There was something troubling - my two cents - in the uproar over that disruption of Bernie Sanders in downtown Seattle.
On one side we had plenty of folks annoyed at missing the chance to hear Sanders because the folks who took over the mike were not intent on simply delivering their message - they wanted it to be the only message.
On another we had folks who essentially cheered the rudeness towards Sanders and those who wanted/and waited to hear his message, insisting that Black Lives Matter is the most important message of our time (yes, it is important) and coming close to suggesting (in fact doing so in some cases) than any criticism of the arrogance at the podium was racist.
It was, really, a window in miniature into our current divisive and corrosive politics - and not incidentally one inflated beyond its worth by a media become increasingly an entertainment troubadour.
On one side we had plenty of folks annoyed at missing the chance to hear Sanders because the folks who took over the mike were not intent on simply delivering their message - they wanted it to be the only message.
On another we had folks who essentially cheered the rudeness towards Sanders and those who wanted/and waited to hear his message, insisting that Black Lives Matter is the most important message of our time (yes, it is important) and coming close to suggesting (in fact doing so in some cases) than any criticism of the arrogance at the podium was racist.
It was, really, a window in miniature into our current divisive and corrosive politics - and not incidentally one inflated beyond its worth by a media become increasingly an entertainment troubadour.
In counter, let's go to the reliable sanity of Mr. Egan:
"When a noisy intruder, an African-American, jumped to the podium and refused to let Sanders speak, it was widely interpreted as a big problem for the candidate and race relations.
Wrong. The censor with the mouth was, it turns out, a self-described “extremist Christian,” from a family that once backed Sarah Palin. Some members of Black Lives Matter distanced themselves from her.
How did this stunt become a thing among the national press corps? Junk media. Sadly, [our] sugar high goes two ways."
- Tim Egan, NYTimes
Wrong. The censor with the mouth was, it turns out, a self-described “extremist Christian,” from a family that once backed Sarah Palin. Some members of Black Lives Matter distanced themselves from her.
How did this stunt become a thing among the national press corps? Junk media. Sadly, [our] sugar high goes two ways."
- Tim Egan, NYTimes
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