Racist,ignorant, or misunderstood? O'Reilly remarks

[Fitswimmer]

I think Juan said it best:
The most pernicious damage being done by the twisted presentation of black life in pop culture is the self-destructive message being beamed into young, vulnerable black brains. Young black people, searching for affirmation of their racial identity, are minute by minute being sold on the cheap idea that they are authentically black only if they imitate the violent, threatening attitude of the rappers and use the gutter language coming from the minstrels on TV.

The lesson from the rappers and comedians is that any young brother or sister who is proud to be black has to treat education with indifference, dismiss love and marriage as the business of white people and dress like the rappers who dress like prisoners — no comb in the jail so they wear doo-rags all day, and no belts so their pants hang down around their butts.

That was the heart and soul of the conversation between O'Reilly and me. The point of the whole exchange was to defeat corrupt, untrue and racist images of real black people.

Save your disgust for the above type of rappers and their toadies. It wasn't about Bill's audience.

I agree with him about the negative image of rappers-and I said so. What I DON'T agree with is Juan's idea that white people have permission to hold racist attitudes because of those rappers. He might think their behavior gives white people the right to be bigoted-but I don't.

 

[cardaway]

I agree with him about the negative image of rappers-and I said so. What I DON'T agree with is Juan's idea that white people have permission to hold racist attitudes because of those rappers. He might think their behavior gives white people the right to be bigoted-but I don't.

But... but... if their racist comments are true then it's OK.



More than one person on this thread has tried to fly just that.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

If it was really "nothing" Bill, and those that chose to defend him, woudln't have spent the time they did over "nothing".

Nice try. They knew it was a major CYA moment and they tried their best. No amount of spin can dig 'em out of this one.

Sure just let the accusations stand and everyone will think its "nothing."

The burden of proof is on the accusers and they choose to ignore anything that goes against their assumptions about Bill O'Reily. Mr. Juan Williams set the record straight, thankfully.

 

[daisax]

The lesson from the rappers and comedians is that any young brother or sister who is proud to be black has to treat education with indifference

I'm trying to think of any stupid or uneducated black comedians.... can't come up with one (of the big names, anyway). Both of Dave Chapelle's parents were college professors.

Can't speak for rappers, though it wouldn't surprise me that more of them have more education than they may be letting on for marketing reasons.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

I agree with him about the negative image of rappers-and I said so. What I DON'T agree with is Juan's idea that white people have permission to hold racist attitudes because of those rappers. He might think their behavior gives white people the right to be bigoted-but I don't.

No one has the "right" or "permission" to be bigoted. Juan was saying how a person (the grandmother) may become bigoted if she mainly saw only the side shown by certain rappers and their ilk.

The media certainly can influence the perception of any group -- good or bad.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

Joe, don't you see that it's all a smokescreen? The longer people can keep legs under this thread the longer they can go without addressing the Dem candidates' back-pedaling on troop withdrawal.

(emphasis mine)

Just like French tanks.

 

[daisax]

Juan was saying how a person (the grandmother) may become bigoted if she mainly saw only the side shown by certain rappers and their ilk.

Yes, all those elderly white ladies who never had a bigoted thought in their lives until they got into rap.

 

[salmoneous]

The media certainly can influence the perception of any group -- good or bad.

Is there anything more annoying than the media complaining about what the media covers. (Note - this isn't just an O'Reilly comment - how many times have you heard a sports commentator devote a column/show to Barry Bonds and how bad it is that the media gives him too much attention.)

O'Reilly *is* part of the media. If O'Reilly fans think that thugs dominate black culture, where do you think they get that idea? How many times last year did O'Reilly talk about negatives in the black community? How many times did he talk about positive images in the black community?

How many times did he talk about something negative a black man did, and put it in context of black culture? How many times did he talk about something negative a white person did, and put it in context of white culture?

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

Yes, all those elderly white ladies who never had a bigoted thought in their lives until they got into rap.

Pretending not to understand what Juan Williams was saying, are you??

 

[Patch'sD]

How do you know that 0% or 100% of Bill OReilly's Audience thought that African Americans acted this way. The Segment was on Racism. I don't think it was planned becuase all of Bill's Audence thinks that All African American's behave like Rappers. It was a segment on Racism. Where can anyone get that it was designed for Bill O'Reillys Audience becuase they think this way. I guess that when Oprah does a show on Racism, it is becuase her entire audence is racists.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

Is there anything more annoying than the media complaining about what the media covers. (Note - this isn't just an O'Reilly comment - how many times have you heard a sports commentator devote a column/show to Barry Bonds and how bad it is that the media gives him too much attention.)

