America’s Identity, Lost

Hate-Mongering Media controls America’s perception.

For the last few weeks, we here at Afro American Pie have dedicated ourselves to bringing to light the feelings and pulse of the unspoken, the unsaid. Today, I feel as though we should use that voice to sound off on the one entity that seemingly controls the way we think, the way we communicate, the visions we see and perspectives we hear. I’m talking about sensationalism and the American Media.

The FCC has rules in place to protect Americans from certain words and images deemed inappropriate for its citizens and yet allows the USA Network, among others, to broadcast the word “n______” in every African American movie it plays. These same sensors bleep out the word God in a curse, but leave n____ for our children to hear. What’s the difference in bleeping out God with the “damned” as its precursor but yet openly allow young children to be exposed to such as if it’s nothing. I’ve personally written to USA in regards to this outrage with no response. That tells me all I need to know. The media wants us to continue to be n______s regardless to how any African American parent feels about it.

“If you don’t like it, just turn it off.” How many times have we heard our counterparts tell us this when we voice our frustrations. That is the same apathy that is killing the strength of our American citizens. There used to be a phrase that said “If you don’t like it, fix it.” Why can’t we still stand for action as opposed to absolution? Turning off what we don’t like will not get it off the air!

This brings me to my next point; The New York Governor prostitution story that has been burning up the periodicals. Granted, Ex-Governor Spitzer deserves what he faces for disobeying the laws he was elected to hold us accountable for. My issue is not with him or his handling but rather the young woman who the media has decided to turn into their next Brittany Spears. Where are the controls for privacy? Should her myspace page been accessed, pictures reprinted, family address given to the public? And should we know her name? Remember, as of yet no crime has been committed. There have been no arrests. They have a Governor apologizing for something he hasn’t exactly admitted to yet. BUT they released the woman’s information to a frothing public. They publish her half-naked image on the cover of the New York Post and elevate her to Anna Nicole Smith status all for the sake of ratings.

Barack Obama’s Pastor MUST be the lips, larynx, and brain of the deep-seeded hatred for America brewing within the Black Church, as well as the Black community. As outlandish as that seems, that’s how the news is portraying him. It is as if Mr. Obama has to waste time focusing on the comments (taken out of text) of his Pastor instead of focusing on that is truly important, America.

This type of sensationalism is detrimental, not only to America’s focus on the upcoming election, but also to America’s focus as a whole. It’s as if with all of America’s troubles, the media wants us to forget we’ve got a 5 year, bloody war going on. They want us to forget gas prices will be at $4.00 by summer time. They don’t want to talk about the crime rates in various inner-cities. They don’t want to remind us that Louisiana is still hurting and broken. They don’t want us to look at the tornado in Atlanta like it’s a bad thing. They don’t want us focusing on President Bush’s wire-tap initiatives. They don’t want us to think about the gates they are building around America and the implications of what this truly does to our citizens living on or near those borders. Don’t allow them to remind us that food prices are escalating. Don’t let them tell you of the real damage those West coast wildfires are doing to the climate and environment for our neighbors. The media doesn’t care about the affects global warming is having on the planet we live in. They don’t care that other places in the world are living in violence, abject poverty and fear (in some cases, a direct cause of this Bush War on Oil). They must not want us to focus on raising our children with morals and values because they show us that our Black youth have to be angst-ridden, material-focused, bratty, disrespectful and uneducated.

Media is allowed to be partisan, subjective, and allowed to flood the airwaves with stories that aren’t newsworthy, perspectives that are unique and not the true voice of America, and seemingly without fear of punishment or even a harsh chiding.

We should be embarrassed that most Americans know who the next American Idol is, who Trump fired this week, or how many points their sports hero put up in last night’s game but can’t spout off any positive changes to our society within the last five years. We should be saddened by how much we know about Britney Spear’s parenting skills and how least we are aware of gas prices, per barrel and exactly what that means.

My point is simply, until we decide to be aware, they will continue to show us what they “think” we need to see. If we cannot see that their blinding of our people is wrong, dangerous, and unfairly misrepresentative of all people, then perhaps the media has already won.