Hugest waste of time ever (race card bonus)

[Chanlin]

This reminds me of a book I read about bias in the news media. One bit talks about news programs not wanting to appear racist in certain situations. On example they gave was when Alabama (I think) reinstated the chain gang for a short time a news team from CBS was sent to cover it. The footage they took never aired because the shots didn't contain any white prisoners. It wasn't due to racism, it was simply due to the fact that there were no white prisoners to take any footage of at the times they filmed. It had nothing to do with racism and everything to do with timing and simply that is the way it is type thing.

It'd be the same thing for Mysty since she works at a newspaper. If there are no black people in the pictures its because there were none to take any pictures of in the stories being run. Thats not racism... ITS NEWS!!!!

[MystyGlyttyr]

I got a bad feeling about this. I'm also hoping I'm not sounding racist, though it does to my own ears.

Assuming they show up, and see the photos.

Minor question: Do the photos come with small bits on what articiles they were on? Are they mostly people being arreseted for so and so?

They could turn it then that the paper only cares about minorities being arreseted.

So for backup, you should have the ten inches of whites being arrested.

Trust me, I had the same thought myself that they could turn that into their agenda. But after going through the piles of papers and all the stories, there were only about 15 (in that whole deep stack) that were pictures/stories involving crimes committed by minorities. And of those, about 10 were the same two people because there was a couple recently who did...unspeakable things to their child so every time we do an update on that story, we run their mugshots.

Don't forget, this is ARKANSAS, where most of our criminals, particularly at this time of year are dumb toothless hick rednecks. (As ugly as THAT sounds, just trust me on this one. Hunting season brings out the best and brightest for some reason.)

The rest are preachers, athletes, students, politicians, activists, groups of people on the street where some just happen to be black/Asian/Mexican/purple/whatever, etc. So we've got the full range of topics covered.

So, I don't know what's going to happen. I was begging the editors to let me have just five minutes alone with this group to verbally castrate them, but they won't let me. Oh well. I'm sure the editors will get some good shots in...

[MystyGlyttyr]

Well, THAT was interesting.

So the meeting was set for ten this morning. The editors clean up the meeting room, have all their armament for proving these people wrong, the owner is downstairs lathering himself into a massive Tazmanian Devil fit in preparation to bring the hammer down as hard as he can possibly bring it.

So when the group of four kindly little preachers come in and go to the meeting, all goes silent for about half an hour. And when they come out, everyone is talking and joking and laughing together. I'm naturally a bit WTF.

Comes out from my editor, the preachers sat down, took one look at the stack of papers, and basically said "Oh my God, what an idiot."

Apparently, there was some rogue agent in their group who was stirring and whipping all this up, telling these guys about all kinds of horrible things our paper was doing, and either was cutting out sections of our paper or otherwise doing something to keep them from noticing ANY of the stories I prepared yesterday, as they were making comments to the effect of "this was not in our files." And apparently, the more they looked at, the madder they got.

So they APOLOGIZED for the issue, shot the breeze for a while, and then left...annnd I get the sense that when they get back to whoever was in their group spreading the misinformation, they're going to EAT HIM ALIVE.

Lesson being, do not cross the preachers.

[earl colby pottinger]

Reporter

Can't you get a reporter in that room?

Boy, would that be a fun story to run.


The thing that gets me is that there are things that the majority of Blacks around here (Ontario, Canada) do not do.

If I go to the 'Fishing and Sportman's Show' or the 'Boating Show' I see a ton of fellow Blacks in the crowd, but until recently if I go to the 'Cottage Life Show' the on fellow Black in a sea of White has been my brother who owns the property besides me. The same situation usually applied to the computer clubs in the 1980's that I went too ( nothing but white geeks ).

There is something like 150 cottages in our Lake Association, and I am the only Black face at the meetings! I find nothing strange that reading most Cottage magazines that I see only White faces in on most pages - that is the reality.

PS. The most resistance I would get to going up North to the cottage is from my fellow Blacks too!

