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Mar

20

Female black reporter beaten on camera by relatives of suspect; yes, they’re white


As a a journalist, a woman, a white person, anything else that someone could you use to distinguish and identify me from anyone else, but especially as a sentient human being, I am made speechless by this story, which, as the reporter says, is, in her opinion, no different from many others except that it was caught on camera. When Rush Limbaugh says that, “America, I think, for the most part (there are, of course, exceptions to this) has transcended race. There’s so much evidence of that that I don’t even want to waste time citing it,” we can say, I think, for the most part, Rush doesn’t know what the hell he is talking about.

H/t BSB.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:03 pm March 20th, 2008 in Social Issues, Law, Civil Rights, Women, Culture, Media 

Comments

30 Responses to “Female black reporter beaten on camera by relatives of suspect; yes, they’re white”

  1. 1 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 1:08 pm

    I thought Obama moved us beyond race?

  2. 2 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 1:10 pm

    Joe - that’s not even remotely funny. I know you know better. Be more constructive and show more about what you mean and/or are thinking.

  3. 3 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 1:31 pm

    The point is that politicians’ talk does not move us beyond reality.

  4. 4 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 1:33 pm

    Joe - that’s not what this is about and you know it. This post exists separately from Obama. Try to address that.

  5. 5 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 1:50 pm

    If the post is not about Obama, why bring in Limbaugh? Limbaugh says we are beyond race, Obama says that he will unify us regardless of race. Talk is cheap.

    There is still a lot of racial tension. Thanks a great deal to a certain political party and race pimps that make a living stirring up racial divides. Then there is a counter movement, which you can blame on certain conservative media types, that says blame all of your problems i.e. job loss, etc on the minority. These are Right wingers who bitch that liberals want to be always be victims, but then blame everyone else for everything bad that happens to white people.(more victims)

    The people in this video are poor uneducated fools and human garbage. They have been manipulated into thinking they are victims of minorities taking their justic, jobs, birthright whatever other nonsense they beleive. The real divide in this country is socio-economic not race. Get educated and take personal responsibility for yourself and your actions then you don’t need a scape goat.

  6. 6 tim russo on March 20th, 2008 1:52 pm

    thanks for the hat tip, jill! i’ll be sure to note it in my vote for your blog!

  7. 7 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 1:54 pm

    Joe - don’t get cheeky now. Come on. Rush would be reviled to think that you think he doesn’t stand by his words separate and apart from some Democratic presidential nominee of any race.

    Deal with the content of the post, Joe. Do not pull Karl Roves etc. I won’t engage - you’ve seen me do that.

  8. 8 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 1:55 pm

    Tim - thanks for posting it - I’m appalled that I haven’t heard about it from the media/journalism and women’s angle, let alone the race piece.

  9. 9 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 2:05 pm

    Then here is what I think of this specific post- Poor white trash that blames the black/brown minority man/woman for all of his problems. It is getting coverage because it was a reporter.

  10. 10 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 2:15 pm

    Quick question would you ever name a post this, if no why?…

    “Female white reporter beaten on camera by relatives of suspect; yes, they’re black”

  11. 11 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 2:15 pm

    Joe - are “white trash” exempted from having to be human to other humans? It’s getting coverage because there was a camera there, period. Think of George Allen and macaca - we know about it because there was a camera there.

  12. 12 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 2:16 pm

    Absolutely.

  13. 13 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 2:20 pm

    I don’t exempt anyone from teating human beings and innocent human life with dignity.

    I am calling you out (just as I would Rush)- I can not imagine you posting the opposite headline. You would honestly post a headline where you would say “obviously it was black people that did this.”?

  14. 14 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 2:22 pm

    Joe - I do not want to make you regret trying to stuff the ballot box in my favor for favorite female blogger (that’s a joke)- so let me say this:

    The contributing factors you name are contributing factors. But we know that education and intelligence often have nothing to do with prejudice of any kind. There are really smart people who hate gays and really not smart people who love the really smart people who hate gays. That’s just an example.

    As I wrote elsewhere, if we’re relying on education to do the trick, we’re not being serious.

