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Editorial/Columns
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This Is America
have a question. When exactly did the idea of white men using the word N- ---- to refer to Black people
become so shocking?
Last month, Papa John's
Pizza founder John Schnatter lost his position as chairman of his company after a recording surfaced of him using the N-word during a training exercise.
Now Donald Trump is, once again, under fire after former White House Staff member Omarosa Mani- gault-Newman revealed recently that there's a yet-to- be-released video from the Apprentice television show of the current commander- in-chief also freely throwing around the N-bomb.
What I can't understand about either one of these controversies is why any of this is so surprising? It is al- most as if a case of collective amnesia has suddenly af- fected everyone's memory about this country's sordid history with race.
The fact of the matter is that white people invented the word N----- and had no problem using it in daily con- versations for centuries. Is it really that much of a stretch to assume that many, if not most, of them still allow the epithet to roll off their lips
when not in mixed com- pany? When it comes to Trump it shouldn't be a question of "if" he used the N-word but, rather, how many times?
After witnessing Trump in action the last 2 years a person would have to be somewhat delusional to be- lieve that the phrase isn't in heavy rotation in his vocabu- lary. I mean, when you look at the kind of language he has used to openly disparage people in public, one can only imagine what comes out of his mouth when he's in private settings with the in- dividuals who he thinks he can trust.
Even his biggest defender and spokesperson, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, couldn't unequivocally deny that there may be a tape showing Trump using the slur when she was asked dur- ing a press conference. Her inability to flat out dismiss the suggestion that there was evidence in existence that would show her boss spew- ing such vulgarities spoke volumes about the likeliness that there truly may be flames flickering behind the smoke.
The thing you have to wonder is, if it's true, would it even matter?
We already know that Trump die-hards in states like Mississippi, Georgia, Al- abama, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana and West Virginia could care less if Trump stood on national TV singing Dixie in blackface. And the so-called "Blacks For Trump" have sold out so hard for the man that they would nearly have to be forced back into slavery be- fore they gave up on their or- ange-haired super hero.
The truth is that the only people who seem remotely concerned about all of the horrible things Trump does are the individuals who al- ready don't like him. And, since that won't change the vote tally in the next election and him using the N-word isn't an impeachable offense, I think those pushing the issue should ask themselves if any of it is worth the time wasted constantly talking about something that, when it's all said and done, won't make a bit of difference?
When the smoke clears Trump will look at his ap- proval ratings, see that they haven't changed, and will happily return to using his Twitter account as a weapon. And, as is usually the case after Trump survives one of these scandals, the rest of us will be left scratching our heads and wondering to our- selves if God is even paying attention?
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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A Personal Note For Our Readers
e are not certain whether or not we’ve shared
with you the following commentary – given the fact that these are days when among other things, we journalists run the risk of being accused of generating “fake news,” “false facts,” redundancy (repetition) and other print missteps.
Be that as it might, however, we will accept the risk that what we are about to say is something we haven’t said, but painfully needed to say . . . as a Tampa sports- man might say, “Ret-Naah!”
When we think about the importance of news media, we’re reminded of the true story of a local sen- ior citizen who used to sit, almost every Tuesday and Friday morning, on her front porch cradling a most re- cent edition of what she called The Florida Senator (The Florida Sentinel).
Clasping a magnifying glass with which she in- spected every picture, from page to page, the senior cit- izen inspected her “Senator,” and seemed so thoroughly informed by her effort that it was years later before one of her nephews (a college professor) realized his aunt had literally taught herself how to read by religiously following what was printed in the newspaper
Long before Facebook, Instagram, Tweets or a bevy of other social media names, a people’s news that was fit to print and important to know, was sold for nickels and dimes from street corner to street corner and from corner-store-to-corner-store by voices, eyes and minds that loved the truth and believed the truth was the unarguable right and property of everyone.
We continue to possess such a belief and, therefore, thought we’d simply take this opportunity to let you know that newspaper some may call “The Senator,” will continue to be your watchdog (your sentinel) re- garding the information and safety of our community, our state, our nation and our world.
We commit to always print the truth and nothing but the truth.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A