Sadly, it isn’t very often that you see people in position of power tell the truth in public. Especially in today’s world, it simply easier to say what people want to hear.
Donald Trump is a classic example of that in politics. He has played on the fears and concerns of Americans all the way to the top of the Republican ticket.
He has figured out what a third of this country wants to hear, and perfected his delivery.
He knows he can say damn near anything, and his people will believe it.
Every now and then he will say something regarding this country that is actually a fact. For example, I can tell you for sure he was telling the truth during a moment in last week’s Republican debate.
Trump said former president George W. Bush did not keep America safe. He said that it George W. in the White House when Osama Bin Laden knocked down the World Trade Centers. He added that George W. missed valuable information that may have stopped the attack, and then took us into a war based on misinformation, or ‘lies’, as Trump called them.
Everything Trump stated about the 9/11 attacks was true.
And let me tell you why I know it was the truth. The audience, filled with Republicans, booed him.
The crowd booed him because they are not interested in the truth. They want fairytales such as President Obama is a Muslim, and he was born outside the United States.
Well, John Skipper, president of ESPN, told the truth the other day. He said there are not enough black voices in sports today.
“There is nothing more important in our culture today than race relations,” said Skipper, speaking at the Red/Code media conference in California.
Skipper went on to say that ESPN employs, 42 of the nation’s 49 African-America writers. “Shame on the rest of the press media,” Skipper said.
Skipper is one of the few leaders in the media industry to speak out on diversity, actually, the stunning lack of diversity, in the business. He sees the value in the voice of African-American men and women.
“It’s social, it’s cultural, it’s ideological and it’s business,” said Skipper, of theESPN’s commitment to diversity. “African-Americans are a very important part of our constituency. They watch a lot of sports. And I believe that we have to be their home, and they have to believe that we represent their interests.”
Now, I am sure the people who have called every black columnist a ‘nigger’, and called every female writer a vulgar name over the years, think Skipper has lost his damn mind.
Diversity is so needed in today’s media. I could scan newspapers, websites, and television networks every day, and show you stories that I know a black person hasn’t touched.
As recent as this week, at a Bernie Sanders’ event in Atlanta, the men of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, which has been in existence, since 1911, put on a ‘step-show’ at the rally.
A reporter for the Huffington Post called it an ‘extravagant dance routine’. I assure you, a black editor didn’t see that piece. He/she would’ve corrected it because they would have invariably known that was black fraternity. Black fraternities are a part of black culture.
I can see someone saying not describing the tradition of a black frat is not a big deal. However, the dissemination of misinformation like the Ques stepping, and stereotypes of black folk adds up, and it is damaging to the many misperceptions of the black community.
Frankly, this is precisely why sites such asThe African-American Athlete are needed. We need platforms to offer a perspective from the experiences of the African-American community.
We need places to celebrate, discuss, inform and debate issues of athletics, society, and culture that are important to us. Because as John Skipper said, it’s a ‘shame’ mainstream media doesn’t see the value.
So, we will just do our own.
Linked below is more from Skipper’s interview, as well as the Omega’s ‘extravagant’ dance routine at the Bernie Sanders’ rally.
Video of Skipper on diversity.
