Racism in the News

Apparently white people "find" stuff and black people "loot" stuff. Unbelievable!!!

Hey there, some of you might be interested in the "objective" reporting on the current flood crisis in the US.

 

Spot the difference:

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/photos_ts_afp/050830071810_shxwaoma_photo1

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/ladm10208301530

i didn't even click on the links....i would be soo ed that i would probably be angry for the rest of the day and ....ugh.

This shows again that you can twist the reality with only one simple word.

Unbelievable indeed!!!

Maybe the white guys looted the bread and soda from the black guy!!!

dude i totally watched tv last night and they showed a think on ppl stealing shit from stores in the flood. and everytime they said "LOOT" they showed african americans. it was nuts. I was like come on ppl and animals are dying, and ur still gonna continue to be racist?

Another set of pics posted by Daniel on Vegan Fitness:

There are many examples of this:

 

A white man "gathers supplies from a Wal-Mart store."

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050901/480/msjb11509010443/print

 

A black man holding first-aid and hygiene products is "looting the store."

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050901/480/ladm10909011754/print

Columbus found america too, he didn't loot it

Columbus found america too, he didn't loot it

brilliant! in the same way that Bush 'liberated' iraq, and didnt plunder it!

jonathan

Yup, this has been circulating around my J-school. It's pretty ridiculous, just like when a pretty, upper-middle-class, white girl goes missing, and the news media make it a lead story as if it's some rare occasion, while similar situations involving people of other races or socioeconomic status get overlooked. It is a cause of concern for people in the profession, I assure you, even though it is widespread throughout major news outlets.

I hate it when I am watching the news and they specify the race of a person. Not only that, but they don't specify it when the person is white / caucasian. So they'll say like 'Today a black man was hit by a car'. But if the guy was white, they'd say 'Today a man was hit by a car'. It's like, what does it matter... You don't say 'Today a man with brown hair and blue eyes was hit by a car'. That's irrelevent.

Yeah, that bothers me, too, Richard. White seems to be the default race, with every other ethnicity needing to be qualified as a deviation from the "norm." It's irrelavant.

"Today a man with one leg slightly shorter than the other was hit by a car"

"Rain could not dampen the spirits of junior high student Shelly Long. The 12-year-old, who suffers from a bad case of cystic acne and a Roman nose she inherited from her father, won her school's annual potato sack contest amid three inches of torrential downpour yesterday afternoon."

Oh, speaking of insensitivity with Hurricane Katrina coverage, I thought you guys might be interested in seeing some bad headlines that have run in the news:

Katrina and the waves

www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,, ... 14,00.html

New Orleans is the Big Empty (from an NPR affiliate)

New Orleans is the Big Uneasy (from Fox News Channel)

The Big Uneasy (Tyler, Texas, Morning-Telegraph)

Kat-astrophe (Daily Journal of Johnson County, Ind.)

Kat-astrophic (The Beacon News of Aurora, Ill.)

Mississippi drowning (again, on timesonline)

people are so lame.

One of my journalism professors, who teaches cross-cultural journalism, e-mailed the photographer of the "looting" picture. The photographer wrote back and said if you look at all the photos, plenty featuring whites said "looting" and plenty featuring blacks said "finding." Immediately, it does appear to be biased reporting, but I suppose there could be more context - for instance, did the photographers talk with his subjects to find out one looted while the other found? Also, the two photos appear to show a glaring double standard when juxtaposed, but it makes it slightly less abrasive, I suppose, since they come from separate news agencies and were taken by separate photographers. Meh.

I noticed that on the news as well. Anytime I turn it on, there are images of black men breaking windows, looting, etc.

It makes me think of the bumper sticker "What Liberal Media?"

Look at the news, its all blacks. Its just a factual statement, either take it as a fact or not. Its like me saying "Two white men stole a tv today" or I say "Two black men stole a tv today", stop being politically correct and just stick with facts. It is blacks that are doing a lot of this and you saying otherwise isnt going to change a thing, thats just how it is.

Now I see hte difference between first aid and something like a TV. I have yet to see a white person steal something like that (not saying they didn't) but its been black people that been starting these fights, hijacking cars, etc. Next thing, they are going to say that a lot of the people in the LA riots werent black or hispanic.

Why is it when we talk about whites its ok to say things but blacks its automatically racist? Its like the white persons view of the word Nigger and how they don't use it, and if a white man uses it they will shudder and say "you are racist", but they will laugh when a black man says it. This is all hypocritical.