  15. 15 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 2:26 pm

    I think education exposes you to a lot more people than you would normally interact with. This then, in my opinion, increases the odds that you are open to others. (I do appreciate your cheap and shameless plug for female blogger, well played)

  16. 16 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 2:29 pm

    I am calling you back out though. If there was a drive by shooting in Cleveland, would you write a headling such as “White teenager gunned down near high school by gangbangers, yes they were black”

    I honestly can not imagine you posting something like that. I would be shocked

  17. 17 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 2:58 pm

    I would never call anyone a gangbanger. :)

    Here’s the thing - there is a context to my writing the headline the way I did and suppose to people who aren’t in on it or are not sensitive to the fact that if I’m using labels like that, what happened must REALLY piss me off.

    First - she’s a reporter. Second, she’s a she. Third, they were on camera.

    All those things alone make it unbelievable.

    And of course even if none of those things attained, it’s not like I’d be, “Oh well - people get assaulted randomly often enough that it’s no big deal.” I was mugged randomly - it was a BIG deal but not because of it being five black teenagers on the streets of NYC. But because…I GOT MUGGED! Period.

    The fact that it was a group of white people and a black reporter makes the situation even more outrageous - to me. Obviously everyone won’t feel the same sense of outrage - we’ve been through that before around here.

    Now - I understand - I am not blind to what you are saying you can’t imagine me writing as a headline (without the gangbanger reference). I might pause - but you know what? I paused before I wrote the headline for this post and that’s good - but then I used the power of how it stands out from what I usually write because of the power of that video and that incident.

    The additional back story is this:

    one of my kids told us about an incident at one of the schools in our district. Three kids had been physically fighting for three days and were about to be expelled. there was more specifics but after i heard the details, I wanted to know, were the kids black. I felt HORRIBLE for thinking that, but I did think it.

    HOWEVER - I did not ask. Why not? Because I could hear the progress in the way the story was told, by a child who has taken unity and cultural awareness classes in school (there’s the education piece for you) and my child spoke from another generation - and I spoke from a generation for which it was common to ask or be asked that.

    But no more. However, for the readers of this blog, and me as the writer of this blog - using those words, white and black, are very powerful. I thought about saying African American and Caucasian and you know what - that just didn’t fit it.

    Is the title wrong? Is there something that would have conveyed my disgust better?

    I will think about that. So thanks for bringing it up.

    But under no circumstances did I do it lightly or with no thought at all.

  18. 18 Joe Amschlinger on March 20th, 2008 3:08 pm

    Good commentary. I think it a lot of interesting discussion and thinking to continue as always on WLST. Remember Zimon Miller in ‘08 http://action.wvwv.org/favorite_blogger

  19. 19 King on March 21st, 2008 6:18 am

    I thought Joe A’s first remark was very funny

  20. 20 Bad American on March 21st, 2008 7:18 am

    Jill, Jill, Jill,

    You’re trying to reason with conservatives. You know what a fool’s errand that is.

    Joe: “I don’t exempt anyone from teating human beings and innocent human life with dignity.”

    Like the US Army in Iraq? Ah, but we send the grieving families a check - that makes everything all right, doesn’t it?

  21. 21 TimFerris on March 21st, 2008 8:30 am

    I think it’s odd that the other reporter and crew didn’t help out–they just filmed the whole thing–when a fight’s uneven, the first thing you do is try to even it up.

  22. 22 Joe Amschlinger on March 21st, 2008 12:15 pm

    Bad American: You are truley a great American, -liberal that is. Blame America for everything. Spit on the grave of the troops. The U.S. treats people humanely and stands up to those who don’t- our military does the heavy lifting on this (also called courage). We are killing terrorists and insurgents (mostly Iranian) in Iraq who care nothing of the Iraqi people. Where is your outrage for China, Bad? Oh as long as you espouse Lennonist and Marxist ideology you can do no wrong, I forgot. Where are you liberals calling out Bin Laden as a fraud? Osammy cares so much about the Palestinians, just like Libs do. Osama has spents millions upon millions to attack the U.S. The Palestinians could not have used that money? Just like the media darling Yasser Arafat, a fraud through and through. The U.S. has done more for the Arab world than all of the Bin Ladens and Arafats combined.

