Changement

 I marveled, briefly at the sight of Snoop Dogg took his leg of the Olympic torch relay into the heart of Paris. Yes, that Snoop Dogg. The "gangsta rapper" and close personal friend of Martha Stewart. It may seem like forever ago, but there was a time when that "gansta" label was meant to be serious. It's been more than thirty years since Snoop blazed onto the scene, appearing on Dr. Dre's "Deep Cover." On Death Row Records. This was one rough customer. He was charged with first degree murder, but later acquitted. He was a close friend of Tupac Shakur before he was shot and killed. 

Fast forward to 2024, and this same guy is not only proudly carrying the Olympic torch into Paris, but he is also on hand as a special correspondent for the National Broadcasting Company, part of their "Primetime In Paris." 

Things change. 

Now, at the risk of giving you all whiplash, I'd like to transport you all back to 1968. Not Paris, but Mexico City where the Summer Olympics took place that year. Now a couple of names: Tommie Smith and John Carlos. It would be understandable if these men's names do not resonate with you. Snoop Dogg was not even a puppy back then. Mister Smith and Mister Carlos were track athletes on the U.S. Olympic Team. Smith won the two hundred meter race. Carlos came in third. At the medal ceremony, after Smith was awarded the gold medal and Carlos the bronze, the Star Spangled Banner began to play. Both men raised a black-gloved fist in salute with their heads bowed. 

For their actions, the two were expelled from the Olympic Village. Sent home in disgrace. Brent Musburger, then a writer for the Chicago American, described Smith and Carlos as "a couple of black-skinned storm troopers" who were "ignoble," "juvenile," and "unimaginative." 

And that's how things worked back in 1968. 

In 2024, a self-professed gangster is proudly wearing his nation's colors carrying what might be confused with a cartoon-sized joint through the streets of Paris. 

Things Change.