3 for 3 on CNN coverage
Categories: African-American, Justice/Law Enforcement, Media
Written By: Shawn Williams
I've been a little out of touch for the last few days, but I've turned on CNN 3 times and 3 times the stories have dealt with African-Americans.
One story was about a father's anger at the police's response to a fatal car crash involving his son. CNN quotes the father, Arthur Smith as saying "police did not respond adequately to pleas for help from two teens who survived the crash."
Tapes of 911 calls support claims the teens — both of whom police say had been drinking — repeatedly asked for help finding their two other friends.
"They was right there. I found them, and if I was out there at night, I could have found them with a cigarette lighter. They did not look, they did not look America. They did not attempt to look for them boys."
The second story had Bill O'Reilly detailing his experience at Sylvia's a black owned restaurant in Harlem. CNN quoted O'Reilly as saying that he took civil rights leader Al Sharpton to the Lenox Avenue fixture and "couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's Restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City."
He went on to say "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M.F.-er, I want more iced tea." Man I wish I had time to go off on this one. But it's the same mindset and attitudes that caused black students in Jena Louisiana to ask if they could sit under a tree reserved for white students. It's not always the overt racism that we should worry about, it's the subtleties and undertones that we should pay more attention to.
The third story was of Mychal Bell's expected release today. We've heard that one before.
September 28th, 2007 at 2:17 am
I want to comment about the Bill O’reilly comment: I personally can’t stand the guy because I do think that he is a racist and I honestly don’t think he knows it. Those comments about Sylvia’s proves it. He is playing into racist stereotypes of our black culture. If you think about it, all races are given stereotypes such as….all white people can’t dance, are arogant and are corny; all Asians can’t drive and love cameras and are smart; all mexicans are illegal and have more than five kids and are on welfare; all blacks are lazy, criminals, and are sex fiends. In some cases, all of the above can be true, but the key word is ALL. Bill O’Reilly assumes that ALL black people are like the stereotype he has in his head and we are not ALL that way. So when he saw that black people were interacting in normal everyday activities in a “civilized” manner, it blew his racist, ignorant, unimformed misconception of us away. He only see’s us the way we are portrayed. This is partly the way we are portrayed in the media and also how we portray ourselves in the media. Unfairly, we are identified through athletics and entertainment more so than our contributions to science, literature, language arts, politics, etc.
For example (I repeat, for example only),in the last 20 years, Hip-hop/rap music has been the most lucrative type of music in the industry. Our most influential and popular rap artist fill their music with vulgar lyrics about violence, sex and words that degrade black women and the constant use of the “N” word is prevalent. Hip-hop culture is very popular. It is world-wide. If this is what we are putting out there…this is what they think we are ALL about. And when we hand-feed these ideas to a racist like O’Reilly who already thinks we are inferior to whites, it gives him ammunition to promote his backwards, stereotypical, racist way of thinking. We should not be surprised (angry yes) to here remarks like O’Reilly’s especially if our culture helps promote his way of thinking. We as the black community must promote ourselves in more positive ways and show that we are and just as intellectually sound as any other race…just as our brothers and sisters did at Sylvia’s restaurant when O’Reilly stopped by.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Please, please stop equating our community with the 1% maybe who do not represent. When we do this we are playing into the sterotyping of our own community. Every race has a percentage that do not represent, we are not alone and the sooner we understand that we will be able to move forward as a real community. As soon as the media speaks on that minor % that does not represent us well we start blaming the community and accusing the other 99% of acting like hip hop. We the 99% are not putting that out there regardless of how popular hip hop is and factually it’s more popular in the white community they are the majority CD buyers. Hip Hop does not represent the 99% and America knows that because they work and interact with us everyday. So it’s time to stop sterotyping ourselves. The artist are no influential, rich yes, but have no power to get anything done on anyone’s behalf. We must stop looking and commenting on the 1% that what the media looks forward to. Anyone who lives in America know better because we live in the same neighborhoods, work together, our children hang out with each other, we go to church together, frequent merchants establishments together. So let’s stop hurting ourselves with this nonesense. We are hurting us because everyting time a negative comment is made about our beloved community for which our ancestors struggled and give their lives for to pave the way for us, we immediately start talking about the 1% acting crazy, or potraying us badly. Just remember all races have that 1% but other races choose not to focus on it. You don’t hear them talking about their race when that 1% does something that’s unacceptable. We must have PMA Positive Mental Attitude and stick with it. If we continue to speak negatively about us other will also. God Bless
September 29th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
I agree with you 100% about not having hip-hop define our community. It was a bad example I used but that is why I emphasized example. I know how we are portrayed negatively in the media. I know they will use anything negative against us and they will focus on that 1%. What I was saying is that 1% gives them enough of a reason to group us together as one. I know it does not represent all of us. I know it is not right. It was just a statement of what they do.
Your response dealt mainly with the bad example I used as far as hip-hop stereotyping our community. Again, I agree with every single word you wrote. The bulk of my initial statement dealt with how wrong I think we are betrayed in the media. I just want the 1% to do better.
Peace and Blessings.
October 1st, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Thanks Carlos. Now if we could just get the community to focus on the 99.9% we will be doing great. Remember to pass our thoughts along when you run into others that keep taking about that odd percent.
God Bless