There is an epidemic in our country: people calling the police on other people, especially those of color or minorities, who are doing nothing wrong. Its individuals walking up to strangers, mostly people of color, and telling them to leave the country or stay out of their neighborhoods. Is it a reflection of the fear so many experiences on a daily basis, or is it pure racism?
A video on You Tube[i] went viral last week. It raised racism to new heights. The dustup occurred in the LA area when a woman yelled at and harangued a 27-year-old Latino who was working in a customer’s yard.
“Go back to Mexico,” she yelled as she crossed the street to shout epitaphs at the man and his mother.
Mr. Guzman, it turns out, is a citizen of the US, a college graduate with a steady professional job, and a homeowner. His mother cleans houses and yards for her customers. He helps her on weekends.
Mr. Guzman confronted the woman. “Why do you hate us?
“Because you’re Mexican,” she said.
“We are honest people right here.”
“Ha-ha… Yeah... Rapists and animals!” The accusations went on to include drug users and gang membership.
“Do you believe what you are saying?” Mr. Guzman asked the woman.
“Of course, because I heard it on the news.”
“Do you believe everything you hear on the news?”
“Yes… even the President says so.”
I believe that she really does believe that Mexicans particularly and Hispanics, in general, are thieves, rapists, drug users and any other accusations you want to pile on. She believes it because even the President says so.
Between talk radio and cable news outlets, and agenda-driven newspapers, we are reliving a world punctuated by Yellow Journalism. The late 1800s saw Yellow Journalism flourish between two competitive New York City newspapers. Their owners, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst preferred sensationalism to facts. Both had agendas and both reported in ways that supported their agendas.
Cable TV and talk radio, The Huffington Post, Red State and other newspapers are today’s equivalent of Yellow Journalism, more concerned with sensationalism than fact. The lack of journalistic integrity is a major reason why hate and distrust permeate our land, why our social fabric is fraying, why our value systems are called into question almost daily, and why our politics is so polarized that Congress is in a perpetual stalemate.
An old adage says that what comes out of your mouth is a reflection of what is in your heart. Donald Trump tweets what is in his heart, and that makes him partially to blame for our current state of affairs. A large minority of the people support his vision for the country. Another large group dislikes his vision and direction. So be it! That is what happens in a democracy.
Trump’s approach, however, is different from other presidents, and in the end, is a disservice to the nation. His tweets and general comments are usually negative, debasing, and impolite, to say nothing of the overwhelming narcissism. He does not show respect for the office he holds.
A casual review of the President’s tweets for May and June 2018 shows comment after comment, day after day, that debase people, that call them names, that mock them, and that invigorate his base.[ii] A deeper review of the President’s tweets displays falsehood after falsehood. Extreme right-wing radio, TV, blogs, and newspapers pick up the falsehoods and publish them as truths. Sensationalism triumphs again, and legitimate journalism is called fake news.
The President’s tweets and his public comments resounded with his followers and echoed his sentiments. Almost overnight, it became legitimate, again, to call people names, to ban immigrants because of their religion, to be derogatory to minorities, to ask citizens of color to go back home and to separate children from their families.
