The historic African-American AME Emanuel Church was assaulted by at least one white gunman on Wednesday evening in Charleston, South Carolina.
At least nine people have been confirmed dead.
The story is still developing. At present, Charleston authorities are reporting that this mass shooting event and likely Right-wing domestic terrorist assault is a hate crime committed by white supremacists.
While this horrific event is one more murderous and racist blow to the African-American community in Charleston--the killing of Walter Scott by a white thug cop being the most high-profile and recent offense--the reporting on the mass shooting at Emanuel Baptist is an additional affront via the White Racial Frame as practiced by the corporate news media.
As shown on MSNBC Wednesday night, a local reporter asked a group of African-American activists, community leaders, and others, if the "violent" black community could have in fact prevented the mass shooting at Emanuel Baptist. This bizarre moment continued with the reporter seemingly rejecting the obvious--that racism is an obvious element in the white on black murders committed at Emanuel Baptist--and doubling down by suggesting that the black community gives comfort to "snitches", thus wondering if black folks will in fact turn in a white domestic terrorist who had killed at least 9 people.
[The headline on the breaking news report about the Charleston shooting was an additional example of how the White Racial Frame dominates news coverage. In plain terms, MSNBC's headline on the bottom of the screen read something akin to "male 21-year-old suspect wanted in shootings". He was not described as "white": the American news media is much more likely to racially mark black and brown suspects in crimes, and to include their racial description (or religious/ethnic as in the ubiquitous "Arab" or "Muslim" "terrorist").]
To watch such a series of questions being asked to a community that only several hours ago suffered a viciously violent terrorist attack is wholly unbelievable; Yet somehow black Americans are so disrespected, derided, and associated with criminality that they are responsible for their own murders by a white domestic terrorist.
A counterfactual: if such questions were ever asked to white folks whose church or synagogue was attacked by a person of color or a "Muslim", said reporter's career would be over, terminated, and they would likely never find employment in the news industry ever again.
White Right-wing domestic terrorism is one of the greatest threats to public safety and security in post 9/11 United States of America. As I have discussed on Ring of Fire TV and Radio, the RT, and elsewhere, such a plain spoken fact is verboten in mainstream American public discourse.
As such, there are several phrases and words that are likely to not be used by the corporate news media in their discussions of the Charleston mass shooting murders at the AME Emanuel Baptist Church.
They include:
1. What is radicalizing white men to commit such acts of domestic terrorism and mass shootings? Are Fox News and the Right-wing media encouraging violence?
2. Is something wrong with the white family? Why are their sons and men so violent?
3. What should law enforcement and white politicians do about white crime?
4. Is the Charleston mass shooting just one more sign that America needs sensible and reasonable gun control policies?
5. Where are the white fathers in the white home?
6. When will white leadership step up and stop white Right-wing domestic terrorism?
7. Is White American culture pathological? Why is White America so violent?
8. Are there appropriate role models for white men and boys? Could better role models and mentoring help to prevent white men and boys from committing mass shootings and being seduced by Right-wing domestic terrorism?
Once and again, white privilege is the power to be the ultimate individual where one's actions and behavior rarely if ever reflects on the collective character of white people en masse. By comparison, Black and brown Americans, Muslims, Arabs, and the Other more generally are routinely subjected to group punishment and demonization.
White Americans will not have to look in the mirror and ask, "what does it feel like to be a problem". In the aftermath of recurring mass shooting events, and Right-wing domestic terrorism, it is imminently important that they start to practice such acts of introspection in the interest of the Common Good.
46 comments:
I'm sickened by this!
The media will acknowledge the shooter as white only after they find a way to paint him as a left wing atheist. The right will seize on this as an act of persecution to Christians in general and no race in particular. Expect a mass Rachel Dolezaling of white folk identifying with the 'oppressed' but only if said 'oppressed' suffer under the appropriate label.
