Let me first say, that no one knows for sure if race was a factor in the arrest of Henry “Skip” Gates Jr. Personally, I think it was a small part, but not all. What I do know though, is that this whole discussion and the ensuing “media fire-storm” that’s been happening, is just making me angry.
Warning, this is just a serious rant, it’s probably pretty inchohernt, so read it at your own peril.
As an African American, you just write off many of these occurences and just being apart of the African American experience in America. You know that no matter what you do, or what activity you are involved in, the phrase “while black” can be added to all of them, and somehow makes otherwise completely normal things for white people seems somehow “foreign” for black people (i.e. “driving while black”, “shopping while black”, etc).
You talk and joke about it with your family and your friends, but inside you know it’s pisses you off. It may not have personally happened to you, but you know at least 1 personal acquaintance or relative who has had the “…while black” experience. You don’t expect anyone white to discuss it, and if they do, you expect that they will probably just try to give you a “there, there” pat on the back, while secretly thinking WTF is she talking about.
If it does happen that it somehow makes the local news. It’s usually does so because something more fatal has occurred or someone has decided to speak up, and 9 times outa 10, the news will just report it from the PD side anyway, usually with the usual buzz words: belligerent, disorderdly, disruptive, suspect seemed to threaten PD…etc.
So we finally get someone in the WH who speaks honestly about the feelings of a whole group of Americans (black males) who have these shared life experiences simply by virtue of their skin tone, and damn it we are happy that finally someone knows our experiences, and what happens, the national media just follows the same pattern as the local media. Instead of some real reporting about racial profiling or at the very least some real reporting about the increasing trend of the use excessive force, or abuse of power by some (not all) policeman, instead it’s “Obama calls policeman stupid”, or “Heroic policemen smeared as racist by President Obama” (never mind that Obama never said the policeman was stupid or racist).
I’m finding a lot of comments on some of “liberal” blogosphere that sayt that Dr Gates “over-reacted”. That’s one reason why I wrote this diary.
The problem I have with this whole thing is because of some of the blatantly biased stories and comments on what I used to consider “friendly” & reputable news programs and news site. Maybe it’s my naivete, but I expect such completely biased coverage on FOX news, and the RW radio bigots.
But I was watching CNN, and had to hear that prick Rick Sanchez, quoting verbatim from the report the police officer did as “the definitive record” on what happened even though Gates had given an interview to Soledad O’Brien telling his side. Didn’t matter to Rick, because what the police officer wrote was “on the record” therefore it just HAD to be the TRUE story, thank goodness that Roland Martin was on the show and called Rick on his b.s.
Between this bullcrap, the birther nonsense, the Malia Obama peace shirt brouhaha, the racist emails, the racist twitters, and whatever else…IT’S PATHETIC, and it’s not even 1 year into the Obama Presidency. I don’t know how I’m gonna get through the whole 4 years without wanting to pull my hair out (or somebody else’s)