An Obsession with Race: Real or Make Believe
Most of the people who constantly holler racism or accuse someone of being racist have never even been a victim of racism and wouldn't even know racism if it smacked them squarely in the face. Unfortunately, there is a segment of our society that has made a living hurling unsubstantiated racist accusations at some and using their tactics as a means of demonizing whole groups of people. The sad reality is that many in the listening and viewing public often believe these unfounded claims and the result is usually a public debate about race that spirals out of control. Instead of citizens being able to have decent and honest dialogue about race, people become timid and confused, because the last thing most people want is to be characterized as racist. The misinterpretation of innocent comments that has nothing to do with race prevents us from having legitimate and authentic conversations about our divergent opinions and views about all kinds of issues and ideas. We can't allow those who are obsessed with race to hijack our ability as a nation to engage and explore the diversity of perspectives that form the basis of our democracy. Surely we can disagree and challenge one another without always dragging race into the conversation.
Instead of taking the high road, too many media outlets and commentators are the actual perpetrators of the hysteria and propaganda about race that basically intimidate people whose intentions are honest and pure. The fact that some in the media industry stake their ratings performances on promoting illegitimate stories about race points to the degree to which media integrity is compromised and has disintegrated. It's sad to witness the extent to which media outlets distort legitimate and fair discussions into debates about racism. Some media companies and executives either don't have a clue about what constitutes racism or they are more interested in pushing their own agendas. For some strange reason, media enterprises and their managing editors overestimate their power, as they believe that they are the ultimate arbiters of who is a racist in this country. While the influence of the media may be real for some, most Americans are well acquainted with the games being played by television networks, newspapers, magazines, and others in the industry. Those of us who are truly committed to overcoming our nation's racist past have the real power to silence those in the media world who routinely exploit the racial sensitivities of our nation. We can raise our voices in print, television, radio, and cyber media to stop the madness by some whose sole purpose is to prevent us from being one nation under God.
Instead of taking the high road, too many media outlets and commentators are the actual perpetrators of the hysteria and propaganda about race that basically intimidate people whose intentions are honest and pure. The fact that some in the media industry stake their ratings performances on promoting illegitimate stories about race points to the degree to which media integrity is compromised and has disintegrated. It's sad to witness the extent to which media outlets distort legitimate and fair discussions into debates about racism. Some media companies and executives either don't have a clue about what constitutes racism or they are more interested in pushing their own agendas. For some strange reason, media enterprises and their managing editors overestimate their power, as they believe that they are the ultimate arbiters of who is a racist in this country. While the influence of the media may be real for some, most Americans are well acquainted with the games being played by television networks, newspapers, magazines, and others in the industry. Those of us who are truly committed to overcoming our nation's racist past have the real power to silence those in the media world who routinely exploit the racial sensitivities of our nation. We can raise our voices in print, television, radio, and cyber media to stop the madness by some whose sole purpose is to prevent us from being one nation under God.
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