The Nation: Our Long Hot Summer of (Faux) Racial Tension

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Our Long Hot Summer of (Faux) Racial Tension

Ari Melber
August 2, 2010


Have you noticed a funny thing about America’s long, hot summer of racial tension?

From Shirley Sherrod’s speech to the barely extant “New Black Panther Party” to the very few racist signs at Tea Party gatherings, each incident was essentially an isolated, minor event – before it was blown out of proportion by the media. Unlike other periods of racial strife, from early civil rights protests to more recent battles over busing and affirmative action, there is no massive activity here. There is no national debate. There is only media.

In place of actual events, the media offers a Matrix-like presentation of racial symbolism.

So Ms. Sherrod was forcibly typecast as an angry, racist black woman who wielded government power – in the Obama era – to harm white people. Then she was swiftly recast as a victim of “our” 24-7 culture and “our” rush to judgment. Meanwhile, Fox News' Panther 2.0 story fuses the enduring fear of black violence with the conspiracy of stolen elections. Suddenly, old video of two crackpots is treated as a national epidemic – a several-week story about rampant intimidation of white voters.

We all know why partisan media and dishonest agitators push these stories. But why does the self-proclaimed objective media keep falling down here?

There are two core reasons. One of them is even forgivable.

First, many objective journalists make a category error when assessing other media. They are bizarrely over-inclusive.

Many reporters apparently presume, for example, that Breitbart’s websites are part of the news media. And they react accordingly. That means citing to him as a news source – or feeling scooped and trying to catch up on his “stories.” ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/article/137004/our-long-hot-summer-faux-racial-tension