Posted on 09/14/2005 1:58:45 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
This is where the blame game gets ugly.
"So every American kid should be required to watch videotape of the poor in New Orleans and see how they suffered (after Hurricane Katrina), because they couldn't get out of town," said Fox News Channel pundit Bill O'Reilly last week on his show, The O'Reilly Factor .
"And then, every teacher should tell the students, "If you refuse to learn, if you refuse to work hard, if you become addicted, if you live a gangsta-life, you will be poor and powerless just like many of those in New Orleans."'
This was how O'Reilly chose to deflect criticism of the federal government after the horrific delays in hurricane relief. Government is fallible, he argued. So why expect it to save you?
The larger implications of his words also are obvious. These often poor, often black hurricane victims brought all this misery and death on themselves, because they weren't motivated enough to succeed in America.
In the same way that live coverage of the aftermath exposed the fissure between haves and have-nots when disaster strikes, the subsequent reaction of some pundits has unearthed the race-tinged rhetoric they often use to justify their arguments.
Conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh was more explicit, saying New Orleans (which has a black mayor and many black officials) had a "welfare state mentality" that kept some residents from earning enough to handle the disaster.
"The nonblack population was just as devastated, but apparently they were able to get out," Limbaugh, who is white, said on his show Sept. 1. "Race, in this circumstance, is a poisonous weapon, and it's why the liberals are now gravitating to it."
A synopsis on the Web site for evangelist Pat Robertson's 700 Club show outlined a recent appearance by conservative black minister Wellington Boone, who talked about "the culture of those people stranded in New Orleans" and how it led to their fate.
"The looting of property, the trashing of property, etc. speaks to the basic character of the people," read the recap of Boone's appearance on CBN.com. "These people who have gone through slavery, segregation and the Voting Rights Act are doing this to themselves. They look like a developing nation."
Imagine the headlines nationally if Robertson, who is white, had made that "developing nation" crack instead of a black minister.
Gangsta lifestyle. Welfare mentality. Developing nation. All code words often used as unflattering, veiled references to people of color.
"My encouragement to journalists is to not use labels," said Aly Colon, an instructor on ethics and diversity issues at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, which owns the St. Petersburg Times . "As you see picture after picture of people who you understand to be poor and you see to be black, if you know nothing else about New Orleans, that becomes New Orleans. You have no sense of context."
Indeed, the images of looting and violence were horrific, as a ruthless contingent of lawbreakers stole unneeded items, shot at police officers and worse.
But such actions also helped some commentators push their own punitive political perspective, lumping innocent victims together with aggressive criminals in their own backward "blame game."
Colon noted race and class stereotypes evoked in such media coverage are particularly important, if only because they can soothe the sensibilities of those already hoping to see most hurricane victims as somehow deserving of their desperate fate.
Another radio personality, former Tampa talker Glenn Beck, made a similar point Friday in detailing how he's beginning to hate the hurricane victims in New Orleans, because they wouldn't line up in an orderly fashion to get $2,000 ATM cards.
"Those are the only ones we're seeing on television are the scumbags," said Beck, who now broadcasts from Philadelphia.
"It's just a small percentage of those who were left in New Orleans, or who decided to stay in New Orleans, and they're getting all the attention."
As America tackles public policy changes in the wake of Katrina, how will the stereotypes created by pundits such as Beck, O'Reilly and Limbaugh affect the debate? At a time when unity is so important, the words of those who profit by keeping us apart are the last we should heed.
--Eric Deggans can be reached at 727 893-8521 or deggans@sptimes.com
the truth = the poison
I'm not sure what adjective to hang on him. None would be too nice.
He has written about our despicable military and the panty on head torture, but then so has every leftist shrill. I would assume that he can't throw off his crutch like Clarence Thomas or Condoleeza Rice did, but must continually wail and gnash his teeth about the white mans oppressive nature.
redundancy alert
LOL.
You're right. They're not mutually exclusive.
He's no free thinker.
It's just the party line - and not very well done.
I have often wondered whether that makes the rest of us Ruthful?
And does Ruth know?
Bump!
John Stossel bump!
"Those are the only ones we're seeing on television are the scumbags," said Beck, who now broadcasts from Philadelphia.
** Yes Glen because that's what the media wants. I've read this article can't understand what this writer is complaining about. I've listened to Rush and he's been right on the whole time. NO is just democrat policies exposed for all the world to see. All the race baiting is no conincidence to me. I guess the democrat leaders are afraid some kid from the projects may actually like the world outside the democrat circle of hell called the 'inner city'.
This is the same government that invented the lottery to push out the mob and other numbers runners.
" a time when unity is so important, the words of those who profit by keeping us apart are the last we should heed."
The liberals started racebaiting this right away. The only reason race has surfaced at all is because of irresponsible comments by Sharpton, Gregory, and other professional race baiters.
Then they have the nerve to talk about conservatives responding to issues THEY brought up?
I have ceased to be astounded at their gall. But I do point out this is from the St Petersberg Times, probably one of the most liberally biased major newspapers in the USA.
They never saw a tax they didn't like or a conservative they did.
As he wrote this, Eric Deggans was personally imagining the headlines that he would like to write nationally in order to trash Pat Robertson, yet he admits that when an opportunistic comment is made by a black person, the press gives him a pass. The one sentence of truth in this article, IMHO.
Notice that the divisiveness wasn't caused by dims pointing blame at W before the storm had even passed, but rather by conservatives for stating the obvious.
I thought that was the illeg.... er, ah, undocumented workers. I'm so confused, I don't know who's who any more.
Mr Deggans, could you please share your thoughts about the words and actions of Jesse Jackson, Mary Landreau, Mayor Nagin, Gov Blanco, Al Sharpton, Fats Domino, Hillary Clinton, and all of the other 'blame-Bush' crowd? Bet that you think these are all wonderful people, huh?
Isn't that what happens when you sell your 7-11?
Insider ping
"Those are the only ones we're seeing on television are the scumbags," said Beck, who now broadcasts from Philadelphia.
"It's just a small percentage of those who were left in New Orleans, or who decided to stay in New Orleans, and they're getting all the attention."
Even after stating "It's just a small percentage", it's still a bad stereotype??
If da kicks fits, be wearin' it, G.
O'Reilly, Beck, and Limbaugh forgot Rule 1 of Modern American Media: Never criticize black people or black culture. To do so automatically means that "you a raciss".
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