Who is unf***withable? We know we can’t say s*** about Mike Tyson! You know what I’m saying? I don’t even know the right words to describe it! Somebody will come out and say something about a Black person being associated with Donald Trump, and the Black side of the entire internet will descend on that person like a pack of hungry wolves. Everybody’s in the comments talking about sellouts, traitors, Uncle Toms, and everything else you can imagine. Everybody’s got something to say!
But then Mike Tyson shows up next to Trump, and suddenly everybody’s like, “Oh. Oh, well, I’m not gonna say s***.” And it’s not just because we’re physically afraid of Mike Tyson. That’s part of it, obviously! But it’s deeper than that. We actually LIKE Mike Tyson. In some strange way, we consider him family. I know that sounds crazy, but you know exactly what I’m talking about!
MIKE TYSON IS THAT UNCLE AT THE FAMILY REUNION!
Mike Tyson is that uncle you love, even though he’s had some serious problems in his life. He’s been drunk, he’s struggled with his demons, and he’s done some things that have messed up his own life. But he’s still that uncle who comes around to the family picnic, sits down, cracks a few jokes, and somehow everybody still loves him. You might shake your head at some of the things he’s done, but you don’t look at him the same way you look at some random crackhead on the corner.
Why? Because that’s UNCLE MIKE! He’s family! He’s one of ours! And that’s the interesting thing about Mike Tyson. In a way, Mike represents us. He was our champion! We watched this man rise to the top of the world. We watched him knock people out, dominate the heavyweight division, and become one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. Then we watched him fall.
Remember Robin Givens? There was a time when people were against Mike, and then there were moments when people started questioning what was really happening in that relationship. Public opinion shifted back and forth, and people tried to make sense of a situation they only knew through the media. Then came the infamous Evander Holyfield fight, when Mike bit Holyfield’s ear. Oh, we were DONE!
We looked at that man and said, “This motherf***er has lost his entire mind!” He was biting ears! He had tattoos all over his face! He was doing things that made people wonder what the hell had happened to the man who once stood at the top of the boxing world. We threw him away! We flushed him down the toilet of public opinion and said, “That’s it. We’re finished with Mike Tyson!”
But here’s the thing about Mike: he didn’t stay down there.
THE MAN ACTUALLY REBUILT HIMSELF!
Mike eventually stepped back from the spotlight, and over time, we began seeing a different side of him. He started talking more openly about his struggles, his mistakes, his mental health, and the things he had been through. He became more reflective. He developed a sense of humor about himself. He seemed calmer and more comfortable with who he was.
Then came the podcasts, the interviews, and all these moments where people could sit and listen to Mike Tyson speak without him having to knock somebody unconscious first! And people started liking him again! He became somebody we could laugh with, somebody we could sympathize with, and somebody whose humanity we could recognize beyond the boxing ring.
Then life hit him with another devastating tragedy when his young daughter died. And through all of life’s ups and downs, he continued moving forward. Of course, Mike still says things that get people talking. There have been interviews where his comments have raised eyebrows and drawn criticism. Nobody is suggesting that everything he says or does should be excused.
But that’s precisely the point! We KNOW Mike Tyson. And I don’t mean know him personally. I mean we KNOW him in our collective imagination. We know his story. We know his victories. We know his failures. We know the crazy stuff. We know the comeback.
We’ve watched this man get knocked down by life and somehow find his way back into our good graces. So when Mike Tyson shows up next to Donald Trump, something strange happens inside the collective Black psyche. We have all this anger about Black people associating themselves with Trump. We see somebody else standing next to him, and immediately we’re sharpening our pitchforks!
“SELL OUT!” “TRAITOR!” “YOU’VE BETRAYED YOUR PEOPLE!” “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Everybody’s got an opinion. Everybody’s got a lecture. Everybody’s ready to drag somebody through the internet’s public square.
But then somebody says, “Mike Tyson was with Trump.” And the whole atmosphere changes.
THE GREAT BLACK INTERNET STAMPEDE!