O'Reilly *is* part of the media. If O'Reilly fans think that thugs dominate black culture, where do you think they get that idea? How many times last year did O'Reilly talk about negatives in the black community? How many times did he talk about positive images in the black community?

How many times did he talk about something negative a black man did, and put it in context of black culture? How many times did he talk about something negative a white person did, and put it in context of white culture?

You tell me. I don't watch Bill O'Reilly much.

Many rappers in the media and their ilk are a bad influence on the youth and foster a negative image of their culture. This was the point Mr. Williams was making:
"The lesson from the rappers and comedians is that any young brother or sister who is proud to be black has to treat education with indifference, dismiss love and marriage as the business of white people and dress like the rappers who dress like prisoners — no comb in the jail so they wear doo-rags all day, and no belts so their pants hang down around their butts."

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

How do you know that 0% or 100% of Bill OReilly's Audience thought that African Americans acted this way. The Segment was on Racism. I don't think it was planned becuase all of Bill's Audence thinks that All African American's behave like Rappers. It was a segment on Racism. Where can anyone get that it was designed for Bill O'Reillys Audience becuase they think this way. I guess that when Oprah does a show on Racism, it is becuase her entire audence is racists.

Good points!

 

[Fitswimmer]

Good points!

Why would Bill and Juan have brought it up at all if they didn't think the audience needed to know how civilized the patrons of Sylvia's were compared to the black rapper culture?

 

[Reflection]

No one has the "right" or "permission" to be bigoted. Juan was saying how a person (the grandmother) may become bigoted if she mainly saw only the side shown by certain rappers and their ilk.The media certainly can influence the perception of any group -- good or bad.

What a load of what the bull left in the barnyard! O'Reilly is what-60 years old and change, which makes his grandmother O L D. The woman has been around for many, many years but we're to believe that she has formed her opinion of black people based on rappers and rap music. Unbelieveable!!!

Lastly, Juan Williams' example of disrepect for education is, unfortunately, a serious problem hampering the black community and it existed well before the emergence of rap.

 

[cardaway]

Why would Bill and Juan have brought it up at all if they didn't think the audience needed to know how civilized the patrons of Sylvia's were compared to the black rapper culture?

It's pretty obvious they will not touch that one. At least instead of continuing to deny what he said it's switched to saying it's all about "nothing". I call that progress.

 

[salmoneous]

I guess that when Oprah does a show on Racism, it is becuase her entire audence is racists.

When Oprah does a show on racism, she doesn't feel the need to tell her audience that black people can act civilized in restaurants.

 

[Fitswimmer]

When Oprah does a show on racism, she doesn't feel the need to tell her audience that black people can act civilized in restaurants.

She did an excellent series on racism after the Imus story broke. I found out that Al Sharpton has been working to stop rappers from using the "N" word and misogynist language for quite some time. The media seemed to miss that part of his efforts for his community. I never thought the day would come that I'd agree with him about anything, but I will agree with him about that.

What she talked about was EXACTLY what we've been hammering on for DAYS. The subtle racism that exists today is much harder to eradicate because nobody thinks it exists.

 

[Patch'sD]

I do think that the point he was trying to make could have been said better than he did. Again thats why the misunderstanding. But we all make mistakes now, don't we. He was trying to use that as an example, No more no less. I think that it was well proven that there was no Racist Remark. If there was, as like Don Imus, the protests would have continued unitil Fox Took O'Reilly off the air.

 

[daisax]

Why would Bill and Juan have brought it up at all if they didn't think the audience needed to know how civilized the patrons of Sylvia's were compared to the black rapper culture?

Can we look forward to other educational discussions on the show? Such as "not all Irish are belligerent drunkards?"

After all, there are people out there who don't understand those things, what with the cultural saturation of the Notre Dame and Boston Celtics logos...

 

[Fitswimmer]

Can we look forward to other educational discussions on the show? Such as "not all Irish are belligerent drunkards?"

After all, there are people out there who don't understand those things, what with the cultural saturation of the Notre Dame and Boston Celtics logos...

A hundred pages or so ago we floated the idea of the Bill O'Reilly Enlightenment Tour. He could go to Little Italy and find out all Italians aren't Tony Soprano, to Chinatown to find out that all Chinese people aren't doing karate moves all day, then off to the Muslim areas of Michigan to find out that they're not all terrorists and into the Indian communities here in NJ to find out that they're not all living in squalor. Now we can add the Irish section of Boston!! It could be very educational for his audience.