By this time I am sure you are at least somewhat aware of the media created “controversy” surrounding Barack Obama’s pastor Reverend Wright. There have been those on the right who have been perpetrating the myth that Barack Obama, on virtue of being a member of Trinity United Church of Christ, is a black racist.
This charge is mostly based upon short out of context sound clips and the fact that Trinity Church serves a black congregation and deals with issues facing the black community. Being totally unfounded and thoroughly debunked I have been expecting the liberal media to shoot this story down. However as always I am disappointed by our liberal media, (why do they always attack the liberals?) so here I am writing about a non-issue instead of something that matters.
Before I get further into this post I want to present the two most commonly seen sound bytes in their original context. Please try to keep an open mind and watch these in full. I believe you will find that while potentially inflammatory the statements made are not at all racist, and only mildly anti-American. By anti-American of course I mean that in the Bush Administration, no accountability, no personal responsibility, for us or against us kind of way.
My primary problem with these stories is the inherent hypocrisy of our media, and by reflection on us as a nation. Religious leaders have a long history of making statements that are offensive and divisive and the statements made by Reverend Wright are nothing out of the ordinary. In fact I would argue that in they pale in comparison to statements made by highly regarded leaders of the religious right. Here are a few quick examples before we move on.
These videos clearly show the depth of conservative religious intolerance and hatred. This filth is significantly worse than the impassioned speech of Reverend Wright, yet the conservatives embrace their leaders while attacking Reverend Wright. In fact these conservatives value the opinion of their hateful religious leaders so much that in order to be a viable Republican candidate you must win their approval. A task that McCain is working desperately to do.
So having accepted that there is an undeniable bias for the conservative religious leaders you must then ask the question of why. Why is Barack Obama being attacked so often that even Chris Wallace is crying foul for attending the Trinity United Church of Christ while John McCain is getting a free pass for pursuing the endorsement of anti-catholic pro-apocalypse Hagee? There are a few theories on this and I will be presenting them tomorrow.
For today I would like to hear your thoughts on the apparent hypocrisy of the media in how they cover conservative religious leaders verses how they are covering Reverend Wright. Please keep comments focused on the difference between how the media and the candidates are treating these two groups. I have no patience for comments about “black racism” and this is absolutely the wrong forum for that conversation. Thanks!
Read the Rest of this Series Here
Preachers Say the Darndest Things Part 2
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2008-03-24 22:51:49
There is a huge dichotomy in the coverage, but most people just don’t see it. I happen to believe most of what the reverend says is justified, the anger is justified and maybe now the conversation on racism can start for real, if those who refuse to actually listen would only do so. They don’t seem to understand that they do not have to agree just listen with an open mind and allow those who have lived another life to speak.
The problem is the whole world is now sound bites, blogs and even general conversation. This does nothing to forward the discourse on it all.
I don’t listen to much media of any kind these days though because I find it all fairly biased, or at least incomplete, on a day to day basis. Depending on which way the wind is blowing.
2008-03-25 07:05:42
I believe the natural tendency of media in general is toward sensationalism. It is only through good education and proper mentoring that the best journalists are created. Slowly through time, if left alone and with budget being the primary concern, not a primary concern, sensationalism will win out because it works. Most people love the schlock and shock sensationalism makes. To put it another way, yellow journalism is the norm now in our society. As a side comment, the neocons have long wanted an America that resembles the gilded age of the late 1800s and early 1900s where wealth existed only for the few and everyone else struggled to get by. And they have achieved it in many if not most aspects of American life, from the economic patterns to the lack of inspection of our food supply. Yellow journalism was also one characteristic of that period. It wasn’t until one Theodore Roosevelt got fed up with this situation (”Have your guy talk to my guy”) and started busting monopolies and trusts that things started to change. Anyway, pardon my digression.
So, we have yellow journalism as the norm now. Media is more interested in making money and thus doesn’t care about some objective, or even subjective, truth. Truth doesn’t sell except to those who care. Just get the juicy bits of schlock out there and make everyone go “oooo” and “ahhh!”
This is compounded by the largest corporate media interests being run by a very, very few people who LOVE the Bush administration’s way of laissez-fair governance. So, they support the Bush admin and even promote the corrupt viewpoints put forward by the Bush administration because they know if these types of people are kept in office they are more likely to make and keep more money. The top level officials in government benefit too from getting more cash from these business people. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Everyone benefits at the top but no one else except by coincidence. That and a few may actually believe in the lies they spread from their media conglomerates - Rupert Murdoch perhaps being one.
I’m digressing again… But even if they do believe in the Bush admins world viewpoint, it’s a very self-serving philosophy they and the Bush administration support where only the rich deserve to be rich, anything they do to make more money is all right because money is power and might makes right. It’s very Machiavellian. They try to placate the masses by saying you’ll get some because we’ll employ you (serfdom) and your get out leavings too (trickle down theory). It is, in fact, the very philosophy the world’s monarchies used for ages. That’s obviously a bad and discredited philosophy that supposedly has gone away but really hasn’t (”If this were a dictatorship, it would sure make my job easier.”) That shows you how much real citizens of the world must fight to get rid of the old way and forge on toward a more progressive, modernist civilization, not back toward a feudal, dictatorial society.