The Elephants in the Room

There’s a lot of good reading on Slate this week.

Jack Shafer addresses the twin questions of race and class– why isn’t the media talking about it? Everyone who’s paying even scant attention has noticed that the overwhelming majority of the New Orleans refugees are black. Shafer understands that it doesn’t have to be the overarching theme of the story, but:

[I]n the their frenzy to beat freshness into the endless loops of disaster footage that have been running all day, broadcasters might have mentioned that nearly all the visible people left behind in New Orleans are of the black persuasion, and mostly poor.

Shafer chalks it up to anchors and broadcasters being afraid they’ll say something racially stupid, and ruin their careers.

Better, most think, to avoid discussing race at all unless someone with impeccable race credentials appears to supervise—and indemnify—everybody from potentially damaging charges of racism.

Shafer’s probably right, but I don’t think he ever gets to how the discussion might devolve into racist, career-ruining moments. Listen, there’s an 800-lb gorilla in the room here: Would the feds’ response have been as slow if the sea of agonized faces on TV were white, and middle class? That’s what everyone’s thinking, and what everyone’s afraid to talk about. The idea is repellent, particularly while the nation is watching people subjected to death, mayhem and misery.

Jack says:

But we aren't one united race, we aren't one united
class, and Katrina didn't hit all folks equally. By failing to acknowledge upfront that black New Orleanians—and perhaps black Mississippians—suffered more from Katrina than whites, the TV talkers may escape potential accusations that they're racist. But by ignoring race and class, they boot the journalistic opportunity to bring attention to the disenfranchisement of a whole definable segment of the population. What I wouldn't pay to hear a Fox anchor ask, "Say, Bob, why are these African-Americans so poor to begin with?"

Well, to see why the media might be reluctant to talk about this issue, let's see what happens among the armchair commentariat when this issue arises (and yes, I know I'm in an armchair myself).

Consider this thread on Slate’s own discussion board, The Fray. The first message is entitled “Black Looters Shld Be Shot”; the post continues, “on sight. They bring disgrace to this nation and world.”

One might ask why the poster felt the need to specify “black” looters. Was it because anyone can see that they’re all black? Well, then why the racial descriptor?

In some of the responses to the original “Black Looters” post, I found this gem:

The problem is evident though Moses. There is out of control violence, compounding this tragedy. And guess what, nearly 100 PERCENT of those committing the crimes are black. Please do not feed me any B.S. about lack of opportunity, blah, blah, blah.Have you been listening to the news. There are cops resigning because the BLACK community is too dangerous to be around. There are doctors who refuse to render aid because the BLACK community is out of control and those doctors have said they will not put themselves at risk for 'people like that'. Rapes, and killings at the only place to find shelter. That isn't being done by other groups, ONLY by the BLACKs there. Do you see a pattern here?!? There are absolute rights and wrongs in this world, and there are far too many wrongs being done by this black comunity in New Orleans. These lazy, stupid, thuggish
welfare fools had a week to decide what to do. True to form, which is why they're on welfare, they chose to do NOTHING. Well, I say shame on them. They had opportunity and time to leave. Yes, if someone is looting, and I mean anyone, shoot their ass, and add the number to the death tally.

I have to say, that might qualify as a career-ending screed if uttered by someone with any media credibility. I hope.

Or this comment on the Philadelphia-based blog, Attytood:

Wasn't there a MANDATORY evacuation order the day before the hurricane? I seem to recall one. Now I can understand SOME to not be able to leave but over 100000? Or is it that this was the segment of society that constantly has its hand out for gubmint cheese, the same segment that is always first to lay waste and riot in thier [sic] own neighborhoods. oh, my mistake, its those evil white republicans who are at fault.

(I should add that this commenter is not, uh, in sync with the outlook of Attytood.)

Do I sense a theme forming here? A couple of stray loonies do not a movement make. I’ll be interested to see whether this view begins to take hold among the more prominent commentators. But I wonder whether the hard-right line will be, in the coming weeks, “hey, look what the welfare state has wrought.”