Clayton News Daily

Some people take things too far.

Matter of fact, most of the time people blow things out of proportion.

For instance, Lebron James, on the cover of Vogue's April 2008 magazine caused a lot of controversy. The cover included a picture of James, a Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player, holding a basketball in one hand and Gisele Bundchen, a Brazilian model, in the other. Some people feel that the cover represents a racial stereotype. His pose has been described as gorilla-like and some are linking the image to King Kong.

Reports say James is the first black man to be on the cover of Vogue. I think the fact that he is on the cover with a white girl is the real issue for most people. But, who cares if he's on the cover with a white girl, back in the 1950s and 60s we couldn't even sit next to a white person let alone pose on the cover of a magazine.

Believe me, I am totally against any type of racism, and issues that degrade blacks. But sometimes, people pull the race card for any and everything that takes place, and I'm sick of it. Personally, I don't think James would have posed for Vogue if it were putting down his race, or shedding bad light on black men as a whole.

When I saw the cover it did nothing for me. I didn't feel like it was racist and it didn't put in the mindset of any image that would have shed light on blacks negatively. I think people should view the cover and interpret it for themselves instead of just agreeing with comments and feelings of other people.

Jaya Franklin covers government for the Henry Daily Herald. She can be reached via e-mail at jfranklin@henryherald.com.