Posted on 05/14/2014 6:05:42 AM PDT by Kaslin
The year was 1982, and the location was the University of Wisconsin’s campus in Madison. While listening to cassette tapes of Louis Farrakhan, I was invited to a Bible study by a young man who came from what many of the blacks from Wisconsin called “Whitefolks” Bay (Whitefish Bay). He was immediately identifiable—from the crisply pressed blue oxford shirt to the perfectly tailored tan khaki pants, down to the shiny brown penny loafers. His appearance was the textbook definition of a preppy, conservative, Republican.
I hated him on sight.
But I witnessed him do something that I had never seen another conservative do; he was able to actively embrace multiple ethnic groups without cultural blinders. I went to that Bible study, and a Christian conservative was born. This man’s approach to people with backgrounds that differed from his own changed my heart and my mind. He touched the third rail of race and lived to talk about it.
In a recent article from Town Hall, Tom Tradup asks if race is the “third rail of talk radio.” He asked the question because he noticed the lack of black voices in talk radio coming to Paul Ryan’s defense after the congressman was recently blindsided by a firestorm of accusations of racism. This begged the understandable question—where are those voices? Mr. Tradup asserted that “if talk radio is to broaden its appeal to minority audiences, it will need to create and develop ethnic talent, including Hispanic conservatives, locally and nationally.”
I happen to be a conservative talk radio host, and an American of African descent. While I did not disagree with the statement, I did feel uncomfortable with one of the underlying assumptions of Tradup’s proposition. Despite his good intentions, Mr. Tradup is exhibiting a fallacious thought process. He is ignoring what already exists to bolster his perception of what needs to happen. Conservative minority voices do not need to be developed or created for they are already here. I know several of them.
There are already minority conservatives out here laboring. We are writing, talking, speaking and doing everything we can do to make sure our voices are heard. Yet it seems as if all is to no avail, if as Tradup asserts, it is up to talk radio to create and cultivate minority talent. If we cannot be seen, it is almost as though the industry and Mr. Tradup are wearing those very cultural blinders my friend lacked, and they miss seeing us because we are not the standard black liberal charlatans they are accustomed to hearing and dismissing.
Like Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, etc.
It seems as though true ethnic conservative voices have not garnered the attention of the industry. But that will change as the industry realizes that this group of conservatives represents an untapped market, eager to participate in the free exchange of ideas and commerce. Let’s face it. There is money to be made in expanding the reach of what has historically been seen as the realm of the “traditional” definition of conservative. Conservatives no longer only wear starched shirts, blue blazers and red ties. The face of conservatism is changing, thanks in no small part, to those program directors who choose to ignore cultural blinders and embrace conservative ideas coming from diverse voices.
I thank Tom Tradup for starting a conversation that is long overdue. But talk radio does not need to cultivate ethnic talent. Talk radio only needs to continue to capitalize on the ethnic talent that is right under the industry’s nose.
bookmark
Later
The Man that introduced me to talk radio wanted to be known as an American. So I addressed him as an American. He was blunt and said Africa is not my country; I’m an American.
Find out more about James T. Harris:
http://radio.about.com/od/radiotalkshowhosts/p/A-Profile-Of-Radio-Personality-James-T-Harris.htm
The only folks who give a d@mn about race are liberal blacks...and it's all they seem to talk about. How can the country get beyond race when they won't let us?
I have been hearing some sparks of hope recently
One black voter at a conservative meeting was asked why he was there (by a libtard media idiot) and he said “Maybe we need to stop thinking we have to vote Democrat because we’re poor and consider maybe we are poor because we vote Democrat”
The libtard acted like he had been shot!
In another instance I heard a black voted say “we are not going to achieve true equality in races if we are not willling to crticize our own (talking about Obama’s incompetance)
There are other black conservatives whom I do not know their names. One is a gravely voiced guy that is on Hannity alot. Why do these balck conservatives and others not get recognized? It sounds old, but I think it is because they are ignored by the LSM. If you do not put cover them, they do not exist. And maybe the black conservatives also need to broaden their audience. Go on main stream black venuse and urban radio. I don't know. Just rambling.
