"Don't Buy It" Part II: Racism & Simplicity Sold on/by Fox

So apparently back in February Bill O'Reilly made a flip comment on the air about "not wanting to throw a lynching party" for Michelle Obama. Some woman called his show talking about Michelle being "an angry woman" (and also used the word "militant," though I didn't hear that part) and O'Reilly responded by saying it was unfair to accuse Michelle Obama of these things unless they were put in context. He was trying to make himself sound sympathetic to Michelle--and Bill Clinton by extension which is an obviously targeted parallel--when the lynching comment came out of his mouth. This type of speech act is a classic rhetorical move whereby what's actually said gets couched in and thereby dismissed because of intended "opposite" content. It's kinda like Freudian slippage, though in this case there's little unconsciousness to speak of. You should google search this encounter if you haven't heard it because I'd like to spend less time on the actual interaction between them and more on what this kind of media moment means for citizens of this country particularly white people. But before I get into that, let me declare: Bill O'Reilly is a white supremacist who openly utters hate speech against African American people on national television. His comment in regards to Michelle Obama is beyond insensitive. It was disgraceful and sickening. Absolutely fucking disgusting. He should be banned from ever speaking to the American public and fired from his position at Fox. Period. Now...

I posted a video on my site about a month ago regarding the sexist coverage of Hillary Clinton's campaign. And while all that was hideous, I'm afraid the ugly is going to get uglier. This is not to play into fearful politics, but let's be honest, racist imagery, language and marketing have already factored into the way Obama has been followed and now that Hillary is gone, they only have one fish to fry. It is particularly seductive during times like these--times when wars are raging, houses are foreclosing and change appears quite brightly on the horizon--to fall back into black-and-white thinking. And yes, I chose that phrase on purpose. Don't get me wrong, there are black realities and white realities, and they matter in this country and in this election. But they are not the only realities. Before moving forward though, let me speak on what black-and-white realities actually do exist...

White people across political parties should realize the unique opportunity before them: with the heightened attention to race that (inevitably) follows this election, we have an historically unparalleled chance to speak out against white-supremacy. US media is full of folks who will jump in head first when given the opportunity to spread division or make profit off of stereo-types and prejudicial remarks masked as "reporting." White people (even those who will vote for McCain but have moral sense enough to know that racist propaganda should have no place in society) should use their consumer power to a) turn off stations that perpetuate the hate and/or b) use those platforms as an avenue for dissent by calling in to challenge white-supremacist statements/ideologies. Most of us unfortunately know that unless white people do some of the challenging, the oppressive powers will just dismiss dissenting communities of color as being "too sensitive" or "biased." I haven't always been the best white ally in the world, but I plan to do what I can at this political moment because a) i've learned the hard way about not sticking up for my friends at the right time & b) it's just the right thing to do. This is a white reality.

There's a black reality too, though I do not think for a minute that I can begin to know or articulate what Barack Obama's campaign (or the swell in racism and white supremacy accompanying his campaign) means for the black community. Besides, it's not like there's a monolith black community that feels one way about Obama, just like there's no monolith white community that feels one way about McCain. Obama is, however, the first person of African descent to likely become the president of the United States. That means something about the leadership, accessibility of power and shape of the future in this country for persons who also have African descent and non-white skin. It may not mean the same thing for all African Americans and people of color, but it means something profound.

So yes, there are color realities. But there is also something tricky about these color realities because whenever you break them down--you know, like try to get really specific on what mixed is, and/or black is and/or what white is and/or what brown, yellow, and red are--there's an exception to every rule and nuance upon nuance of the experiences that might be classified under these labels. So just when you want to get serious about the racial implications of this election, one pauses for a second because history has shown us the arbitrary nature of the way race has been "traced" especially during times when certain groups have a lot to gain/lose. FOX News stands to benefit from making us forget that nuance exists. They want us to think experience/rookie, white/black, republican/democrat are the benchmarks upon which a political candidate can be judged. They stand to benefit from that thinking because THEY SELL THAT THINKING. If you we don't "buy it" literally, then they are out of a job.


Obama is not just a black man. To limit his leadership into a racial category is to denigrate the complexity of his origins, the hard work he has done in contexts of various colors, political persuasions and socio-economic classes. He is part of a movement, not just a racial group(s). Continually associating Barack to "blackness" by making racialized comments--like the one O'Reilly made about Michelle--is to set up associations in peoples minds that do not allow them to think in a complex way about a complex man who will probably be doing a complex job. It is a set up. It makes Barack beyond critique in some ways and the only object of critique in others. The latter shows itself when outright racism rears its head and the former happens when every inquiry about his past/present gets seen as racially motivated so persons with genuine question about his ability to lead this country have much to lose by stating those questions in public. By the way: McCain isn't dealing with anywhere near this kind of pressure.


So I wrote this blog today to remind myself, after hearing that dumb-ass-shit by O'Reilly, and to remind you during this time of unending racial discourse, to keep the thinking cap on, to trust that things are never as simple as they seem (especially behind screens) and to go out and buy everything ever put out by NAS (who is one of the dopest hip-hop artists of all time and one of the public voices taking a stand against FOX News' deception of the people). Emotions can get heated because issues of great personal and political importance are being tapped--and heated emotions are a GOOD thing if they accomplish the right ends--in this election. We stand to benefit if those emotions get paired with wisdom and discretion. Quite frankly, I think Obama--not all the time, but most of the time--is a candidate who embodies a combination of these things. And that is why he will get my vote.

And on a final final note: I know it's easy for white people to make race an "issue out there" for critique while keeping their blinders up to their own racism. So please know that this essay comes out of many vulnerable one-on-one conversations I've had with other anti-racism activists and experiences of seeing my own racism for what it is: deeply entrenched, often disguised and desperately in need of transformation. I just know that if folks don't talk about it, admit to it, write about it, pray about it, and struggle against it, racism grips our culture even tighter. I may not be innocent or free of white supremacy, but I surely can--especially during this period of heightened tension and possibility--use every vehicle I've got to drive home the message of justice.