BLACK LIKE BECKHAM
Tony Snow

Does the lifestyle of England captain, David Beckham truly sum up the essence of black culture — or is it our perception of black culture, which is being misread?

David Beckham indisputably possesses a style, which is in harmony with Britain's urban street cool — and he has the riches to live the lifestyle touted in many rap and R&B music videos. He wears the finest threads, drives the most impressive cars and hangs out at the swankiest clubs. But extravagance is hardly isolated to black people. In fact Beckham's lifestyle also exemplifies the cultural attributes of someone from a white working class background who has a bit of cash to flash.

He is the best English footballer of his generation. He plays for the one biggest football clubs in the world. His supreme talent earns £100,000 a week, but football is just one aspect of Beckham's appeal. He has earned the right to flaunt his wealth, but Beckham's mass appeal derives from the sophistication and finesse with which he applies his wealth. His looks, style and attitude have made him an ad man's dream. He is able to further increase his earnings by selling everything from sunglasses to soft drinks, mobile phones to Marks & Spencer.

Suggesting that splashing shed loads of cash in an extravagant, 'bling-bling' manner is sufficient to be regarded as black icon demonstrates an extremely narrow perception of what black culture represents. Is black culture really that superficial? Has the black identity become so dominated by the ghetto-fabulous lifestyles portrayed by rap stars that we have lost sight of the rich diversity it actually possesses. It is time to take a step back to reality.

Piara Powar, national coordinator of Kick it Out, the national football anti-racism campaigner dismisses the proposition that Beckham is black — outright. "David Beckham is David Beckham," he says. "The fact that he is influenced by elements of black culture doesn't mean he is black. It trivialises and disrespects history and the way in which racism affects people's lives and it plays with identity in a negative way." When Kick it Out ran a story ahead of the Black Like Beckham on it's website, the vast majority of respondents to it's forum were quick to commend Beckham on his taste, but found the notion of branding him 'Britain's most famous black person', as ignorant.

The fact that this light hearted programme on the 27-year-old England captain has sparked such frenzied debate proves that there is much work to do to address the arbitrary ways in which society still compartmentalises people of different races and cultures. There is surely a degree of racism in the notion that individual tastes and preferences are exclusively dictated by skin colour. It identifies, but does not define an individual. Terms like "acting black/acting white", "black/white music or clothes" are as archaic as racist chants from so-called supporters at football matches.

David Beckham is a footballer first. It is in the intense environment of a football stadium where his true brilliance is displayed. David Beckham became the scapegoat for England's failure to progress beyond round two in the World Cup in 1998. Throughout the following season he was subjected to abhorrent abuse. Yet by 2002 he won back hearts and minds when he scored the penalty which put Argentina out of the World Cup, vanquishing his own — and England's demons.

He captained England once again when the team travelled to Bratislava to play Slovakia in a Euro 2004 qualifying last October. But on this occasion, unlike his black team-mates Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole Beckham, he was not singled out for the torrent of racist abuse. No one can cherry pick aspects of a culture, which suit them and then claim ownership. In fairness to Becks, he has never sought to. It is others that seek to label him. He is hardly the only footballer to be idolised by the British public — black or white. Thierry Henry, Ian Wright and Ronaldo can stake serious claims to being icons — to black and white people alike. But they are black, so it isn't sexy.