By James Smithwick
In Motion Staff Writer
Americans generally eschew racism. The concept of prejudging a person or group of persons based solely on the color of their skin is abhorrent to most people. We can all agree on that.
Or can we?
People love to hold up protest signs when they think some massive wrong was inflicted on a victim of racism. Picket lines and petitions become the order of the day. Protesters shake angry fists and chant, “No Justice, No Peace!”
But those same protesters lose some of their vigor when the lines break and the trials are over. They go home, and turn on their televisions. While they fondle their remote controls, they relax their stances and allow for a new attitude on racism.
They turn on sitcoms that feature comedians who made careers out of “black people do it this way, white people do it that way” jokes. They laugh at the antics of that guy and his sassy lesbian friend, or his whining Jewish mother-in-law. Action shows always have an Arab villain and every Asian seems to be a martial arts black belt.
It’s as if racism and sexism aren’t serious issues when accompanied by a laugh track.
The differences in human beings and their respective cultures should indeed be celebrated, so that we can all learn from and about each other, but not made into jokes on which advertisers can make a quick buck. If you doubt the existence of in-your-face racism on television, just watch one episode of “WWE Monday Night Raw” and try to spot a plot line that isn’t rife with racial undertones.
Inside of a three-hour telecast is a microcosm of xenophobic material. Like a festering petri dish, the show is riddled with wrestlers like Alberto Del Rio, a Latino performer that hates the presence of ‘illegal alien” fans. Top matches are fought between Lord Tensai, a Japanese brawler who in reality is named Matt Bloom from Peabody, Mass., and The Great Khali, an obviously Hindu athlete.
You might even be treated to an appearance by Hornswoggle, the diminutive wrestler in the leprechaun costume that performed silently for years because he couldn’t nail an Irish accent, and when he finally did speak, it was to say that “little people are scary.”
Change the channel and you’ll find “Swamp People,” “Duck Dynasty” or “Honey Boo-Boo,” all shows that highlight the supposed ineptitude of Southern white people.
Consider the recent Cheerios commercial, featuring a mixed race child, her white mother and black father. The ad’s YouTube page had to stop receiving comments from viewers thanks to the litany of racially motivated responses ranting against the ethnicity of the parents.
Can’t we all just get along?
Everyone wants justice. Everyone wants equality and freedom from baseless, bigoted prejudice. Oddly enough, the very people that want these freedoms also want the freedom to judge others based solely on their race. An interesting example of the duality of man in action.
Wake up America. The television is not a medium for learning about each other or a way to connect our cultures. You’ll never learn if you rely on cable to teach. Society cannot evolve by only acting on what we see on the idiot box.
With apologies to Gil Scott-Heron, it is our evolution that will not be televised.