Since when did the blatant spewing of bigotry become normal on live television? This is a question that has been bothering me lately due to the increase in pro-white racial manifestation that has grown throughout radical conservative ideology.
Laura Ingraham is, perhaps, the most prolific white nationalist on television today, she belts out pro-white racial rhetoric throughout her news segment on Fox, The Ingraham Angle, a network that has a 91 percent white and non-hispanic prime time audience this year. Her notable radical conservative views have been expressed throughout her history starting with her career writing the far-right homophobic student paper at Dartmouth, just recently her brother was interviewed by the Daily Beast repeatedly stating, “I think she’s a monster,” and accused their father of being an abusive nazi supporter during their childhood.
Her most recent notable remark was in August when she blatantly attacked immigrants stating that, “in major parts of the country, it does seem that the America we know and love doesn’t exist anymore. Massive demographic changes have been foisted on the American people and they’re changes that none of us ever voted for and most of us don’t like.”
It’s almost as if she’s trying to cover up her blatant racism with wilder brazen racism. Ingraham has proven through her segment’s controversial history that she will retain sponsorship regardless of how racist her comments are. What’s even more shocking is the positive correlation between her viewership, which increased 10 percent from March to June, and her radical commentary. People that are looking for her segment as their daily news are more likely than not to be sympathizing with her and agreeing with her comments, rather than identify the blatant disregard for equality she exhibits regularly on the show.
NBA all-time great LeBron James expressed brief political comments during an ESPN “Uninterrupted” interview James simply expressed his view that president Trump’s statements are, “laughable and scary,” and that the President, “is someone who doesn’t understand the people.”
Ironically enough, this induced a racist rampant on Ingraham’s show in February earlier this year calling James, “ignorant,” “ungrammatical” and “barely intelligible.” These comments made to a stranger on the street would undoubtedly prompt a serious argument or even a physical altercation, not to mention how they sound coming from a nationalist white supremacist to the face of one of the most successful black men in the world.
Have Trump’s comments on the Charlottesville rally not come across as laughable to the black communities that look to him as their president for representation and leadership? Where has this discrepant lack of decency come from and why isn’t it being seen in a poorer light? This disparate racial rhetoric is coming in a new political era where all news is fake and people can blatantly lie or contradict their statements time after time and get away with it. When the president of the free world acts, speaks, and tweets as President Trump does; one rationally begins to question the jeopardy and well being of all citizens of this great nation, and specifically for the communities and individuals of color.
It may be the case that Ingraham simply cannot see past her radical pro-white beliefs to comprehend the argument of the social justice movement. In her show on September 10th, she stated that the NFL has broadened its support for the social justice movement by moving beyond police brutality. Ingraham insinuated that the $100 million donation the NFL made in agreement with the NFL Players Association to improve social justice awareness and progress was a buyout of radical liberal groups. Instead, she suggested that the NFL should, “drop the political chip on their shoulder, and consider working with the Trump administration.”
These remarks portray a disregard for the basic understanding of social movements, specifically, modern day social justice awareness. Laura, I know you do not believe communities of color are being victimized the way they presently are, but could you at least show some decency as a human being and sympathize for or at the very least respect what this movement is trying to accomplish.
So, why did Ingraham feel so inclined to attack a man of far greater social recognition and influence than herself? Because she doesn’t like when the success of non-whites is celebrated and shown for the world to see. During the ESPN Uninterrupted interview, James was accompanied by fellow NBA All-Star, Kevin Durant and prominent broadcast journalist Cari Champion, all of which are African-American. Apparently, Ingraham believes that professional athletes do not deserve the right to the first amendment, instead they should just go to work and entertain us, God forbid they actually vocalize a cognition with anyone. And lets not forget that this interview wasn’t played on live television during a national recording, it was simply shared on Uninterrupted web page online, and also on YouTube. So, sorry Laura, your argument that athletes should not be able to protest or express political opinions while on national television doesn’t cover up your inexcusably, explicit racism.
Nick Shook is a senior studying political science pre-law at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Let Nick know by emailing him at ns258814@ohio.edu.