Now, imagine this visually, because this is where the comedy really begins. Picture a massive crowd of angry people running down the street, all determined to catch another Black person who’s supposedly betrayed the community. They’re running at full speed! “WE’RE GONNA GET YOU!” “SELL OUT!” “YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST GO OVER THERE WITH TRUMP AND GET AWAY WITH IT?” Everybody is fired up. Everybody is brave. Everybody is ready to administer the punishment of public opinion.
Then, suddenly, Mike Tyson steps out. The entire crowd sees him. And what happens?
SKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!
You know those cartoons where a character is running at full speed, suddenly sees something terrifying, and slams on the brakes so hard that his heels dig into the pavement? THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS! The entire crowd comes to a screeching halt! People are sliding across the pavement. Somebody crashes into the person in front of him. The people in the back are still running because they haven’t realized what’s happening up front.
And then everybody freezes! Silence. Absolute silence. One person looks at another. Somebody clears his throat. And somebody finally whispers, “Oh. That’s Mike.” Another person says, “Yeah. I know.”
And that’s it! The revolution has been postponed! All that righteous indignation has suddenly developed a case of laryngitis! Nobody wants to be the first person to say anything!
And somebody in the comments asks the million-dollar question: “WHO’S GONNA SAY IT TO HIS FACE?”
Now, obviously, most of these people aren’t going to encounter Mike Tyson face-to-face. They’re sitting behind their phones, hundreds or thousands of miles away. But that comment isn’t really about geography. It’s psychological!
Even behind the protection of a phone screen, people are suddenly thinking, “Wait a minute. This is Mike Tyson we’re talking about!” And the funny part is that Mike doesn’t even have to threaten anybody. His presence alone changes the temperature of the room!
Because deep down, everybody understands that Mike Tyson is not somebody you can easily intimidate, shame, or pressure into doing what you want. And that brings me to the bigger point.
PEOPLE LOVE TO BULLY SOMEBODY THEY CAN MAKE REACT!
Human beings have a fascinating relationship with power and vulnerability. A lot of people don’t simply want to criticize you. They want to see the criticism HURT. They want to see you react! They want you to become emotional, start explaining yourself, issue an apology, beg for forgiveness, or come back fighting with tears in your eyes.
They want evidence that they’ve gotten under your skin. They want to know that their words have penetrated your emotional armor. So they hit you with an insult, and you react. They hit you again, and you react even harder. Before long, the entire thing becomes a game, and the person doing the bullying is enjoying the fact that he can push your buttons whenever he wants.
But what happens when the person doesn’t react the way you expect? What happens when you insult somebody and they look at you like you’ve just told them the price of tomatoes? What happens when you threaten to destroy their reputation, and they shrug their shoulders? What happens when you call them names, and they don’t rush to explain themselves to you?
Suddenly, the whole arrangement starts falling apart. Because a bully doesn’t just want to deliver a blow. The bully wants to witness the damage! And when the damage doesn’t become visible, the satisfaction disappears.
That’s why some people move on to another target. They want somebody who will absorb the punishment emotionally, somebody who will spend the next three days explaining themselves to strangers who have already decided what they think.
Think about the difference between a sponge and a rock. You can use a sponge to soak up spilled water on the kitchen counter. That’s what it’s designed to do. But if you pick up a rock and try to wipe the counter with it, what the hell are you accomplishing? Nothing! You’re just banging a rock against the counter!
The rock isn’t absorbing anything. It isn’t cooperating with your plan. It isn’t performing the function you expected it to perform. And sometimes, when people discover that you aren’t going to absorb their insults, their shame, or their emotional punishment, they stop trying so hard.
THE INTERNET KNOWS WHO IT CAN PRESSURE!
Now, let’s bring this back to the Black community and the reaction to Black people associating themselves with Trump. For the sake of the argument, imagine that 999 out of 1,000 Black public figures who appeared beside Trump were immediately condemned in the comment sections. People would call them sellouts. They would question their intelligence. They would accuse them of betraying the community. They would dig through their histories and turn every disagreement into another opportunity to humiliate them.
