Media should look in the mirror
Photo above from the YouTube video that went viral after police in McKinney, Texas broke up a pool party.
I guess we should watch what we wish for. Last week, I could not help but notice the unending posts of photos of Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner and all the comments pro and con re: what he/she is going through (I have nothing new to add that will convince anyone to think a certain way). But like everything else in the news, the story’s life finally faded from our view and was replaced by something else.
Unfortunately, it was not the great performance of American Pharoah in the Triple Crown or LeBron James single handedly carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers on his shoulders.
Instead, we are now treated with another story about white cops, black youth, and whether or not an officer was justified in his actions (Again, I have nothing new to add to convince anyone to think a certain way).
(Claudia Gestro)
Why is it we allow the media to shove garbage down our throats and to inflame matters into a frenzy only to leave for a juicier story without fully delving into the craziness they have created? Are all white cops prejudiced and over react when they encounter blacks? Are all blacks poor, angry, and fed up with a government that enslaved their ancestors and has failed to meet their present needs?
Or is it possible the bulk of our law enforcement, white, black, brown, male, female, gay, or straight are decent humans who only want to make a positive difference in this world? Is it also possible the overwhelming number of people of color in this nation also want to make a positive difference in this world and have grown tired of the negativity our media loves to paint?
And is it possible the vast majority of white people in this nation want to see greater equality for all citizens and are not interested in retreating into a world more like Apartheid South Africa and less like one our founding fathers envisioned?
Perhaps it is time we not only hold others to a higher level of accountability, but look into the mirror and ask what it is each of us is doing that is adding to these problems. After all, if as individuals we are each able to fool ourselves into thinking, “I am not part of the problem,” then no one is and the problems only continue.
So let’s all try to quit pointing fingers for a while and refuse to be guided by a media that prefers to instigate problems rather than solve them and see where that leads us. It certainly cannot lead us to anywhere worse off than the politicians, media, and pundits would like us to believe.
James Moore is a life long resident of California and retired school teacher with 30 years in public education. Jim earned his BA in History from CSU Chico in 1981 and his MA in Education from Azusa Pacific University in 1994. He is the author of Teaching The Teacher: Lessons Learned From Teaching and currently runs his own personal training business, In Home Jim, in Hemet, CA. Jim’s writings are often the end result of his thoughts mulled over while riding his bike for hours on end.