Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons visited The O’Reilly Factor tonight and all Bill O’Reilly wanted to talk about was the black communities’ failures to address black-on-black crime.
Now, I’m a white woman. But I am so sick and tired of African American guests going on Fox and not calling out the network on its overt race baiting, racial dog whistles and demonization of black people.
Simmons argued forcefully against O’Reilly. He even started to reframe the debate by noting that Fox obsesses on missing white girls while ignoring black victims. But with all due respect, Mr. Simmons, that’s just the tip of the Fox News racial iceberg.
Here’s what I wish Simmons or one of the Michael Brown family attorneys or Tavis Smiley or just about any other African American who goes on Fox would say:
- If O’Reilly or any other Fox host is so interested in black crime, why don’t they go to the inner cities and investigate what’s being done (or not) to combat it? Or interview those who are? Why is the subject just used in a debate, as a club to delegitimize African American complaints about the police? In fact, Simmons tried to explain his own efforts in this area during this discussion and O'Reilly was not interested.
- President Obama has formed the My Brother’s Keeper initiative to help young people reach their full potential. If Fox is so interested, why don’t they give it some publicity, the way they do, say, the Living Nativity display?
- And speaking of missing white girls, did you ever see a single Fox host even suggest that the real issue in the Natalee Holloway case is why young ladies leave bars with men they just met? I never did.
- If O’Reilly cares so much about blacks addressing black issues, why did he refuse an invitation to tour black communities in New York City to see what they are doing to improve education?
Simmons is not a naïve guy. He even has experience dealing with O’Reilly’s racial concern trolling.
I’m all for showing respect and deference to a host. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t call him or her out on a dishonest, racially hostile and divisive agenda.
So come on, guys! What’s stopping you?
He does such a good job I’m surprised he still gets invited on the network. Check him out on Youtube to see how a person should slapdown the Faux News liars.