This terrorist act will also be labeled the "random" act of a "lone wolf." Never mind the bigoted white gunman who shot up a Sikh temple in Milwaukee just four years ago, or the litany of other violent acts by white racists in recent years. From what I heard this morning, the terrorist in Charleston expressed eliminationist sentiments. As you and others have discussed, eliminationism is the bread and butter trope of Right wing media.
As a "white" person, I'm ashamed; especially by "whites" that are having a gleeful moment of vicariousness through this monster's actions. Just go to any comment section in even the most mainstream media outlets.
"The right will seize on this as an act of persecution to Christians in general and no race in particular."
From a commenter on one of said sites:
"So if this is a hate crime against Christians, why is the piece of garbage NAACP involved?"
Anonymity apparently gives a degree of smug contentment to my wayward cousins.
This act of domestic, right-wing terror on the heels of last week's act of domestic, right-wing terror against the Dallas Police Dept. In the latter case, the identity of the terrorist was withheld, even though the media was reporting information they found on his Facebook page. His identity was known, but was inconvenient, so was omitted.
It turns out that James Boulware is a white male. Had his terrorist attack been committed by an Islamic person, the headlines would be shouting that ISIS is indeed terrorizing American soil!!!
Instead, the media has been quite quick in determining that James Boulware was mentally ill. His act of domestic terror is completely isolated from America's, right-wing pathology.
Governor Nikki Haley said "We'll never understand what motivates anyone to enter one of our places of worship and take a life of another." How willfully ignorant.
Eyewitness survivors of the shooting reported that the killer said "You rape our women, and you're taking over our country. And you have to go."
His motive is racial paranoia, white supremacy, and bigotry. There is nothing to try and understand. It's plainly available for those that choose to see.
I'm waiting for the right-wing echo chamber to start rationalizing his murder spree.
"If violent rape of "white" women (apparently, one of the least targeted demographics, but don't mess up the narrative) weren't such a heinous crime, he probably wouldn't have harbored such anger toward "black" people. Can we have a little sympathy for this guy?"
Great commentary, Chauncey. Let us see how long the media shift the focus from your penetrating questions to stories about his childhood, his issues with mommy and daddy, how good a boy he was in school, how he had problems dating girls, how he did not get his cheeseburger served fast enough by a Black waitress. He really wanted to join the military but he was turned down. He felt inadequate. He felt superior. Blah Blah Blah. Everything will be done to make this a singular, individual case. His mommy and daddy will be shocked that their son was a white supremacist, probably a neo-Confederate, and had KKK friends. The media will not want to look at, except superficially, the websites he visited (Stormfront??) or Sons of Confederate Veterans?? You are right, the media will not want to say this was an example of right-wing terrorism. And, if he was linked to any militia group, they will say they kicked him out--too extreme, too radical--or he was there for just a few minutes. And if he watched Hannity and Bill O or Beck or bought Coulter's white supremacist books, well. they are not responsible. It was all a joke for ratings and book sales. Yeah, Chauncey, you could write the script in the sleep. I am truly sorry for the families, the community, and Black people for this and all other acts of violence.
According to the NYT's, his FB profile picture shows him wearing a jacket decorated with the flags of two former white supremacist regimes, apartheid-era South Africa and Rhodesia.
I'm expecting little to no media scrutiny as to the roots of this guys white supremacist ideology.
Sadly interesting is the age of this killer. 21 years old. He was born in 1994-ish. That means his understanding and acceptance of bigotry and hate developed in the 2000's.
While America attempts to compartmentalize and gloss over these acts of racial violence as part of America's ancient history, it is clearly a pathology that is being taught to our youngest generations with the same intensity as always.
Yes, the news is highly selected to reinforce white bigotry and downplay their racism.
The article shows that the jig's up. The news media and the radical right are in a symbiotic relationship. At least Fox news is up front about its newsy hate speech, while MSNBC and CNN routinely use racist coding as propagandistic prophylactic.
