Racism: The Norm
Racist people will always proclaim that they are not racist. The truth of the matter is, they are not. By me saying that is, racist people are exhibiting their normal behavior. Racist people do not see any wrong in their thinking, speaking, or actions, because it is part of the normal everyday living. Jelena Ostapenko knows one thing and one thing only; she is superior to any non-white person on this planet and beyond.
Jelena Ostapenko, a Latvian
Ostapenko later posted on social media about “how many messages I received that I am a racist.”
“I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world. For me it doesn’t matter where you come from,” she wrote.
After the two players met at the net for a postmatch handshake, they stayed near each other instead of going their separate ways, as usually happens. The 25th-seeded Ostapenko wagged a finger at Townsend as they spoke.
“It’s competition,” Townsend said. “People get upset when they lose.”
When they finally stopped talking, Townsend went over to the stands and egged on the partisan crowd, waving her arm overhead and the noise from spectators only grew louder.
She and Ostapenko have faced each other before in both singles and doubles.
“There’s never been any history. I don’t know how she feels about me, but there’s no beef on my side,” Townsend said. “She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the US. I said, ‘I’m excited. Bring it.’ I’ve never been the one to back down from anything like that.”
Ostapenko went on social media to post what she called, “Just a small update about the match.”
She wrote that Townsend was “disrespectful” for not saying “sorry” after being helped by a net cord during a point.
“There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow and it was (the) first time ever that this happened to me on tour,” Ostapenko posted. “If she plays in her homeland, it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants.”
Ostapenko also complained that Townsend began warming up before the match up at the net, instead of back at the baseline. While most players do begin at the baseline, Townsend noted that she has started with volleying for years.
Ostapenko has gotten into kerfuffles with opponents during matches before, including in 2021 when she lost to Alja Tomljanovic at Wimbledon. Tomljanovic accused Ostapenko of lying about needing to leave the court for a medical timeout to address an abdominal issue.
Townsend recently moved to the top of the WTA doubles rankings. But this is her first time reaching the third round in singles at a grand slam tournament since 2023.
In singles, Townsend is No. 139. She is the lowest-ranked American woman to beat a past grand slam champion in singles at a major since Kristie Ahn defeated – guess who? – Ostapenko at the 2019 US Open.
“The thing that I’m the most proud of is that I let my racket talk. Because ultimately, I’m the one here, sitting in front of you guys, moving on to the next round, getting the next check, moving on, being able to still be here and speak to you guys, and that’s what’s the most important,” Townsend said Wednesday. “She’s packed up and she’s gone.”
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Ostapenko later posted on social media about “how many messages I received that I am a racist.”
“I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world. For me it doesn’t matter where you come from,” she wrote (Associated Press).
The devil [Satan] pleads and proclaim that he does not exist (McLaughlin, 2019). That is one hell of a trick. I’m not racist, is the first words out of a racist’s mouth once they are called to the carpet about their behavior. That is their defense mechanism; lest not forget Paula Deen. Most people do not believe that their normal behavior is offensive, it’s just a part of their everyday life. Blind bias is commonplace for people who are born outside of the United States.
“There’s never been any history. I don’t know how she feels about me, but there’s no beef on my side,” Townsend said. “She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the US. I said, ‘I’m excited. Bring it.’ I’ve never been the one to back down from anything like that.” (Associated Press)
No Class – No Education – are the words used by pure racists towards black people. Those words, that statement replaces the words “Dumb/Stupid Nigger”. White people’s blind bias towards black people is that they, black people lack class and education according to their white standard. They believe that black people are lazy, shiftless, un-educated people lacking the society norms implemented by white people for white people. A black person can hold a PhD from an Ivy League university and still be called un-educated only because they are black. That’s just the way the call a black person a stupid-nigger.
Protective status is one of the most widely used terminology use to explain why one person, or a people has, while another has not. That is universal, people or a person has this or that, or do not have this or that because they are white, black, short, tall, male, female … etc. Jelena Ostapenko’s claim is that Taylor Townsend won the match because Taylor is from the U.S, thus giving her protective-status for warming-up at the net first.
Ostapenko also complained that Townsend began warming up before the match up at the net, instead of back at the baseline. While most players do begin at the baseline, Townsend noted that she has started with volleying for years (Associated Press).
According to Jelena, Taylor had home-court advantage, which is very sad to say, because from what I know about the Grand Slams of tennis none of them are played in Latvia.
