Though I don’t know Mr. Charlie Mitchell personally, I have usually considered his columns reasonable and thoughtful. Nonetheless, there’s always room for a “however.”
His recent article (April 17, 2012)about the news coverage of Trayvon Martin’s death seems to me to have run off the road when he attempts to explain why the news media paid so much attention “to the killing of a black by a white (who turned out to be Hispanic) than when blacks kill other blacks or black people kill whites.”
His answer is because “the media, for the most part, reflects the collective conscience of the nation.” We need a definition here! “Collective conscience of the nation…”? Then he writes that “Black on white crime happens at least as much as white on black.” At least?
Mr. Mitchell says that we as a people “are much more sensitive” to bad things happening to black people than we are when they happen to whites. And why is that? Fasten your seatbelts; here we go.
“Our nation has never come to grips with the distant legacy of slavery and the more recent legacy of Jim Crow … a day of reconciliation has not come.”
Mr. Mitchell makes no suggestions, offers no plans, and actually avoids offering any idea of what “a day of reconciliation” involves.
He generously concedes that “those weary of the media ‘throwing race in their face’ are not bad people.” By what authority does he make such judgments? And what does he mean by “bad people”?
I am not a native Mississippian but I have lived in the state long enough to reach certain purely personal opinions. The most graphic instances of racial prejudice I’ve seen have been against white people. They have been forced to feel guilt to the point where they are emotionally and intellectually intimidated, afraid to express themselves freely, and are discouraged from seeking solutions to the many serious problems our nation faces.
Once racially segregated public facilities were abolished, we were expected to significantly improve as a community. People of good will can disagree about whether we have or not. I refuse to feel any guilt about slavery or Plessy v. Ferguson segregation.
What was, was.
What could now be is uncertain and will depend in significant part upon an unbiased press, the news media in general and upon colleges and universities committed to a mission of higher learning and not indoctrination.
Ben C. Toledano
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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