Susan Wrote:
But examining > the question "Why do they hate us?" may lead to > solutions and a healed relationship between the media > and communities of color. Chris responds: I do tire of the banality of self-reflexive questions about media representation of issues, as if to say, the solution to the problem lies in the reconstruction / revision of the media's representation of an issue or group. Unfortunately, the question of black crime in Minneapolis can not be answered with a kinder, gentler representation of it in the media. There's no "sweetening" spin that can be sprinkled on the plague of drugs, guns, poverty and violence in black urban communities that will make it go down easier for anyone, black or white. Looking for a solution in a context of image is to miss the point entirely. But this is part of the shallowness of our age and culture. "Why do they hate us?" Please. This is nothing more than the simulation of liberal guilt, posed in a time of crisis to deflect deeper, more problematic questions. If there's true guilt, it should stem from knowing we respond superfluously when responding as if problems were a matter of image and media. The effectiveness of this is as penetrating as a crayon on steel. Maybe they hate us because we're not honest enough to admit what ineffectual baloney it is. We would do well to stop vilifying the police and / or the media every time an incident arises. It isn't that they are above criticism, but more often than not, they are merely the people who have the unenviable job of responding first when problems occur. Holding them responsible as if it were their job to provide solutions is ridiculous - it isn't their job and never can nor should be. Blaming them gets us nowhere, deflecting us from the real discussion. And what's that? The enculturation of crime in urban black communities fueled by inadequate resources, the easy availability of guns and the necessity of illicit drug economies to sustain standards of living for the poor. If we aren't responding to those issues, we aren't making a dent. The rest is mere hand wringing. Beckwith Ward 6 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