    Wake up, the U.S. is not the bad guy. You have been brainwashed against the country that has given you everything. You are a spoiled brat.

  23. 23 Bad American on March 21st, 2008 12:42 pm

    Brainwashed? Oh my heavens! This coming from a guy who has obviously had a long, deep drink of the imperialist, exceptionalist, jingoistic kool aid. I know I shouldn’t be arguing with the delusional and demented, but simple truth requires it.

    First of all, learn how to spell. It lends credence to your arguments, such as they are. Or perhaps you were so angry in your reply that the spittle flying from your lips may have interfered with your fingers typing. In any case, start there.

    I noticed you didn’t even comment on my comment - the fact that the US is responsible for a pile of corpses in Iraq and we assuage our guilt by cutting checks to the victims as if that’s enough for the grieving families we are bringing ‘democracy’ to.

    Want to read a truthful article about the paradise we brought Iraq from a correspondent who grew up there?
    http://tinyurl.com/2jphvh

    But then again, you may not, since the truth hurts most conservatives, warmongers and closet racists.

    And by the way, I wore the uniform during the first Gulf War - did you? Because I really don’t think you can comment unless you’ve seen the sausage made, as it were.

    As for the Chinese, I can’t stand them. They aren’t true socialists but the worse kind of control freak capitalists and I wouldn’t be sending Olympic athletes to dignify their brutal and repressive regime. But thanks to American capitalists and their greed, China now has our economy in their grasp. Learn to worship your masters because they could pull the plug on us any time.

    As for Osama bin Laden, are you actually sure he’s alive? And if so, why didn’t your fearless leader in the White House grab him when we had the chance early in this war? Is it, perhaps, because he’s more useful as a propaganda totem alive than dead?

    And I don’t think I even commented on the Palestinians, but for the record, if you had to live like a citizen of the occupied territories for a week, you’re view might be altered a little bit.

    But since you demonstrate no real working knowledge of history other than what was spoon fed you by ‘approved’ textbooks, I can’t expect you to understand how other people in other lands might view our benevolent and exceptional shining city on the hill. You are, in essence, a typical American - contented, dumb and arrogant with the blood of millions on your hands.

    Just because I was born here I don’t believe I have any divine right to allow my government to rule the world for the sake of international banking or oil cartels. It might make you feel all warm and runny at night but the thought of what has been done in the name of the American people horrifies me and fills me with dread and disgust.

  24. 24 Joe Amschlinger on March 21st, 2008 1:43 pm

    Spelling- This is a blog and the internet, get over it.

    I did comment on you mocking the death of our troops as a mere payoff to their families and called it- you spitting on their graves. As far as I know the majority of troops are not doing this for the money. There are plenty of easier and safer ways to make a buck. However comrade, you must see the world through the “capitalist is bad” lens.

    I can trade articles all day with you showing that the surge is working and that a democratic foundation is being built. Liberals only want bad news. You have to root for a bad outcome in Iraq to defend your fools in Congress who voted for it and who are now opposed to it in order to assuage the Left Wing Radicals.

    I can not have an opinion on the war unless I serve? That is an interesting interpretation of the freedom of speech that you actually fought for. Well I vote and take very seriously the selection of the Commander in Chief. Thanks for your service, but that does not make you the only person that can have an opinion/voice. *I blame George B I for this mess. We should have taken care of Saddam back then. -Would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

    Why didn’t Clinton kill Bin Laden the 100x he had the chance. Oh, yes, he cared more about world opinion (BJs) than defending American lives. Our military IS trying to find Bin Laden and kill him.

    If I lived like a Palestinian I would fight the corrupt government that the West thrust upon me - formerly Arafat and now Hamas, ISRAEL IS NOT THE PROBLEM!!!!!! The Arab worlds uses Palestinians when it suits them to rail against the West. The Israelis let them vote, give them concessions and it is never enough. Mideast peace is a JOKE! The majority of the Arab world wants to destroy Israel, not have peace. America needs to stand by the one Democracy in the Middle East.