Lets hope it will be impossible to dislodge this assassin from his rightist lodgement.
Haley also said, "Parents are having to explain to their kids how they can go to church and feel safe and that’s not something we ever thought we’d deal with."
All right, black parents, let's see a show of hands. How many of you never imagined you might have to talk to your children about the possibility of terrorist violence at church?
As the racist US war-state devolves further into Confederate Feudalism, as the "protectors" are exposed to be madmen, as the politicians are cowards and frauds, it may be mandatory for African Americans to take preventative measures on their own in each community to the best of their ability.
It's not desirable, it's not easy, it's not optimal, but sadly, it---perpetual vigilance---may be the only option.
I don't think it's being facetious to ask, in the wake of this latest outburst of racist violence, where are the white leaders? The killer believes, as a lot of people like him do, that even as blacks continue to suffer documented inequities, in terms of jobs, housing, "justice" etc, are the victims of almost daily police violence, and as 13% of the population, we are somehow "taking over the country." Such paranoia could be dismissed as simple derangement were it not for the fact that meme, and other supporting memes are common grist for the mainstream media in reporting, and the basis of the rhetoric at least one of the two major political parties use to stoke fears for political gain.
These people aren't crazy; they are acting out on the constant affirmations of white supremacy and perceived threats. And what exactly are the threats? Black folk pushing back on the constant stream of injustice? Daring to state that, Black Lives Matter? Or just expecting to be treated equally as any citizen would and should be?
This needs to be addressed in the white community. Where are the white leaders to stand up and address this issue, as surely as black leaders are not only called on but demanded of the same when the issue is perceived to be black? The killer told us all why he did it. He's driven by racism an unfounded fears. A lot of whites think as he does, and yet where are the white leaders to stand and let white people know, their fears are unfounded? That racial stereotypes designed to divide and conquer are at the root of these fears.
It has been drilled into the fevered minds of whites like this for the past seven years, that a president who is really as mild mannered, unassuming and conservative in his politics, but because he happens to be black is an enemy of this country, works with terrorists, hates America, what have you. Its not enough then to keep pretending none of this is causal to acts of violence as happened at the church. White leaders have to stand up and address this directly, with white people, if this ever has any chance of stopping.
When I heard about that recent pool incident, my first thought was about the mother, eg why would you even drop your kids off in that environment? As absurd as that is, in this day and age it doesn't pay to not be vigilant of violent idiocy at the hands of state actors, incertain venues. Pools seem to be one such venue.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Unfortunately even among black folk you'll it repeatedly said that white racism must be solved exclusively by blacks. On the scant few social media apps I'm on the conversation amongst black church goers is "needs more bootstrapping". As in blacks need to join politics, run banks, join the police force etc, and this type of violence will suddenly stop. That the pastor of this church was a senator seems to allude them.
I totally agree with you. But, if many blacks themselves are reluctant to hold white America responsible for this I have little hope white America will either.
There's many types of pro-active vigilance.
Imagine the racist offices of Fox "News" on Sixth Ave in NYC being surrounded by thousands of vigilant people who are tired of their race-baiting and lies and would like to offer some constructive fact-checking and programming advice.
Imagine the home of a "special prosecutor" whose job it is to obstruct justice and favor the police being visited by thousands of vigilant citizens ensuring he work for the victims, not the murderers.
Imagine an NRA meeting being surrounded by thousands of vigilant citizens celebrating their special rights the NRA bestows upon them.
But in the meantime---and it's not easy---just take care and approach everything as a great danger.
History did not end in 1945, 1989, or whatever year some white blatherer wants you think it did.
Black people have done all of that. One of us is President. And yet, instead of being celebrated for our achievements working within the system, even as that system persists in stacking the deck against us, it is being used as the cudgel in the form of state violence for the backlash as a result of having done these things.