[friendofjimmyk]

Mysty - I can't remember - are you in the U.S.? If so, are people ACTUALLY trying to pull this shit in the U.S.? The place where history was just made? Where a person of color was not only running for *the* office of the U.S. but WON that office? If there is a newspaper in the U.S. that has not had a person of color in it during this past year, I would go on a limb and say that the paper was a teeny bit biased.

[taxguykarl]

This reminds me of a book I read about bias in the news media.

Bernie Goldberg's Bias Right. I thoroughly enjoyed that one.

[Dilorenzo]

Not surprised at this... well, no, that's not true. That the group who showed up apologised was a surprise, because, well... it's usually fanatics who run this kind of thing, and fanatics don't let facts stand in the way of a good rant.

But as to the beginning of it, no, not surprised, because there are some folks that just like to be able to rail about things.

Also, Bloody Mary, that last sentance sounds terrifically racist... honestly, it's not, and I can't really think of another way to phrase it.

[wraiths_crono]

Hmmm I think I would love to have someone say my business is racist because I have hired no black, mexicans, japanese, russians, etc...... simply for the reason of........ IM THE ONLY EMPLOYEE of my own self business har har har!

[BookstoreEscapee]

But as to the beginning of it, no, not surprised, because there are some folks that just like to be able to rail about things.

Also, Bloody Mary, that last sentance sounds terrifically racist... honestly, it's not, and I can't really think of another way to phrase it.

Not really...you'll find those types in just about every demographic. Unfortunately.

[TOLady]

I feel for the poor trees that have given their life for copies for stupidity/nothing!

Arghhhhh - does it never end????

One last comment from me - No newspaper should be considered as black or white, but they should all be well-read
__________

I really need to think of a quip other than "one day closer to retirement". The current economics strongly suggest that I won't be retiring any time soon

[bunnyboy]

Mysty - I can't remember - are you in the U.S.? If so, are people ACTUALLY trying to pull this shit in the U.S.? The place where history was just made? Where a person of color was not only running for *the* office of the U.S. but WON that office? If there is a newspaper in the U.S. that has not had a person of color in it during this past year, I would go on a limb and say that the paper was a teeny bit biased.

For some he oddly wasn't black enough.

I've actually heard that Obama's an Oreo from a couple people, makes me snicker a little.

oh crap I'm a RAAAAAAACCCCCIIIIISSSSSSTTTTTTT!!!!!!11111eleventy 1!

[KhirasHY]

Apparently, there was some rogue agent in their group who was stirring and whipping all this up, telling these guys about all kinds of horrible things our paper was doing, and either was cutting out sections of our paper or otherwise doing something to keep them from noticing ANY of the stories I prepared yesterday, as they were making comments to the effect of "this was not in our files." And apparently, the more they looked at, the madder they got.

So they APOLOGIZED for the issue, shot the breeze for a while, and then left...annnd I get the sense that when they get back to whoever was in their group spreading the misinformation, they're going to EAT HIM ALIVE.

Lesson being, do not cross the preachers.

Oh no they didn'...er, wait, they apologized? And...admitted they were wrong? And...they were pissed at the person who started this whole thing?



Amazing. I didn't even know that could happen any more! Nice to know you found some decent folks for this story to end with...

[mharbourgirl]

Apparently, there was some rogue agent in their group who was stirring and whipping all this up,

An illustrative parable, if you will: it's a nice summer day, you've found a public pool that is not too crowded, not too noisy, and everyone is enjoying themselves. Until this one little kid comes along and starts thrashing around and shrieking and generally being a total attention whore, spoiling the experience for everyone else.

Which is to say, for every 4 genuine followers of a given faith, there is one who just uses it to make a lot of noise and generally make everyone else who follows that belief system look bad.

But sometimes the other 4 go back and stuff the noisemaker down a dark hole and beat the stuffins out of him (figuratively speaking).

That was awesome, Mysty.

[Dark-Star]

Why can't we just point and laugh at these people?

Because they might sue us for being 'intolerant', causing emotional distress, publicly slandering their reputation, or any of a hundred such nonsense terms.

[Chanlin]

Bernie Goldberg's Bias Right. I thoroughly enjoyed that one.

Yep that would be the one. I found it to be a fairly well written book.