By Walter L. Hilliard III –
I like to put out some of the more subtle issues of anti-Black racism in the media because the overt racial incidents are less common and the subtle racism is what hurts Black people the most because its more covert, rampant and easier to dismiss by its perpetrators because they often don’t see themselves as racist.
So the problem with stereotypes is they’re simplistic in nature, dehumanizing, and they are especially dangerous when they are proliferated by women who have a friendly, girl-next-door persona — those like TV hosts like CNN’ Ashleigh Bainfield. And it’s her motherly bantering, with that unassuming smile on her face, whenever she talks about race or Black people that makes my “racism spidey senses” tingle like they would do when I worked with White women in the higher education and social services professions. They’re supposed to be educated women and not racist, but their as dangerous any Klansman.
Of all the CNN host, Don Lemon gets on my nerves the most, but Bainfield is right behind him because she’s always trying to make excuses or downplay the element of race in any conversation where Black people are a target or the victims.
Just recently, she had Civil Rights Attorney Lisa Bloom on to discuss her new book, “Suspicion Nation,” which discuss the Trayvon Martin case and race. While Bloom was making one particular point regarding Black males being racially profiled and perceived as a threat to some people while they’re just walking down the street, Bainfield kept cutting her off, like she always does when the issue of race comes up. Bainfield obviously didn’t want to hear about the plight of Black men and she railed on about how she’d be scared if four young males of any color were walking toward her on the street.
Liar! Liar!
Bainfield was simply playing the White Denial Card to belittle the point about what amounts to anti-Black racism being an issue.
No, I’m not buying the White Thug Theory and how “Walking While White” is a problem.
Bloom continued interjecting until she was able to finish making her point to Bainfield, but you could tell by the look of disgust on her face how tired she gets arguing with other White folks about racism.
So you can just imagine how she’d feel if she were Black?
A UNIVERSAL SOUL POWER SOUL MUZAK BREAK