They know we all aren't poor, live in "the ghetto;" are "on welfare" and are all violent street criminals who see as our only purpose in life is to tear off some white person, just because. The imagined black community of these people is recognizable only to them. And yet if they didn't persist in these knowingly false arguments and stereotypes, they wouldn't have anything left but their own hatred to confront and deal with.
I honestly believe that with the ultra-militarization of every aspect of life in the US, the very few decent politicians and public figures that are left are scared shit to speak out. There was a great neo-fascist/pseudo-libertarian backlash against Clinton in the 1990s (Waco, Weaver, Gonzales, etc.). Since then, it's been the White Supremacist lunatics running the GOP asylum and, for the most part, just lobbyists running on the D side, representing no one and no thing.
Well, gee, the poor mainslime media has had 3 high profile crime stories (Dallas, prisoner escape in NY and massacre in Charleston) in one week involving white men. They don't know how to deal with it, so will have to resort to describing white terrorists as (wait for it) "alleged to be white". And of course they're all also deemed to be "quiet", "nice but troubled", or given some cutesy maverick-y romantic outlaw-y name (like "Sock Hat Bandit", which is how a white bank robber in the Cincinnati area was referred to). Thank you, Chauncey and the other commenters for your brilliant, coherent insights. I've been reduced to burbling rage.
Here is a good video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjqEgxg865s
Beware -- this video contains abundant profanity.
My heart and prayers go to the nine people murdered and their loved ones.
The media, the chicken-hearted and white racism apologists all seem to be coalescing behind the narrative that the motive was, "he came to kill Christians." This allows the right to cloak themselves in the "christians" as victims robes they love so well. And gives them a phony perch from which to shout down anyone who points to the clearly racist motive the killer himself gave.
Let's see how long this lasts.
His age should disavow anyone from thinking everything will be great once all the old white men die off. No, this poison is being passed down.
Watching the media report on these white criminals and killers is like watching reruns of "The Dukes of Hazzard."
I can travel from coast to coast and see black violence daily,i know with this terrible Church shooting many blacks once again are pulling the victim card out,racism exists,always has.
But to even compare this vile act is despicable when as i said above the sheer amount of black violence is painted across every nightly news from Seattle to NY City.
I think the outrage for instance what we have witnessed in Ferguson,Trayvon etc is to want to blame others and say "See we are victims too! you do just as much as us",,No white Americans do not even come close to the level of violence and you and the commenters here know it,stop lying, because in the end it is only hurting yourselves.
Perfect. Speaking of media, I wonder who will report that konfederate flag still flies over the capitol though the other flags are at half mast. Like a macabre Monty Python sketch.
The media focuses on "black" violence, which really is violence as a consequence of poverty. Just as it is among any group, including whites, mired in poverty. The idea is to make it "black" so that people like you can rush to excuse incidents like what happened in Charleston.
But sorry, white America holds the top spot when it comes to violence. No other group comes close.
please stop behaving like animals.
This site is racist. Biased from the first post. Full of hate speech against whites. Good luck getting people to tune into the message.
What is your pupose? Besides spewing hate?????
Today I got an email from our area's US Attorney. The US Department of Justice has labeled this an act of Domestic Terrorism. It no longer matters what FOX says. This is official.
Yes, she's trying to make it sound like this was some universal act that affected every race of people.
No, it didn't. It affected the handful of cultures that have been demonized in the media by people just like her.
That statement is also a way for her to distance herself from a racist culture she willingly participates in by saying "our" and "we".
I'd be willing to bet good money she's never set foot in that church. Has probably never given Black churches a thought in her life, but suddenly it's this "we're all in this together BS."
It's not the willful ignorance to be found in that statement that galls me. It's this phony, I feel your pain crap, when she's been a willing participant in the causing of that pain and has never lifted a finger or said a word to stop any of it.
This happened becasue this is the kind of culture she helped to make.
We can't depend on the media to address the problem as it's the media helping, willlingly, to perpetuate the problem.
