalist erred, however, when he committed his thoughts to public record. Yes, Twitter is as public as it gets and some private conversations are unsuitable for mass consumption. Based on reactions I’ve read, some in the public expect Martin to wear the reporting hat 24/7. Is the expectation extreme? For a journalist, whose profession is erected on an unbiased foundation, I think not.  

PERCEPTION:

Few eyes blinked when Brady vowed to kick some New York butt in the 2012 Super Bowl. Why? Because the bravado he expressed is a sports culture commonality. Conversely, Martin’s language, “smack the ‘ish’ out of him” and “Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass” inflamed, because to some, it implied any man gone gaga over Beckham’s buffed bod in H&M’s underwear and the preference for pink might be dissuaded through violence.  

It’s no secret the color pink has endured a historical bashing by heterosexual men who cite it unmanly. Plus, we can’t ignore gay men are fashion’s fiercest from head to toe. Hello!

Although I remain unconvinced that malicious intent lurked behind Martin’s words, it’s been said “as a man thinketh, so is he.” Perception - how one processes messages - is a powerful thing and this Martin, a trained communicator, should know.