Latvia, country of northeastern Europe and the middle of the three Baltic states, which lies along the shores of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, and it is bounded by Estonia to the north, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and Lithuania to the south (Latvia, 2025). I need not say anymore.
In singles, Townsend is No. 139. She is the lowest-ranked American woman to beat a past grand slam champion in singles at a major since Kristie Ahn defeated – guess who? – Ostapenko at the 2019 US Open (Associated Press).
Take a look at this behavior. Kristie Ahn is Korean descent.
Wild card Kristie Ahn locks horns with 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in Round 3 of the US Open 2019. The 27-year-old American is through to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after beating Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Kalinskaya. Previously, she had never won a Grand Slam main draw match. Meanwhile, Latvia’s 22-year-old is looking to make it to the fourth round of the US Open for the first time after falling in Round 3 in both 2017 and 2018 (Kristie Ahn vs Jelena Ostapenko in a milestone match! | US Open 2019 Round 3, n.d.)
Kristie Ahn (Kristie Ahn, n.d.)
Figure 3 Kristie Ahn – Wimbledon Tennis Championships 07/01/2019 • CelebMafia
is American just like Taylor is American, but Jelena did not treat Kristie like she treated Taylor. Enough said.
Figure 2 Taylor Townsend sported apparel with the interlocking TT logo of the namesake brand she is developing at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington last month. Credit…Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Finger Wagging/Pointing is the biggest sign of contempt one can display toward another. Pointing a finger in, or at someone’s face can get the snot slapped out of the pointer. That is offensive and pales only to spitting in a person’s face. It’s a sign of intimidation, and disrespect regardless of race, sex, or ethnicity; it’s just downright ugly, and they say God does not like ugly; cute, but not scripture.
Jelena became the angry white woman, my bad, Jelena was passionate, only black women who are passionate is labeled angry.
Taylor has more style and grace than Jelena ever will, unless God brings her to her knees; and He will!
Figure 2 Taylor Townsend sported apparel with the interlocking TT logo of the namesake brand she is developing at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington last month. Credit…Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
“Every time that a phoenix is reborn, it has to burn itself to become new,” she said. “I’ve kind of been that throughout my career (Levin, 2025).” Taylor Townsend did not graduate from a college or university, but that does not make her un-educated. In fact, Taylor Townsend has her own tennis apparel. The Mis-Education of the Negro is an excellent book that Black people should read and have in their library.
With her new venture, Ms. Townsend is following in the footsteps of another Black American star in this year’s U.S. Open: Venus Williams, who introduced her EleVen brand in 2007 and has since sold collections in partnership with K-Swiss and Lacoste.
And Serena Williams, Ms. Townsend said, is among her style influences. “She’s a curvy woman, I’m a curvy woman, so obviously we have to accentuate our body types and what makes us look good and what makes us feel good (Levin, 2025).”
References
Associated Press, C. (n.d.). US Open opponents Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko get into a tense back-and-forth after match. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/tennis/us-open-opponents-taylor-townsend-and-jelena-ostapenko-get-into-a-tense-back-and-forth-after-match/ar-AA1LmHjb?ocid=BingNewsSerp
Kristie Ahn. (n.d.). Retrieved from Biographies & Memoirs: https://www.biographies.net/people/en/kristie_ahn.
Kristie Ahn – Wimbledon Tennis Championships 07/01/2019 • CelebMafia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&thid=OIP.xXAey-AcndjbakoLaA-ZuAHaFI&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcelebmafia.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F07%2Fkristie-ahn-wimbledon-tennis-championships-07-01-2019-2.jpg&exph=886&expw=1280&q=kristie+ahn&fo
Kristie Ahn vs Jelena Ostapenko in a milestone match! | US Open 2019 Round 3. (n.d.). Retrieved from YouTube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PztM4cHghQ4
Latvia. (2025, September 1). Retrieved from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/place/Latvia
Levin, J. (2025, August 22). She’s Serving New Tennis Clothes at the U.S. Open. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/style/taylor-townsend-athletic-clothing-tennis-us-open.html
McLaughlin, R. R. (2019, September 18). The Devil’s greatest trick was convincing the world he doesn’t exist. Retrieved from Grace Bible Church: https://gbible.org/daily-message/devils-greatest-trick-convincing-world-doesnt-exist/
Sons & Daughters of Trans-Atlantic Afrika 
