It Sucks To Be A Lion: Bill O'Reilly & The Proper Use of Stereotypes
Ok, if you love Bill O'Reilly, this post is not for you. Now, let the bashing begin. Bill never ceases to amaze (and horrify) me. The man is clearly intelligent, but his inability (or refusal) to even consider alternative perspectives is scary. Why does that scare me? Well, if an intelligent man like Bill refuses to even listen to dissenting opinions, then there's no hope for the many men and women who worship the ground he walks on. And that, my friends, is a very scary thought.
So, here's the issue. A few days ago, Mr. O'Reilly made some interesting comments on his radio show. He talked about having dinner with Rev. Al Sharpton at a place called Sylvia's, a restaurant in Harlem that is owned and operated by African-Americans. Most of the patrons are also African-American. Bill was shocked that African-Americans weren't acting--you know--crazy! Nothing escaped Bill's sharp eye. Specifically, he said,
I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City . . . There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea . . . There wasn't any kind of craziness at all.Ok, I was speechless when I first read this report on the Media Matters for America website. The first thing that came to mind was, is this guy for real? In all fairness to Bill, his comments were not racist. I think most would agree. However, his comments are troubling because they may represent how the average American views Black people. Seriously, if you're surprised that (average) African-Americans actually act like average Americans, then you must be living in some sort of bubble. I've met African-Americans who are educators, business owners, artists, writers, and so on. Do they not exist in New York City metropolitan area? Hm, maybe I'm the one who's crazy. It's possible that I just imagined meeting well-behaved African-Americans. Maybe my junior high school principal, Mrs. Watson, was a figment of my imagination. How about my 7th grade science teacher, Mr. Anderson? He must have been a magnificent apparition that happened to know the periodic table of elements. These wonderful individuals helped mold me into the person I am today.
The sad reality is that Mr. O'Reilly and others like him are doing what many of us do on a daily basis--rely on stereotypes for various reasons. Yes, it's a cognitive phenomenon that requires very little brain power. Now, don't get me wrong; it can be very useful. For example, if I see a lion charging at me, I probably won't ask questions. I'll just run! I know, it sucks to be a lion; everyone immediately judges you. However, in contemporary American society, we have access to so much information and we live in a country that's economically and socially stable. All we have to do is open our eyes (and minds) and stop being lazy. Yes, many of us are lazy. We can't be bothered to learn a little more about people who aren't like us. Or, we sometimes do the opposite; we focus on an outgroup's negative traits.
So, when you see a woman acting hysterical. Stop and think. Ask a question or two. Maybe she's upset for a valid reason. Or maybe she's just had enough. Many women, in case you didn't know, have to work full-time to help support their families, and they're also expected to devote a lot of time to various household tasks. That's like having two jobs! So, before you judge any woman, please keep this little nugget of information in mind. Sure, women are generally more emotional than men, but they also have to put up with a lot of crap. There are many more examples, but I won't subject you to any more of my liberal musings. So, here's the take home message: America, please stop being lazy. Stereotypes should only be used on those rare occasions when your life and physical well-being are threatened. Give Ethnic Americans and other minorities a chance, they may surprise (and educate) you. Imagine that!
Labels: Culture, Gold, News, Society, Television
7 Comments:
Fabulous post. Thank you for saying what needs to be said about stereotypes and giving people a chance. The white male arrogance of a Bill O'Reilly is grating. The sad thing about him is that the man has no idea how antediluvian he comes across.
i would say that his comments, as excerpted here, are racist. they stem from race-based stereotypes.
also: if you expect people to behave like stereotypes, and treat them that way, don't you create something of a self-fulfilled prophecy? if you expect a black man to be rude, and so you "preemptively" are an asshole to him, then of course you'll be encountering a rude black man.
etc. etc.
sometimes i think this country is lodged so deep in dumb shit we'll never get out of it.
Racism is so stupid. And living in GA I deal with it every day. For example:
On Monday a stupid white man can't get a job and it's all the black peoples' fault because of affirmative action and they are getting all the jobs. On Tuesday the same stupid white man finds a job and blames black people for causing higher taxes because they are all on welfare because they are all lazy and won't work.
I wonder if he can manage to blame black people for his stupidity. Oh I forgot, that's the Mexicans' fault.
Sometimes it scares me that people like that are allowed to reproduce.
I hate O'Reily, but I don't think he's as obtuse or moronic as most of his comments. In reality, I believe that 90% of what he says is purposely said to be divisive, exploitative and for attention (he's an attention whore - he wouldn't say these things if he didn't think he would rile up his critics). He says things he doesn't really believe, but that an awful lot of regular people (people of which I have no use and try to avoid as soon as I find out their ideals) agree with in private (and increasingly, thanks to Talk Radio, public). The fact that much of his comments are just made for sensationalism and for an audience, is what really bothers/horrifies/scares me; if he was just a regular idiot like Pat Robertson, who truly does believe the fecal matter he spits out, I could at least just ignore him like I do all of those types -- but because I get a strong sense that he is saying those things just to shock, just to get attention, and just to arouse the subset of the country that is that brainless (and by giving their views a voice, all he does is reassert that those views are valid - and while they are valid in the existential sense, they should not be accepted and ascribed values in 21st century America) -- or if not brainless, comfortable and attached to their racism -- I find him even more disgusting as both a human being and a media figure.
Here's an idea. Instead of having an obsessive fanatic faith in the accuracy of "media matters", why not actually listen to the full unedited recording of the program?
O'Reilly is boorish and a populist boob in many respects.
However, "media matters" , as per usual, took the quotes of context.
If your stupid or lazy enough to trust a George Soros funded website, you'll get precisely the Government you deserve.
Thanks, Ms. Place. I can't claim to be perfect, but I try my best not to judge a book by its cover, so to speak.
cb, great point. And we are lodged really deep in dumb shit. It's very sad.
Jinxy, yeah, it's terrible that people still say such foolish things. I think it stems from a lack of interest in others and their culture and/or a lack of education.
Christina, that's a very interesting point. You're right, Bill isn't a moron. And it's scary to think that some Americans believe almost anything he says.
Art, I acknowledge that I didn't listen to the entire program. However, I've had issues with him in the past. It's possible that his words were taken out of context, but I still stand by what I said in my post. I'm not claiming that he's racist. And I don't always agree with Media Matters. I do, however, think his comments represent a bigger problem. As cb mentioned, they are essentially based on race-based stereotypes. I will listen to the program at some point. Maybe Bill said something really profound and progressive. Thanks for your comment.
I agree that the comments basically WERE racist, but I also agree that the man himself doesn't even really believe what he said and is just trying to get people's attention, which is gross. I hate Bill O'Reilly a lot.
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