Glenn Beck, color-blind conservative media darling of the “Right,” has a new issue to add to his national ranting and ravings—United Nations investigations. More specifically, in a press release, which states:
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Mr. Doudou Diène, will undertake a country visit to the United States of America from 19 May to 6 June 2008 at the invitation of the U.S. Government.
In terms of Glenn Beck, on his May 20, 2008 television show, he made light of the issue of institutional racism within the United States. He went as far as saying, after behaving like a pre-pubescent boy in terms of “making fun” of Mr. Diene’s first name, that he should visit Oprah Winfrey, Collin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, the new Black Governor of New York (David Paterson), and other Black actors in Hollywood. It is apparent that these people symbolize to Beck that racism is no longer a factor within this country. (photo credit)
Like other misguided color-blinded racists who are entitled by the White Power Structure within this country, Mr. Beck refuses to see examples of institutional racism within education (for example, “The Impact of the Law on African American Males,” by Preston Green, III, American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 51, 872-884; or T. Fitzgerald, T. (2006). “Control, Punish, & Conquer: U.S. Public School Historical Attempts to Control Black Males,” Challenge: A Journal of Research on African-American Men, 12(1), 39-54; Muktha, Jost., Edward L. Whittfield, & Mark Jost (2005). “When the Rules are Fair, But the Game Isn’t,” Multicultural Education, 13, 14-21), the criminal justice system (for example, Edelman, Marian W. (2007). “On Losing Our Children in America’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline,” In The State of Black America 2007: Portrait of the Black Male, pp.219-227. NewYork: National Urban League), US housing, and etc.
Apparently, Mr. Beck is not alone in thinking that this investigation is not an important undertaking, for this initiative has not been discussed by the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and other large newspaper distributions.
It is amazing how commentators refuse to acknowledge the significance of institutional racism. Indeed they need only open their eyes to see it around them.
What I find interesting is the fact that now, in 2008 THE U.S. GOVERNMENT has invited the U.N. to partake in this ‘investigation’.
I wonder who in the government extended this invitation…
Was it the neo conservative right who controls the country at present?
Was it the DLC?
I think that this happening now is a trick to manipulate the masses. There’s a black man running for the highest office in, hell, THE WORLD.
We know that the general public is the most irrational when racial discrimination is discussed at length.
This is nothing more than a manipulation of the american public…
I’ve always believed that based on Obama’s initial success at the ‘post- racial’ campaign, the powers that be would have to racialize not only him but all of us. They’d have to remind the american public that f whatcha heard it’s us and them and that we’d all think we were living in the 60’s before it was all over with.