But then Mike Tyson appears beside Trump. And suddenly, the same people who were ready to drag somebody else through the mud are looking around for an excuse to remain silent.
Why? Because Mike Tyson occupies a different place in their minds. He’s not just another celebrity. He’s not just another Black man who made a political decision they disagree with. He’s the former heavyweight champion who represented Black excellence, survived public disgrace, and somehow became somebody people could love again.
He’s the uncle who has made a thousand mistakes, embarrassed the family at Thanksgiving, and done things that had everybody shaking their heads. But when somebody outside the family starts attacking him, you suddenly remember that he’s YOUR uncle! You might argue with him in private. You might disagree with his politics. You might tell him that he’s wrong. But the moment a stranger tries to humiliate him, something complicated happens.
Your criticism doesn’t necessarily disappear, but your willingness to join the public mob changes. And that is where the distinction between disagreement and humiliation becomes important.
Some people genuinely disagree with Mike Tyson’s political associations. Others may be uncomfortable criticizing him because of his reputation, his physical presence, or the emotional connection they have developed with him over the years. Those are different things, but they can exist simultaneously. And that is what makes the whole situation so fascinating.
THE REAL POWER IS IN THE PSYCHOLOGY!
Here’s the real question: Are people responding to what somebody actually did, or are they responding to how powerful, vulnerable, lovable, or intimidating they believe that person to be? Because if two people do something similar, but one gets dragged mercilessly while the other receives a standing ovation, we have to ask ourselves what is really driving our judgment.
Is it the principle? Is it the action? Or is it the personality of the person involved?
Sometimes, people don’t judge everybody by the same standard. They judge the person they think they can punish. They attack the person who will become distressed. They pressure the person who will scramble to regain their approval. They shame the person who desperately wants to remain accepted by the group.
But when somebody appears emotionally independent of the crowd’s approval, the crowd loses some of its leverage. That doesn’t automatically make the person right. It doesn’t mean criticism is always bullying, or that refusing to react makes somebody morally superior. Sometimes people deserve to be criticized, and sometimes criticism is necessary.
But there is a difference between holding somebody accountable and trying to break them emotionally. And I think that difference is hiding inside this entire Mike Tyson situation.
Because the internet is full of people who believe that if they can get enough strangers to agree with them, they can force another human being to feel ashamed. They believe public disapproval is a weapon that works on everybody.
Then somebody like Mike Tyson walks into the picture, and suddenly they discover that their weapon doesn’t have the same effect on everyone. They can still disagree with him. They can still criticize him. They can still write a thousand comments. But they cannot automatically command the emotional response they want.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the psychological punchline.
THE CROWD CAN TALK BIG UNTIL THE TARGET CHANGES!
So the next time you see a comment section full of people preparing to destroy somebody for a decision they don’t like, pay attention to what happens when a different person makes a similar decision. Watch the language change. Watch the enthusiasm disappear. Watch people start making excuses for someone they would have condemned five minutes earlier.
And ask yourself why. Because sometimes, the difference isn’t the behavior. Sometimes, the difference is who is doing it.
And sometimes, the difference is that one person has spent a lifetime being shaped by the approval of others, while another person has reached a point where the crowd’s disapproval doesn’t frighten them nearly as much.
Which brings us right back to Mike Tyson. A man who has been celebrated, condemned, ridiculed, rejected, and welcomed back into the public’s affection. A man whose life has been so dramatic that people can disagree with him today and still feel affection for him tomorrow. A man who can appear beside Donald Trump and cause a crowd of internet warriors to suddenly forget where they put their pitchforks.
And somewhere in the back of that imaginary stampede, one person is still standing there, holding his little pitchfork, looking at Mike, looking at the crowd, and wondering whether he should just go home. Because everybody else has already decided that this particular revolution can wait until another day.
And the person who started the whole thing is probably sitting behind his phone, whispering the only question that matters:
“WHO THE HELL IS GONNA SAY IT TO MIKE TYSON?”
NOT ME, BABY! I’VE GOT A FAMILY TO GET HOME TO!
