The Plenary Review

I visited The Huffington Post this morning and a quick review of its site reflected what seems like the media’s increased interest in giving a platform to the racists and lunatics that have cropped up since President Obama’s election. Now mind you, these folks have always been here: hovering around the fringes, locking their car doors when you walk down the street, clutching purses when a brother steps on the elevator, asking if you work here or quietly assuming that the reason you’ve accomplished certain milestones is because someone gave you the answers to the test.

Last week, as I luxuriated (for work purposes!) in one of Southern California’s beautiful beach communities, I watched Pat Buchanan spew forth angry, inaccurate and highly offensive statements about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and the overall contribution (or his perceived lack thereof) of minorities to America. Buchanan’s hateful and presumptive assumptions about Judge Sotomayor’s intellect and blatantly racist comments got the Twitter world into a tizzy, as people from all walks of life posted comments about his KKK-inspired rant.  

For me, what’s even more shocking than Buchanan’s statements -because it really is no secret where he stands on race in America – is that MSNBC continues to give him air time and prominence as a commentator. After all, he’s just crazy old Uncle Pat, and it’s ok because we all have that crazy uncle who regularly spouts racist rhetoric, right? Yet Buchanan’s continued defense of Sarah Palin’s lightweight and now incomplete acccomplishments, and support of her as a viable candidate for president, highlight that Buchanan’s politics are singularly racial.

I’m all for giving platform to opposing opinions. It’s one of the reasons that I don’t limit myself to one network or website for my news source, that I listen to Michael Smerconish in the morning (he admirably offers great balance on the issues he discusses, even though his audience is heavily and rigidly conservative),  and that I like to talk to strangers about their belief  systems. You have to step out of your bubble to get a true flavor of what people really think and feel.

Critical debate is essential to progress. Narrow-minded, ill-informed and divisive commentary is not. Debate Judge Sotomayor on her comments and her merits, whether she properly explained herself, or what her judicial record may reveal about how she’ll impact the Supreme Court.  You don’t have to like her, and you can go on TV and say that.  

But to suggest that Judge Sotomayor got to where she is because she stole opportunities from more deserving white men, that she made law review and garnered her legal jobs because of affirmative action, and that she doesn’t deserve to be on the bench – despite having a far more substantial judicial record than the Chief Justice himself – is ridiculous. And to warn her about her alleged temperament, as Sen. Lindsey Graham did, pays homage to that black tax reminder that once you do make it, you better remember to stay in your lane since we’re letting you up in here. 

Side bar: Another one of my black tax favorites is that once you do get in the door, please don’t try to do “too much.” Example: the current theme in the media  as to whether President Obama is trying to do too much, and whether he should just focus on the economy. Can I tell you how many times I’ve personally heard that, while the underlying directive is to work harder, smarter and faster?    

If we’re going to truly evolve in the aftermath of President Obama’s historic election, it means that we do not have the right to remain silent (for these purposes). It means that when you’re arrested in your own home, you raise hell about it. When racist idiots pollute your television, you raise hell about it. When the publishing world refuses to publish diverse thought, you raise hell about it. When your kids can’t swim in pools for fearing of changing the complexion, you raise hell about it.

For the sake of balance, I note that MSNBC does have several African-American anchors and commentators on air throughout the day. Those commentators of color, however, are not using their time on the air to rail against white Americans or other minorities, or to insert divisive inaccuracies into the mainstream- thought that is an affront to progress.  

Rachel Maddow took on Buchanan in a follow-up after his appearance, but for me it’s not enough. The point is that regardless of what MSNBC does with Buchanan, we have a voice and options. Let’s exercise them, even if it’s as simple as changing the channel and not buying from the advertisers who implicitly support these offensive thoughts. Let’s use these options to push for more balance, and to create alternative platforms that give air to both sides and actually educate. 

It also means that we hold our own accountable, because when they do or say things in the mainstream, like performing ”Every Girl” on stage with underage girls, it furthers the stereotypes of African-Americans generally. Those stereotypes that fuel, and in some minds, support Pat Buchanan’s lunancy. 

Below is your morning round up of what ”post-racial” American looks like. I don’t cite these headlines from HuffPo’s site to sensationalize the problem, but, rather, to illustrate that we’re far from a post-facial America. So what are you going to do about it?       

Maddow Demolishes Buchanan’s Surreal Facts About America’s Racial Past

Lou Dobbs Speculates If Obama Is Undocumented

Liz Cheney Defends Birthers On Larry King

Fox News Host: Is Obama’s Surgeon General Too Fat For The Position?

Brian Kilmeade Apologizes For Racist “Pure Species” Comment

Bad Day For Birthers As Matthews Picks Up Where Sanchez Left Off 

Riot Police Storm Texas Town After Black, White Protesters Clash Over Dragging Death