What do others think about this?
The “dog whistles” that only liberals can hear keeps them from recognizing or understanding all the rest of the spectrum.
In that uniting set of principles that make up “America”, there is almost complete congruence with what is popularly termed to be “conservative”. In the contrasting view of many if not most liberals, the very concept of “America” is tainted, therefore they cannot in fact be “patriotic”, if that means defending God, Home, and Country, according to the prescribed parameters contained in the Declaration of Independence and implied all throughout the US Constitution.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the US Flag, the Scout’s Honor included in the Boy Scout oath, the “Code of the West”, and the true, meaningful respect given a veteran of our military services, either died in the line of duty, or after filling the duties demanded in the face of enemies in combat, should ring loud and true in patriotic fervor.
Where did my country go?
The limitation of talk radio is that there’s room on any given station for just a couple of shows, and that’s never going to change. Whether you’re black or white or Hispanic, you’ve got only a couple of markets and a couple of time slots available under the best of circumstances.
bookmark
Plenty of white liberals to egg them on.
If someone wanted to do it, you could build an entire network of nothing but minority conservative/libertarian talk-show hosts. It might be interesting to do, simply to rile up the lefties.
“The Bo Snerdly Show”?
Brilliant and thoughtful group.
David Webb? He's one of Hannity's friends, and a talk show host himself on Sirius XM. He also appears on the TV show from time to time.
There is also Deneen Borelli, who has filled in for Sean when he's been away. J.C. Watts, of course, is an occasional Hannity guest.
Conservatism (at least today’s version of it) demands that race doesn’t matter, doesn’t exist and/or must be ignored.
That goes against human nature. By erasing the Hispanic/Black/Asian/etc... groups you erase a large part of people’s identity without replacing it with anything of equal value. Race/ethnicity identity runs deeper than political philosophy.
That sense of community that was taken from White society hasn’t been taken from any other race/ethnic groups and they reflexively refuse any attempts to do so, even when it may hurt them in the long run.
I have no answers here but I know the problem.
You have a good list. A few other names comes to mind: Col West, Mia Love (currently a Mayor in UT, running for congress - I think she’s great), Innis (running for congress in NV - his dad (also a conservative) started an org, can’t remember the name right now - - he’s on Hannity from time to time), Lloyd Marcus (TEA Party), Sen Tim Scott, and Star Parker. All very articulate conservatives IMHO.
There’s also a woman that’s on FNC from time to time - Angela (can’t remember her last name). Think she ran for congress in a southern state last time and lost.
I am not a big fan of J.C. Watts. Mainly because he did the apology tour some years back. Several years ago he came out and correctly referred to the Justice Brothers and other as race-husting poverty pimps. Than the very next day he came out and repeatedly apologized for this remarks. My opinion of him went down.
COL Alan West. My opinion of him has dropped. I donated money to his first campaign and was a strong supporter. The first vote he commits to in Congress, he sides witht he GOPe and votes with them. Became extremely disappointed. I wanted him in there to drag those clowns his way, but he was dragged their way right off the get go. I think that may have contributed to his lossing in the next election.
Yes Mia Love is good. Have not listened that much to Sen. Scott. Star Parker is the statists worst nightmare - a former welfare queen who got off the plantation and speaks against it. Niger Innis is great. I remember when the NBC host referred to him as the N word and tried to play it off as a mistake. I alway felt that was done on purpose. They can rightly pronounce the name of every 2 bit Islamic nutjob but get confused with one g dropped off the name. Please.
Another great, dynamic speaker is Charles Lollar, a black running for MD Governor. I'll vote for him in the primary but the national/local media is already saying a statist will be the next MD governor.
"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public.
Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances because they do not want to lose their jobs.
There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don't want the patient to get well. " Booker t. Washington
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