In that weird and sometimes wonderful land called America we have the first ever Black presidential candidate, Barack Obama,
"strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees" so sang the great blues / Jazz singer Billie Holiday, the song is about the lynching of Black Americans, a practice which was still happening in the 1950's so, well done America, this is progress.
Can he win ? after 8 Yrs. of the worst American President ever IMO, he should be a stick on certainty but, recent events show what he is going to have to 'overcome'
Obama and his wife Michelle were photographed celebrating by touching their clenched knuckles together known as the "the fist bump"
The New York Times called it a "closed fisted high-five" as demonstrated by sportsmen and women and, mainly youths who want to look 'hip'
like Mike Russell of the SNP I prefer a 'hand shake'
In a quite stunning and sinister intervention Rupert Murdoch's Fox News called it a "terrorist fist jab" anyone who hasn't seen Fox News should have a look, it makes The Daily Mail look Liberal, it's Joe McCarthy for our modern times.
Despite the progress that I described earlier, America still has this dark shadow over it and it brings shame on the millions of decent Americans who abhor racism.
We have to consider that a national/international news station (Fox News)saw fit to print this, newspapers today are carrying pictures of the following people doing the "fist bump" Bett Middler, Oprah Winfrey, Prince Charles, Robbie Williams, The Dalai Lama, Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Tiger Woods and Prince Andrew to name a few. Are Fox worried about looking ridiculous ? No they are not.
Some people, and I think most of us here would probably think it's a sick joke, we think it's ridiculous, but it's not. Fox News have run with it because they know that a significant amount of Americans will buy it.
This legendary American satirist would have understood, " no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people" - H L Mencken.
Sometimes progress seems like one step forward and two steps back I fear for Obama's chances and more importantly for his safety but I hope I'm wrong, for his sake and for America.
A black candidate is the step forward and what is likely to be the prominence of the race issue is the two steps back, trust me, there is a lot worse to come from the odious owners and commentators on Fox and others who will join in.
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6 comments:
This is the offending clip, from Fox News presenter E.D. Hill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZdt_oCZInc&feature=related
And this is her subsequent apology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InahUzwRSH8&feature=related
Watching these two clips, it seems clear to me that Hill was merely quoting "out there" statements from others in the media, rather than offering her own viewpoint - which is exactly what journalists should do.
You are correct to identify the US TV and radio as biased - it has been ever since the industry was deregulated under Reagan. Whether their system or ours is preferable is open to debate. It has, however, been alleged that the only reason the British TV and Radio media is prevented from partisanship is because the powerful news print media lobbied the Government out of a fear of losing market share to the new upstarts.
(Anonymous) 23/06/08
“And this is her subsequent apology”
you are being a wee bit naïve.
Why?
Did you even watch the clip?
Also, one thing I forgot to point out previously is that the US news media has a broad range of viewpoints - Fox is Right-wing, MSNBC is Left-leaning, and CNN is in the centre.
People choose their network based on their personal political preferences, just like people choose to read a particular paper in this country.
Terry:
If I am to Follow your thesis on America to its natural conclusion, and then apply it to these shores:
Does this imply that:
After one year of never ending misery from the worst Labour Prime Minister in British history, the Tories are therefore a "shoe in", for this Countries next general election??
I'll happily "High five" to that!!
(Anonymous) 24/06/08
I believe it’s naïve to suggest that Fox put out the statement and then claim that they were only reporting others, it’s a pretty old trick.
I watch Fox and CNN and they are both right wing albeit CNN are better at disguising it, MSNBC I am less familiar with but, you seem to be suggesting that America has some sort of fair balanced news system, I find that extremely naïve.
Every small town has it’s right wing shock jock radio host, they are inundated with right wing propaganda.
(Anonymous) 25/06/08
If the British electorate turn out to be as gullible as you then you could be on to something.
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