Have you been following the blow-up at Fox?
This is one of the reasons that I think that the Obama campaign is important for all of the superficial reasons. For most people of my generation, the race issues that Obama's pastor brought up are not shocking or bothersome in the least. If you grew up listening to hip-hop or any African-American comedy, you have already had to process some black people's views about white people and why some people might still be angry. I would be angry. What Obama's preacher said doesn't bother me in the least. It doesn't even surprise me. I think it is important to listen to and process. But a large segment of our population has never had a cause to process this kind of thing. Of course at Fox they clown on this and pretend to be upset and shocked for effect. That's what they do. But the wheels are coming off, as they did during Katrina. One should note that Brain Kilmeade, who walked off the set, is a long-time sports reporter, and therefor is actually close to some black people. It might have something to do with why he couldn't tolerate the garbage anymore. Then Chris Wallace couldn't take the stupid anymore.
5 comments:
FOX news isn't even on the radar here in Mexico (Former president notwithstanding) so i had seen none of this. Very interesting. Maybe accountability about peoples REAL views on race will be a new dividing line after this election. I think it should be. We have gotten to the point where the mainstream tolerates a lot of crypto-racism in public discourse, due, I think, to the fact that we see the issue as so big, so painful, and so impossible to make movement on. If this candidacy makes people believe once again that movement is possible, maybe more people will examine their own attitudes and those of their media and neighbors and do the right thing.
Look at the Republican "Southern Strategy, which is ongoing and uses code words like states rights and code issues like the rebel battle-flag issue to play to division and racism.
By the way, I thought the point you made about rap and other aspects of the more integrated (at least musically and in media) generation were spot on.
Sorry for the double post, but what i meant to say was that maybe we will look at the southern strategy of the republicans for what it is.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/19/jon-stewart-gets-all-earn_n_92448.html
I too think Wes is spot on in and I agree with David about having the hope that this race can help America move forward in how we feel and how we talk about race. I grew up in the south and still live in Texas and I still to this day find myself in a lot of discussions about the civil war and how it was more about “state rights” and I end up challenging these people to “talk to me more about state rights” and they can’t, while I believe the civil war was a complicated, painful scaring war, I believe the core issue was slavery. The south has progressed but race is still an issue, it is just more below the surface. I teach in a school that is 48%/49% white and 51%/52% minority school and race is an issue all the time. I know the parents are tuned into s FOX and it leaks into their kids’ brains. So hopefully more sane intellectual folks will take a stand and we can start talking about race like adults.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/19/jon-stewart-gets-all-earn_n_92448.html
rt-gets-all-earn_n_92448.html
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