    You have bitten of the apple of Western guilt. Name me an accomplishment of the hard core Mulsim-Arab world. Name me what they have done for peace, medicine humanity in the last few centuries. Muslim and non-Muslim Arabs in Western societies with freedom and liberty accomplish things. Not all cultures are equal. That is multicultural nonsense. You spit on America because it is hip and effete to. I don’t. Y
    You flippantly call Bush a Hitler, while real butchering occurs around the world. Have we assisted some of these butchers at first (Saddam, Osama, Mugabe)? Yes. Has it always bit us in the ass? Yes. Do we stand up on the right side eventually? Yes.

    Trust me friend it is conservatives who want us to maintain freedoms, not the liberals. Liberals sit silent while Muslim cultures throw homosexuals off buildings. Where are the GLBT “community” to protest that? If a gay person in this country is taunted a federal case is open. It is liberals who sit silent when the Chinese commit atrocities and murders, but raise holy hell when a pervert can’t get public funding for his/her art. Liberals are cowards and they target the easy target here. When is NOW planning a trip to the Mideast to picket the treatment of women??? When is Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson planning a trip to Du Bai to protest the treatment of Christians? When is PETA going to stand up to animal abuse in China? NEVER, all are cowards who want media attention here. They want to fight Col. Sanders not Chairman Mao.

    Wake up.

  25. 25 Bad American on March 21st, 2008 6:39 pm

    What a sad waste of a St. Ignatius education. The brothers would undoubtedly be very sad to see one of their products spewing such nonsense. You are all over the map in your ‘rebuttal.’ Tell you what, its really not worth my time going down all the avenues your raw hatred travels so you can tell your right wing drinking buddies you bested the liberal if that feeds your ego. Yah! You win!! Have a beer. Or five.

    You are young and full of yourself. I hope that when you put a few more years of experience under your belt you’ll be able to mount a coherent, intellectual and empirical defense of your views rather than an incoherent rant.

    By the way, I’m male and 45.

    And it may drive you crazy, but I was once a Young Republican (Lake County) as well AND a GOP District Chair as late as 1995.

    You CAN evolve!

  26. 26 Joe Amschlinger on March 22nd, 2008 11:35 am

    If my rebuttal is too meandering fot you then blame yourself. I just responded to each of your points. Your whole response to me was to attack me personally and then complain I can’t back anything up with empirical evidence (your evidence was a link to a first hand account by a journalist- who are always unbiased). My goal is not to beat you. My goal is for those who view threads like this to put our two arguments side by side and hear a conservative viewpoint. You like freedom of speech, don’t you? My goal is not to win, but I am glad I got under your skin.

  27. 27 Bad American on March 22nd, 2008 12:15 pm

    Actually you didn’t get under my skin any more than I may have gotten under yours. Your points are repeated ad nauseum all over talk radio and have been rebutted quite often. And we could get into a gigantic battle over dueling stories. The thing would be I would consider my sources unbiased and you would reply in kind. We’d get nowhere and this is not our site to engage in sandbox antics. By the way - and you didn’t attack me personally? Please. I also notice the things in my replies you choose to ignore and I find that amusing all on its own.

  28. 28 Jill Miller Zimon on March 22nd, 2008 9:57 pm

    Oy - I want you to know I’ve been following what you’ve both written and suffice it to say that I’m exhausted keeping up! But I’m glad you’re going at it.

    Joe - I don’t agree with a batch of your assertions about liberals being cowards. The things you say they won’t defend or go after? You don’t go on to show how conservatives handle the matters any better. Where’s that?

  29. 29 Jill Miller Zimon on March 22nd, 2008 9:59 pm

    I’ll add, Joe, that the most interesting consistency I find in what I read that you’ve written and that I noticed in the few other conservative bloggers I follow most closely is that they are always saying that someone else made them do something. That drives me nuts. What is with that?? Again, for the party that supposedly stresses personal responsibility, I’ve found conservative bloggers to be the first to say that someone else made them do something.

    I do not get that.

  30. 30 Time to Get Down and Dirrty When Dealing With Repug Fascists « Bad American on March 26th, 2008 1:38 pm

    […] And if nothing else, making your opinions heard on local politically neutral boards gets your message out rebutting the repugs as I did with the insufferable Joe Amschlinger here. […]

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