...IT'S NOT ALWAYS RACISM

There is no question that racism is a troubling and still quite a debilitating issue in this country. I don’t want to diminish that still “open wound” in any way. And, I don’t even want this blog to be about racism....it is not...it is a piece about the media, and media responsibility disguised as a blog about racism.

I can’t help but notice that every time a black individual is treated roughly, or gunned down by the police, the media, in all of it’s collective and mercenary glory, is “hot on the trail”. They are on the prowl for brutality by police against black individuals. They are looking for it like an old man looks for coins on the beach with a metal detector. The question is.....are we to believe that the media gives us a proper reflection of what is happening in our society? Is CNN, and MSNBC, and CBS, and Fox News, telling it like it is...or are they doing what P.T. Barnum made a career doing....appealing to shock value? I think it is fair to suggest that that media is giving us a very skewed view of reality. They are shaping the news as much as reporting on it...

Every day there are millions of ”news” stories that the media can choose to present. By what they choose to focus upon, they can influence public opinion immensely, they can create a feeding frenzy; they can, the way a film director does, create an alternative reality.

Certainly there are many incidents across the country that reveal that black individuals being treated unfairly by police. In some cases it appears that they are being unjustly killed by police. But, is this always about racism...the way the media would have you believe? I would agree that the police forces across America have a systemic problem in many cases with racism, but, are these black individuals who have been mistreated by police being singled out because they are black...or because they are modeling criminal behavior, and happen to be black?

I did some research and 50% of all people killed by police are white, only 28% are black. You would never get this picture from watching television. You would think that a police officer shooting a white person would be as rare as a siting of a Unicorn. When was the last time we saw a lead story on CNN that featured the police mistreating a white person? But, if a police officer mistreats a black individual then it is always framed as an act of racism. This is not doing anyone any good, except getting great ratings for CNN, and the media outlets.

I have no doubt that black members of society have very valid reasons to complain about their disproportionately longer prison sentences for similar crimes committed by white offenders. I know their are social injustices that are perpetrated on black individuals on a much higher rate than white individuals. This is unjust and we should shine a light on it...but painting a jaundiced picture month after month after year after year that has made policing the black community much more dangerous for blacks, is not helping anyone (in my opinion). Plus, it is disingenuous and socially irresponsible.

In an age of a ubiquitous and insidious social media, in all it’s forms, it is more important than ever for the media to act responsibly...to report honestly without bias. The media can, with it’s anointed power, create mass hysteria..they can shape public opinion in a very profound, an alarming way.

Imagine this scenario: The media comes across a story that a homeless man in a shelter has attacked someone on the street. It is a very titillating story. It gets talked about on social media. Then, the editors at the News agencies ask their reporters to look for more stories like this...so every time (across the country) there is the slightest story about a homeless person acting aggressively or even mysteriously towards someone on the street it reported. This becomes almost a daily or weekly event...it creates the false narrative that homeless people are very dangerous and they are threatening our society. It doesn’t matter that these incidents are incredibly rare and insignificant, the way owl attacks on humans are insignificant. This would almost certainly create a much less empathetic and more fearful reaction to homeless people. It might make them less likely to get the care they need, or the attention they need. It could greatly impact the already desperate homeless community...just because the media decided to create an epidemic out of a ”needle in a haystack”.

The media likes to make us agitated, scared, anxious, desperate, curious, etc.. They don’t profit from tranquility and rational thinking.

food for thought....