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Health & Fitness

Trumping The Race Card

An analysis of why language can actually be said to be racist...

Recently on I’m Sick of This $@#%…

In the last episode we saw one article and countless comments in others claiming, among other things, that calling the first African-American President of the United States a “tar-baby” isn’t necessarily racist. I’m still trying to dream up a context where one could actually call an African-American a “tar-baby” in a way that wouldn’t be racist. But the far right has that all figured out and says that it’s the fictional “liberals” who are playing the “race card.” If I can make any sense out of any of that, I’ll be sure to send up a flare.

We now return you to reality…no, not the poorly-scripted and ill-acted The Real Housewives of Orange County…let’s cue up the unscripted, chaotic, careening through the Universe without a driver…

The World According To Avery

I guess it’s really in how you read. I had far too many college students who were asked to research a problem and use what they read as evidence to support a point. They would read some article and then provide me with a written or oral summary of the article.

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Avery: What was the article about?
Student: Some Congressman named Lamborn, or something, called the President a tar-baby.
Avery: Okay… What was the article about in your mind?
Student: Well he called the President a tar-baby.

Talk about a tree bearing no fruit.

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So I’ll break down a couple of texts of us, but I won’t do a complete reading of them because I find that boring and I find it does violence to language if you go too deep. The latter point is, of course, highly debatable. So in other words, all I’m going to do is point out what should be the glaringly obvious.

I’m using recent examples from Politico and Fox Nation. For those who don’t follow either outlet, Politico is a website that provides multiple points of view (very much like our own MV Patch). Fox Nation is the right-wing site for Fox News (remember: Fox News’s slogan is “fair and balanced.")

Fox News’s article on the issue painted Obama as President Herbert Hoover, but never once mentioned the Republican President by name. As a writer I was bothered by that glaringly obvious oversight, because the similarities between the two men in the article’s context are truly disturbing. I chose the story because it’s a non-story: The President turned 50 and had a big party. Don’t we all want a big party to mark a significant milestone?

Mrs Avery: Do you want a 50th birthday party?
Avery: Can we afford to hire The Rolling Stones to play in the backyard?
Mrs. Avery: No, baby.
Avery: Let’s just go out to dinner then.

And I’m getting the real sense that without a miracle my 60th will be a replay of that conversation. But onward…

A Tale of Two Headlines

Politico: Inside Obamas’ 50th-birthday Party I call this the Entertainment Tonight approach. It hints at an exclusive look at a very non-event.

Fox Nation: Obama’s Hip-Hop BBQ Didn’t Create Jobs I call this the Racist Approach. The first two words equate in many white minds as “Black man” and “Black Gang Music.” The third word is often used by whites as a stereotype of blacks. The phrase “didn’t create jobs” suggests an activity that was suppose to create jobs. It also suggests the President’s job is to always be creating jobs, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. By not creating jobs Obama then becomes just another “shiftless"--well, you know.

Articles’ Structures Often Betray Intent

The evening began with chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta and salad in the Rose Garden, and then four kinds of pie: apple, peach, huckleberry and cherry. At the end of the dinner, irst (sic) lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha presented the president with a cake before the party moved indoors.
Politico

— DINNER: BBQ chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta, salad. Fox Nation

The top one is a straightforward description typical of journalism because it completely lacks any color in order to appear objective. However one could argue “the evening began with chicken” contains a bias because evenings never begin with people eating; they begin with one or more people giving a toast, speech, Power Point presentation, etc.

The bottom one uses bold and capital letters to call attention to BBQ which is often used in conjunction with African-Americans as a racial slur. “Chicken” and then “ribs” in that order is often the BBQ that African-Americans purportedly eat.

The first is a descriptive paragraph and they never call attention to themselves. In fact, to call attention to anything in any paragraph it has to be the first or last sentence. The second example is a single line with white space above and below it. It is a beacon flashing brightly at the reader. It says, “I am important information. Heed me.”

The ordering of information is intentional. Both articles include a guest list. Now a guest list can be ordered any way the writer wants in order to get different effects. Famous names produce different effects: Joseph Stalin, Charlie Chaplin. Each article to no surprise chose a different guest to head the list. 

Politico: Jay-Z.

Fox Nation: Al Sharpton.

Not only Racist, They Plagiarize

Fox Nation quite rightly attributes the story as a “Politico Exclusive” under their banner row of “mug” shots that were chosen carefully. That doesn’t give them permission to plagiarize and there is no greater way to totally discredit yourself as a “News” organization. For the writer there is no greater way to shame yourself and announce to the world that you just aren’t clever enough to write your own complete sentences. Those who plagiarize deserve nothing other than complete contempt. Every time I caught a student stealing just one sentence, I failed them for the entire course.

The president encouraged everyone to dance — and they did. Politico

The president asked everyone to dance — and they did! Fox Nation

Play Along With Our Home Version

— Also present: Chicago pals, law-school friends, donors — and lots of kids of friends, who stole the show by doing dance routines to the hip-hop songs, in the center of the East Room. Citation Withheld

For fun, because there is no such thing as extra credit, analyze the quote. Publish your analysis and tell us which news source the quote is from in the comments.

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