The racism is that two people are doing the same thing, yet the black person is said to be 'looting', and the white person is said to be 'finding'. Thus, the black person is being accused of a crime, and the white person isn't even though they're doing the same thing, and that is racism.

The racism is that two people are doing the same thing, yet the black person is said to be 'looting', and the white person is said to be 'finding'. Thus, the black person is being accused of a crime, and the white person isn't even though they're doing the same thing, and that is racism.

Hrmm, they seemed to have changed the wording then....

But seriously, when was it that whites are all over this "racist" issue regarding blacks? I notice this with a lot of white people.

Look at the news, its all blacks. Its just a factual statement, either take it as a fact or not. Its like me saying "Two white men stole a tv today" or I say "Two black men stole a tv today", stop being politically correct and just stick with facts. It is blacks that are doing a lot of this and you saying otherwise isnt going to change a thing, thats just how it is.

 

Now I see hte difference between first aid and something like a TV. I have yet to see a white person steal something like that (not saying they didn't) but its been black people that been starting these fights, hijacking cars, etc. Next thing, they are going to say that a lot of the people in the LA riots werent black or hispanic.

 

Why is it when we talk about whites its ok to say things but blacks its automatically racist? Its like the white persons view of the word Nigger and how they don't use it, and if a white man uses it they will shudder and say "you are racist", but they will laugh when a black man says it. This is all hypocritical.

My issue is the slant with which things are presented. Even if the majority of the looters in New Orleans are black men, it doesn't mean that the majority of black men are looters - yet when I flip through the channels, I don't see the black people who are trying to help or save their families or members of the community, I just see the looters. I think that only presenting a group in a negative way isn't being objective

Look at the news, its all blacks. Its just a factual statement, either take it as a fact or not. Its like me saying "Two white men stole a tv today" or I say "Two black men stole a tv today", stop being politically correct and just stick with facts. It is blacks that are doing a lot of this and you saying otherwise isnt going to change a thing, thats just how it is.

 

Now I see hte difference between first aid and something like a TV. I have yet to see a white person steal something like that (not saying they didn't) but its been black people that been starting these fights, hijacking cars, etc. Next thing, they are going to say that a lot of the people in the LA riots werent black or hispanic.

 

Why is it when we talk about whites its ok to say things but blacks its automatically racist? Its like the white persons view of the word Nigger and how they don't use it, and if a white man uses it they will shudder and say "you are racist", but they will laugh when a black man says it. This is all hypocritical.

 

My issue is the slant with which things are presented. Even if the majority of the looters in New Orleans are black men, it doesn't mean that the majority of black men are looters - yet when I flip through the channels, I don't see the black people who are trying to help or save their families or members of the community, I just see looters. I think that only presenting a group in a negative way isn't being objective

Ah ok I understand what you are saying. I have seen them show black people helping out too though, and that person with the first aid is one of them (cant believe they said he looted it, doesnt say it when I looked though).

But if it is the majority of blacks that are doing this, I wouldn't have a problem because it was like this in LA. The black community needs to shape up in terms of stuff like this, and stop playing the victim role.

Hipocrisy because of exclusivity on the use of the word nigger. Although this is just a term (hypocrisy) that really, in this case, has little to reflect on the actual context of white/minority relations, by definition holding a double standard does make you a hypocrite. But it wouldn't phase me much to still feel uncomfortable when a white person uses that word. Nothing stands without precedence and a foundation and tension between whites and blacks is in part due to a long history of abuse that has relevance today. It has relevance in who holds major positions in government, business, etc. and how easy it is for just anyone to get those jobs; it holds relevance in who goes to the better colleges and who looks more "qualified" on paper; it holds relevance in writing and revising old and recent history; it holds relevance in who goes to jail more even though white people without question do more crime (they just don't get arrested as much for things they did do and things they didn't do- racial profiling and quotas as they're largely carried out today make it more likely for a black or hispanic person to get arrested or worse); it holds relevance for how we deal with other countries; it holds relevance for what percentages of immigrants of white skin are allowed legally into this country compared to what percentages immigrants of all color combined are legally allowed to enter into this country; it also holds relevance as far as what's considered "beautiful".

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for being tough, sticktuitive, congenial to people of all races and economic state, fair and serious about being the best representative of the human race I can be. I believe that's a great way to be. Possibly the best way to be. Gandhi-ish even. Certainly the way I choose to be.