It may only be seven years since Obamas election but we've had a whole generation of White people, since at least, the eighties, fed a steady diet, by most forms of public media, into believing that Black men are basically Godzilla.
This is a message such people have been receiving all day, every day. Be scared of everybody who isn't them.
People like Roof are the result. The media and politicians made him what he is. To acknowledge racism in this instance, in any instance would be to acknowledge the part they've all played in it and benefited from it and that just ain't gonna happen.
When this country goes down, they will swear up and down they had nothing at all to do with their own demise.
This is the hardest thing to try to convince my friends of. They're argument is that the more things we control ,the more successful we become, the better off we'll be, and I keep telling them, they are wrong. Not trying to be a pessimist. Just trying to tell them the problem is not in anything we are doing wrong.
The more successful we become the more such people will cling to their myths about PoC. Actually, what will happen is there behavior will get worse as they try to forcibly return all PoC to the submissive state they believe we should have.
There will be more bombings, more killings. For a certain subset of White people, the abuse and terrorizing of PoC is cathartic, relieving all their pain and frustration, that they can't take out on the authority figures they worship.
It's like when Dad hits the child and then he turns around and hits his younger siblings because Dad is too huge, scary and overwhelming to fight against.
The American government and its wife, the media, have done a very good job of convincing such people of its awesome majesty. It's just a machine that's too huge to fight against and they are powerless before it.
The worse the American government and the corporations treat the people of this country, the more their frustration builds up and that frustration has got to be deflected elsewhere, resulting in these daily paroxysms of violence against everyone they've been taught to direct it against.
As I said, after racial incident that makes the news becomes highly cathartic for such people. They will indulge in it because it relieves the fear and fast rations of their crappy lives.
I really do believe they derive pleasure from every killing.
Good!
Just like every assaulted mosque, Sikh temple, Amish church or government building.
It is what it is.
I am afraid, if events like this escalate, we may have to go back to a state of Vigilance, to protect our communities. I hope it doesn't escalate to that point again. That sounds pretty horrifying.
I thought the children lived in that community. Or at least that's the info. I got out of the many articles I read.
Unfortunately there have been two pool related incidents. The first in McKinney, TX and most recently in Ohio. I was referring to the latter.
White Terrorist Bingo:
http://boingboing.net/2015/06/19/white-terrorist-bingo.html
How many of these catch phrases will you hear on the radio and tv?
It is horrifying, and I feel great empathy.
The African American community has been ransacked and ravaged for decades by the judicial system post-1965, among others, that has even further destroyed the playing field (on purpose, IMHO). I know there's a lack of wealth, opportunity, and just the basics of life are hard to attain under these horrific pressures.
It's going to take immense sacrifice and everyone who can be of help---and that will be a small percentage of each community, as so many people have been driven to the American Gulag for little reason---may have to carry many souls to safety on his or her back.
Yes, it's bleak---but do you think the police, educators, politicians, media, a silly and racist Constitution, or the military are going to help?
anyone who believes this propaganda is completely out of their mind
this country was founded on a set of rules that would stop english nobility from taking over this country like they had been doing to other countries.
guns are the only way to keep, criminals, and politicians out of your house and life.
BLAMING ALL WHITE PEOPLE - is about the most cowardly tactic ive ever seen anyone do. straight up.
its time to let people know the truth...
the democrats are being controolled and manipulated by >PRETTY MUCH< royal families, being led against the white man for the SOLE purpose of helping eliminate the constitution...
how easily you handout addicts turn sides against whties showing YOUR OWN TRUE RACISM!!!! against whites..
if you want to fight ALL whites, for the actions of .00000000001%, know this... you will be wiped out no matter WHO wins ... according to the people feeding you your entire knowledge (talking points) to mislead your own people...
so ok, join corporate sponsored propaganda with this "white right wing" bullshit. but dont expect to get any handouts from it.. you will get mopped up by lawful citizens defending themselves like nothing ever happended...
