How many have overlooked the real cause of racism? It seems the mainstream media has played a direct role. When that is admitted, and the proper actions taken, we will see a significant decrease in racism. The most recent racial episode is a perfect example—the Jena 6 incident in Louisiana. Racism issues stoke the fires of past racism and generate anger with the public. This allows the media to feed like a shark in bloody waters.
Jena Six refers to 6 black teenagers who attacked white Justin Barker(17) from behind. He was knocked out, and the teenagers assaulted and kicked him in a state of bloody unconsciousness(Superintendent Roy Breithaupt).
A detail brought into this was that the media seemed to cling to the item that ‘nooses’ were hung from a tree at Jena High, which led up to the beating by Jena 6. But locals declare that the ‘nooses’ were actually lassos or ropes. Apparently, Jena High was playing a football game against a school with a cowboy mascot. The ropes were meant to motivate the football players to “rope” the cowboys. Both blacks and whites had played on these ropes. But the media milked the “noose” concept for all it was worth.
One of the Jena 6(Mychal Bell) had a history of offenses, and was already on probation. Most of the Jena 6 was charged with attempted second-degree murder. But the media seemed to incite others to view the charges as “excessive and racially discriminating”. Since then, several Jena 6 members had their charges reduced to aggravated second degree battery.
Major editorial pages and columnists, sympathetic to the Jena 6, have thrown gasoline into an already blazing inferno. There even was a rally at Jena High of 15-20,000 demonstrators including Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, Mos Def, Salt-n-Pepa, Ice Cube, and (New Orleans)Ray Nagin. But people in that vicinity say that the majority of the marchers were people that Jackson and Sharpton brought with them.
Howard Witt(Chicago Tribune) mentioned how some of the defendants were literally rolling in dough later. “Robert Bailey[of the Jena 6] posted photos of himself mugging for the cameras with $100 bills stuffed in his mouth and covering his bed. [C]ontroversy is growing over the accounting and disbursing of at least $500,000 donated to pay for the teenagers’ legal defense.” The only thing worse than racism, is racism being falsely accused.
But on 11/16/07, marchers surrounded the Justice Department headquarters in Washington(DC). They demanded federal intervention in the Jena 6 case. They also demanded stepped up enforcement of hate crimes. Leaders cited the “noose” hanging at Jena High in Louisiana, and that no one was charged with a crime for the hanging of the “noose”. But no mention of Barker almost being beaten to death. No mention of the “noose” actually being a rope for the nemesis high school “cowboys”. No mention that this AP-reported incident showed up all the way in the Asheville(NC) Citizen-Times. No mention of black US Attorney Donald Washington--who led an investigation into events in Jena—concluded that there was no evidence of unfair prosecution from the beginning.
And to top things off, someone at NCSU very recently found a noose made of toilet paper. But he didn’t flush it. This discovery in a small maintenance bathroom(Jon Sanders/Townhall) seemed to make a very big deal at the university--along the lines of a “Civil Rights Crisis”.
The News & Observer(Raleigh, NC) reported that “students said they want to hear university leaders making fiery speeches condemning racial hatred.” A subsequent meeting of the campus branch of the NCAAP, students said of the T.P. noose: “[It]should have gotten as much media coverage as the [Duke] lacrosse incident.” Chancellor James Oblinger was blamed for not understanding the gravity of the situation because he “hadn’t had anything happen to him because he’s a white man.” On 11/14/07, Robert Waltrip(student newspaper/Technician) called the incident “nothing short of domestic terrorism.”
Prejudice will always exist. And personal experiences say it still exists in the small Louisiana town of Jena. But prejudice now cuts two ways. The media only reports one side, and we should ask why it has to be that way. The honest answer: it makes the flames of racism that much bigger.
It seems obvious that racism claims have gotten completely out of hand. But the instigator seems to be the mainstream media. The fires of real racism still smolder in the back of many minds, and rightly so. But when false charges of racism are made, and stokes the embers of real racism, false racism is actually generated. There seems to be quite a few guilty of that sin.
Kevin Roeten can be reached at kevin@kevinroeten.us or roetenks@charter.net.