This is long winded; it's just I saw this and I had to respond. I've been physically, emotionally and verbally abused for most of my young life. It's caused me alot of problems. I'm impulsive, moody, reclusive, always on eggshells, always afraid; I always feel I can't trust anyone; I always feel inferior in any group setting and I have definite self destructive tendencies. A lot of really annoying detterrants or stepping stones to living a quality life.Once I got angry or nuts enough to point out some of the things my aggressor did to me and what I thought of it all. He responded by telling me to stop being a victim. I'm sure it sounded great in his mind and all, but it didn't do much to alleviate the things I go through every day when I'm trying to get by and it made me no more affectionate to a person who logically also plays the victim every time he is one. Even if, like any of us, he plans to not be one. Now that's hypocrisy.

My issue is the slant with which things are presented. Even if the majority of the looters in New Orleans are black men, it doesn't mean that the majority of black men are looters - yet when I flip through the channels, I don't see the black people who are trying to help or save their families or members of the community, I just see the looters. I think that only presenting a group in a negative way isn't being objective

I was practically leached by my classmates at Arizona State University when I made this point on 911. When anyone turned on the TV, the only clip of the Muslim world the media was showing was of a small group of individuals cheering the attack. This surely was not a representative view of popular opinion and this infuriated me! It was completely irresponsible reporting! This propaganda fueled hate crimes in the United States and was used as well to gain public support for war against the poor.

My issue is the slant with which things are presented. Even if the majority of the looters in New Orleans are black men, it doesn't mean that the majority of black men are looters - yet when I flip through the channels, I don't see the black people who are trying to help or save their families or members of the community, I just see the looters. I think that only presenting a group in a negative way isn't being objective

 

I was practically leached by my classmates at Arizona State University when I made this point on 911. When anyone turned on the TV, the only clip of the Muslim world the media was showing was of a small group of individuals cheering the attack. This surely was not a representative view of popular opinion and this infuriated me! It was completely irresponsible reporting! This propaganda fueled hate crimes in the United States and was used as well to gain public support for war against the poor.

Funny thing how a lot that was targeted wasn't even Muslim! Way to go ignorant fools.

Hipocrisy because of exclusivity on the use of the word nigger. Although this is just a term (hypocrisy) that really, in this case, has little to reflect on the actual context of white/minority relations, by definition holding a double standard does make you a hypocrite. But it wouldn't phase me much to still feel uncomfortable when a white person uses that word. Nothing stands without precedence and a foundation and tension between whites and blacks is in part due to a long history of abuse that has relevance today. It has relevance in who holds major positions in government, business, etc. and how easy it is for just anyone to get those jobs; it holds relevance in who goes to the better colleges and who looks more "qualified" on paper; it holds relevance in writing and revising old and recent history; it holds relevance in who goes to jail more even though white people without question do more crime (they just don't get arrested as much for things they did do and things they didn't do- racial profiling and quotas as they're largely carried out today make it more likely for a black or hispanic person to get arrested or worse); it holds relevance for how we deal with other countries; it holds relevance for what percentages of immigrants of white skin are allowed legally into this country compared to what percentages immigrants of all color combined are legally allowed to enter into this country; it also holds relevance as far as what's considered "beautiful".

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for being tough, sticktuitive, congenial to people of all races and economic state, fair and serious about being the best representative of the human race I can be. I believe that's a great way to be. Possibly the best way to be. Gandhi-ish even. Certainly the way I choose to be.

This is long winded; it's just I saw this and I had to respond. I've been physically, emotionally and verbally abused for most of my young life. It's caused me alot of problems. I'm impulsive, moody, reclusive, always on eggshells, always afraid; I always feel I can't trust anyone; I always feel inferior in any group setting and I have definite self destructive tendencies. A lot of really annoying detterrants or stepping stones to living a quality life.Once I got angry or nuts enough to point out some of the things my aggressor did to me and what I thought of it all. He responded by telling me to stop being a victim. I'm sure it sounded great in his mind and all, but it didn't do much to alleviate the things I go through every day when I'm trying to get by and it made me no more affectionate to a person who logically also plays the victim every time he is one. Even if, like any of us, he plans to not be one. Now that's hypocrisy.

I don't mean to sound mean, but a lot of that I really didn't understand, sorry.