YALL BETTER SEARCH IN YOUR HEARTS AND REALIZE THATA COUPLE HAND PICKED NEW STORIES DOESNT MEAN YOU GET THE DECLARE WAR ON WHITE PEOPLE...
ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT DECLARING WAR ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHEN WE ARE SO PISSED RIGHT NOW AT GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATIONS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA.
wake your fuckin game up. you might punk a white boy 10v1 on the street, but in a race war started by yall, you WILL be getting your asses handed to you.
your enemies are the fuckin corporations. but yall slavin for them right now!! following your nit-wit leader chauncy as he leads you into a government sponsored race war and then laughs his dumb ass all the way to the bank for his corporate cooperation.
aka, CHAUNCY IS fuckin sell out to his own race, and to his country... hes on corporate payroll and will SAY ANYTHING to get a race war started because he wont be fighting in it.
you are so ignorant to anything close to truth its rediculous...
the truth is youre getting played by rich(white) corporation execs to declare war on innocent(white) every day people because YOU have deep seeded hatred towards whites.
and the majority of whites understand this, if you are wondering and confused as to why we dont just lay down and hand everything over to yuou..
yall didnt care when jake the white kid got shot up walkin down the streets of oakland did you??
drunk drivers kill liike 214897135891359123895137 x more than guns do... but you probably like to drive dont you??
big pharma kills 23958723905x more than guns do every year... but you love getting your drugs dont you.
look, your chances of doing anything other then starting and losing a race war are VERY SLIM. so stop promoting corporate propaganda, when clearly you dont know shit about whats going on... probably havnt even read a single article about it.
wait, but were still waiting for you to rationalize 50% murder rates amongst blacks, and all the black on white crimes that the media ignores because it doesnt promote a race war for profit???
nows your chance, kid!
wrong, they ARE crazy... they arent acting out on anything other then clever marketing by corporations with agendas....
you think your black leaders were behind all tthis organization??
THIS CAUSE HAS BEEN HIGHJACKED by people who are invested in a race war.
you ppl arent doing anything except going for the easy flow and claiming all this leadershuip and hard work!!!
THEY ARE HANDING IT OVER TO YOU WITH INSTRUCTIONS LIKE MASTERS DO TO SLAVES... and you fkin ppl will do anything the media and corporations tell you to do because YOU are the ones with the deep rooted hatred of white people and they are playing you on it...
whtie leaders are NOT obligated to you...
as a minority of this country, african americans have been EXTREMELY disrespectful of not just whites, but ALL races except tyheir own...
you guys start the violence, you guys start the race war, you guys start the arguements, but you want other people to finish thenm for you... and on top of that, you expect FREE SHIT out of everyone else ????
come again!?!?!?!
STOP BEING PWNS FOR CORPORATIONS, STOP BEING LED INTO A RACE WAR, WHEN ABORTIONS AND BLACK ON BLACK CRIMES ARE LIKE 90% OF YOUR DEATH RATE.
Just in time for Juneteenth!
Qui bono? Who benefits?
The establishment does.
They have been wanting a race war for months.
Divide an conquer. Gun control.
Its perfect for! 2 for 1!
Lookup: GLADIO and STRATEGY OF TENSION
This is a sickening false flag pulled by the people in power, and probably people like George Soros. See his comments about how he funded the coup in Kiev and also his funding of the Feargeson riots (and how his people were not paid, and went on twitter to complain about it).
Both the left and right establishment are involved in this, but they are using Maoist tactics.
Bush started this, and Obama is continuing the destruction of the Republic.
It has always been traditional for the murder of a "politician" for "political reasons" to be labeled an ASSASSINATION.
I'm curious about the MSM's "journalistic" reasoning for not labeling the taking of the life of a "SC State Senator" overtly engaged in the struggle for Civil Rights by a person holding a radically opposite viewpoint as being a mere murder.
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