Richard Sherman, Rhetoric, and Racial Animus in the Rebirth of the Bogeyman Myth

Abstract

I first analyze the context and content of the interview, setting the stage for a larger discussion of rhetoric, racial animus, and the myth of the bogeyman. Next, I consider the evolving rhetoric of black danger in law and media, situating the coverage of the Sherman interview in the larger discursive framework of racialized media. Then, I expand the discussion of racial animus in sports media to encompass the pernicious myth of the bogeyman, which has reared its ugly head in the creation of the Richard Sherman saga. Last, I analyze the myth of the bogeyman in history, paying particular attention to its coloration in German and Romanian myth, and a painting by Francisco Goya to consider the now racialized violence that exists by the construction of Richard Sherman as modern-day bogeyman. I do this because I think it important to create multi-model models of understanding racism in order to best critique it. This approach also compliments my belief in the value of rhetorical and interdisciplinary inquiry into law. Richard Sherman, as a relatively dark-skinned black man, embodies a long-standing fear of darkness, that often goes undiscussed in public culture. I conclude with suggestions for further research and suggestions for ways in which the media and law can cease constructing black danger and supporting anti-black racism.

Keywords: Blackness, Anti-Blackness, Richard Sherman, Critical Race Theory, Rhetoric, Legal Rhetoric, Racial Animus, Racism, Media, Sports, Legal Theory, Bogeyman