PrintAugust 9, 2010
'A tragedy no doubt, but...'
The entire country was shocked and saddened last week by a senseless workplace shooting in Connecticut. From the news, we learn that a deranged lunatic ran amok at a beer distributor and gunned down eight innocent people in cold blood.
In the aftermath, several news stories discussed the perception of racial mistreatment by the shooter. Some of those stories seemed to teeter precariously close to the line between attempting to explain the thinking of a deranged man, on the one hand, and on the other hand justifying the shootings as some sort of deserved racial payback.
But one widely-publicized story went way, way over the line. I can only characterize this story as being brutally offensive and insensitive. The story, posted at the News One website, epitomizes the ugliness in trying to justify violence in the name of racial retribution. Unfortunately, this story has been picked up and posted near the top of the news stories at the major web portals, where it receives a lot of circulation.
This hideous piece is entitled "The Omar Thornton Shootings Show Us Racism Is Here To Stay."
If you're like me, your blood began to boil when you read that headline. Stop reading now if you haven't taken your heart medicine, because it gets worse.
The article begins by noting that the brutal slaughter of eight innocents was "a tragedy no doubt, but..." The author, one "Big Ced," then subjects the reader to a dime-store screed about how he sees racism in every facet of his life.
"A tragedy no doubt, but...."
Big Ced: There's no "but" in this story, pal. Eight guys went off to work, kissed their wives and kids goodbye, and never came home, all because a pathetic, narcissistic crazy man felt sorry for himself. This horrific shooting should not be the launching point for you to talk about your own racial perceptions.
"A tragedy no doubt, but...."
There's nothing else in the News One story about the eight innocent gunshot victims. Not one word. No expressions of sympathy for eight grieving families. Instead, we learn from Big Ced that "As a dark-skinned Black man, I experience racism daily" and "How about the hiring practices at corporate companies, subpar treatment at restaurants, housing discrimination, the criminal justice system, etc. The list goes on and on."
Guess what Mister Big Ced, this shooting was not about you.
"A tragedy no doubt, but...."
What makes News One site think the victims were racists? Because the deranged idiot who shot them said so? Here's a tip: Someone who kills eight innocent people, then himself, probably does not see the world all that clearly.
I wonder whether anyone at the News One site bothered to check into the alleged racism. Did they visit the building, check EEOC records, or talk to anyone who works there? Or did they hear "racism," and decide to run with it?
"A tragedy no doubt, but...."
News One, did you think of how the victims' families might feel if they read your story? That you've branded their lost husbands and fathers as racists, and brushed them aside in a barely disguised effort to excuse the idiot who shot them?
In the aftermath, several news stories discussed the perception of racial mistreatment by the shooter. Some of those stories seemed to teeter precariously close to the line between attempting to explain the thinking of a deranged man, on the one hand, and on the other hand justifying the shootings as some sort of deserved racial payback.
But one widely-publicized story went way, way over the line. I can only characterize this story as being brutally offensive and insensitive. The story, posted at the News One website, epitomizes the ugliness in trying to justify violence in the name of racial retribution. Unfortunately, this story has been picked up and posted near the top of the news stories at the major web portals, where it receives a lot of circulation.
This hideous piece is entitled "The Omar Thornton Shootings Show Us Racism Is Here To Stay."
If you're like me, your blood began to boil when you read that headline. Stop reading now if you haven't taken your heart medicine, because it gets worse.
The article begins by noting that the brutal slaughter of eight innocents was "a tragedy no doubt, but..." The author, one "Big Ced," then subjects the reader to a dime-store screed about how he sees racism in every facet of his life.
"A tragedy no doubt, but...."
Big Ced: There's no "but" in this story, pal. Eight guys went off to work, kissed their wives and kids goodbye, and never came home, all because a pathetic, narcissistic crazy man felt sorry for himself. This horrific shooting should not be the launching point for you to talk about your own racial perceptions.
"A tragedy no doubt, but...."
There's nothing else in the News One story about the eight innocent gunshot victims. Not one word. No expressions of sympathy for eight grieving families. Instead, we learn from Big Ced that "As a dark-skinned Black man, I experience racism daily" and "How about the hiring practices at corporate companies, subpar treatment at restaurants, housing discrimination, the criminal justice system, etc. The list goes on and on."
Guess what Mister Big Ced, this shooting was not about you.
"A tragedy no doubt, but...."
What makes News One site think the victims were racists? Because the deranged idiot who shot them said so? Here's a tip: Someone who kills eight innocent people, then himself, probably does not see the world all that clearly.
I wonder whether anyone at the News One site bothered to check into the alleged racism. Did they visit the building, check EEOC records, or talk to anyone who works there? Or did they hear "racism," and decide to run with it?
"A tragedy no doubt, but...."
News One, did you think of how the victims' families might feel if they read your story? That you've branded their lost husbands and fathers as racists, and brushed them aside in a barely disguised effort to excuse the idiot who shot them?
I hope the victims' families do not read the News One site. And I hope Big Ced gets some help overcoming his own narcissism and racial paranoia.
