O’Reilly and Sylvia’s - The Meal That He Wishes Wasn’t
About twenty years ago, an aunt of mine who has since passed away visited a casino that was on an Indian reservation in Connecticut. When I asked her if she enjoyed the casino, she replied that she loved it but she was disappointed that she didn’t see any Indians with head dresses. Was that a racist statement?
So why has the word racist become synonymous and for that matter, always been synonymous with black .vs. white issues? Would anyone really label my aunt as racist by making that statement? My 4 year old son thinks all cowboys look like Woody on Toy Story and all cops shoot bad guys, is that a bad thing?
I disagree. Yes, we are molded by the media and O’Reilly at one time in his life was not a member of the media. Therefore, he was molded just like you and I. So, what’s the problem. For years, I have seen the media portray black churches as spirited institutions where the entire congregation was singing and at times, even a slight jiggle was seen in their knees to the beat of the music. So, if I went in a black church and left and if someone asked me about my experience and I replied, “It was just like any white church”, would that be racist. Sorry, I don’t think so.
Knowing O’Reilly and knowing that he is a brilliant journalist and media star, he understands that fanning flames equals ratings. He easily could have said that he was expecting to see the Kwanzaa Burger but he didn’t say that. In that case, I could understand Mr. Robinson’s viewpoint. Based on O’Reilly’s remarks in which the record is clear, I don’t see it.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Ken,
As always the issue of racism is a difficult one to discuss. It’s subjective, individual and cultural all at the same time. Oh, and don’t let me forget passionate. But let me share some of my thoughts on what you mentioned.
Why is racism considered a mainly Black & White issue in America? Because the media says it is. That is not to say there isn’t racism affecting Hispanics/Latinos, Asians and others. It’s not to say that it doesn’t affect one minority group as opposed to another. But because of the long history of race relations between Whites and Blacks here, and how Europe viewed Africa, American issues started on a low point and got far worse for a long time. We have still not recovered, and I believe we can’t until several specific things get done. An apology and reparations are the primary things that should happen, but likely not in my lifetime.
To mention your aunt, I’m sure she meant no disrespect. I have no doubt that from her view, based on the culture of America she grew up in, she was not racist. But the statement was. That is not to say she was being mean-spirited nor intending to demean, but such a thought is lessening of what Native American Indians are.
The fact is that depending on what age group you are looking at, many things we accept as racist today would be considered normal in the past. That does not mean it was not racist then, just that it was accepted. African Americans were called the N-word, colored and boy for centuries, none of which are considered anything but demeaning and racist today, but 100 years ago it was a norm. An 80 year old can be understood for their use of such words, when stated without malice, as habit and the norm of their cultural surroundings back in 1920, but that does not change its racist bent.
As for your son, I would ask you to do something. Ask him if any cowboys look different than Woody from Toy Story. Ask if any cowboys could be Black. The common perception in America is the romanticized vision of the Old West, but the facts differ greatly.
In America today we envision John Wayne (who I like and enjoy watching) as the image of a cowboy, the fact is that the word is derived from African Americans that worked with the cattle in the West. While most were not slaves, they were 3rd class citizens slightly above the “savage red men”. Because the norm of the time was to call Blacks boy, regardless of age or what their actual name was, and that they worked with the cattle – which many did not wish to do – they were called cowboys just as Blacks working in houses in the homes on plantations were called house boys. As the West grew and integrated with the rest of the nation, more people took on the labor that was originally relegated to Blacks primarily, and with a touch of yellow journalism and romanticism we have the perceptions of today.
Also I would say that you should ask your son another question. While its fine that the cops shoot the bad guys, who are they? Ask him what the cops look like and what the bad guys look like. Perhaps have several photos of Blacks and Whites, all off-duty police officers or firemen, and ask him if any are good guys or bad guys. I think you may be surprised by the result.
The reason I say that is because the media molds our perceptions of these thoughts. The media constantly says that Blacks are less than ideal. An example is when there was coverage of hurricane Katrina. Several pundits and comedians, including the funny Carlos Mencia, noticed the photographs that show 2 people in the chest-high water with garbage bags. The White was described as foraging for food; the Black was described as a looter. The photos were identical except for the color of the people in the photo.
And as for the Bill O’Reilly situation, it’s a farce. The actual comments, made in a discussion with Juan Williams present, were against racism. Media Matters, a far-left organization quoted O’Reilly out of context to cerate a perception of racism that does not exist. Already Rev. Al Sharpton has responded, as has Juan Williams, on the actual dinner and conversation. Several news organizations have also investigated the facts involved, and the entire unedited transcript is available to the public. Each person and each news organization that took time to research the matter has reported that Media Matters and CNN were wrong.
But I think the fact that so many organizations were able to use this subject to attempt to discredit O’Reilly, and enflame television viewers and casual blog readers alike, says that there is a lot of tension in regard to race in this nation. The mere accusation of racism could destroy a career.
Listen to the anger I perceive in the words of Eugene Robinson,
All of that and more due to an out-of-context conversation. Wow. I don’t think the question is whether racism is a factor in America today, it is. But I think the anger that resides in the nation about it, and the media feeding into that anger is the question and problem. Bill O’Reilly just exemplifies this in his struggle against what was actually said vs. poor reporting targeted to discredit him.
Michael Vass
Co-contributor to Black & White Blog