"... The matter is that, when Bill O'Reilly gets Juan Williams, the eternal happy Negro, on his show to congratulate him on his racism, that's like Hugh Hefner getting a stripper to come on the show and tell him that he's not a sexist."
- Syracuse University Professor, Dr. Boyce Watkins, on CNN (September 26, 2007).
"Over 600,000 people of every color across the country are demanding that Fox stop their racist attacks on the Obama family and on black America. We already know that Fox is not a news network... Fox poisons this country every time they air racist propaganda and try to call it news."
Very few readers are shocked to hear that Fox News hates the first family, and Black people in general. Over the years, but most intensely within the last two, the Roger Ailes-controlled cesspool has unabashedly spewed, propagated and transmitted the most repugnant lies ever heard, about President Obama, his family, and background. Readers might recall that it was Fox News which first put out the lie, perhaps giddily, that Obama was schooled in a Madrassa–with the intimation that being so, though untrue, is akin to one blemished with the mark of the beast. It is also Fox News which has consistently supported such unashamed bigots like Don Imus and Duane "dog" Chapman. With this backdrop, Fox News has successfully set a record for being the only TV Network willing to go as far as the unthinkable suggests – in favor of accruing ratings.
With the mainstream appeal of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, the cable channel has quickly become a leading voice in public discourse. In the last few years, responsible readers have come to realize that, when applied to Fox News, Stan Lee was wrong to think that "with great power comes great responsibility." Fox has, instead, abused their authority, every step of the way. With the employment of the most reactionary commentators money can buy, Fox has set an insurmountable precedent in attacking anyone on the other side of its neo-con agenda. Seeking to broaden its capital in the living rooms of millions around the world, Fox News publicly embraces Black commentators, but, as many readers and viewers have noticed, most Black commentators and analysts who appear on Fox News are of a very hawkish, right-wing, self-loathing orientation.
Those Blacks (and non-Blacks) who have the intellect, poise and emotional stability to withstand the sophistry of its anchors are verbally abused, and disrespected on the air. It is for this reason that Juan Williams, Larry Elder, Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Angela McGlowan, Michael Steele, etc., play the game as safe as possible. After all, the rewards of doing the master's wishes are enormous! No, you don't get your own show, but you get to share the stage, for 4-6 minutes (occasionally), with some of the world's most fascistic-minded pundits ever seen. Juan Williams, in this field of play, is a veteran athlete, and one of the most skilled.
Williams has, over the years, found it very hard to dissent from Fox News' unregulated hatred of Black people. His ability to remain at the service of his bosses has earned him a special place in O'Reilly and Hannity's heart. A frequent analyst, he is prone to say what he feels is compatible with Fox News' racist identity. As the African-American go-to guy, for black-bashing, immigrant-bashing, Iraqi-bashing, Juan Williams knows his role, and plays it well. A couple nights back on the O'Reilly factor, Williams showed why he's, after all, Fox News' golden Black boy.
Speaking with the avowed racist-host, Bill O'Reilly, Juan Williams mentioned that Michelle Obama is a cause of concern for President Obama. On the subject of "liabilities for President Obama," Williams said the First Lady was "right there." Further characterizing her as "Stokely Carmichael-in-a-designer-dress," Williams would go as far as stating that Michelle Obama's "instinct is to start with this 'blame America,' you know, 'I'm the victim [narrative]." The slow-witted pundit had some assistance from Bill O'Reilly, who followed up, saying that such a step would signal "death" for Michelle Obama. For many readers, O'Reilly's strong analysis invokes an eerie feeling, as one who, earlier in the '08 Presidential Race, promised to investigate Michelle Obama's patriotism, and thereafter, decide if a "lynching party" was appropriate for her.
Bill O'Reilly who has, in the past, blamed the victims of Hurricane Katrina for their losses; publicly expressed shock at the idea of Black people eating civically at a Harlem Restaurant; believes inner-city students are innately incivil; and finds it "difficult to answer precisely" if Dr. King loved his country is, as evidenced, no stranger to race-based controversies. To put it mildly, Blacks have looooooooong-questioned O'Reilly's claims to be color-blind.
The acidic nature of O'Reilly and Williams' comments notwithstanding, more important to note is that Fox News has no plans of halting its relentless attacks on Black America and the Obamas. The demonization of Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, and possibly Malia and Sasha Obama, doesn't seem to be nearing its demise. What progressives can do, is to draw the line, support anti-Fox news organizations, contact Fox News' corporate sponsors/enablers, and hold this repulsive, junk-news organizations accountable the next time such an incident takes place–indeed, it will. It can be done, and must be done.
