La Shawn Barber’s Corner » If Jennifer Wilbanks, Why Not Tamika Huston?

05.03.05

If Jennifer Wilbanks, Why Not Tamika Huston?

Posted by La Shawn @ 6:54 pm Permalink
Filed under: General

33 Comments

Interesting.

Comment by Candyce — 05.03.05 @ 7:14 pm

With that done, I don’t have an answer for this question, do you? Via La Shawn Barber’s Corner.

Pingback by Musing — 05.03.05 @ 7:22 pm

La Shawn:

No doubt there is a racial element in “missing bride” stories.

There are many similar stories. But which one gets the front page depends on economics, not social justice.

The Networks want the largest possible audience - and stories about abducted White women sell - people always relate to stories that look like them; there are more White people. Strictly business - it’s about ratings, not social justice.

This is not rocket science - it’s business, not fairness.

Comment by Frank Zavisca — 05.03.05 @ 7:41 pm

I was just going to post the same thing as Frank above me…….this has little if anything to do with race but with Money!!

Being that Blacks are about 13 % of the US pop vs White Americans who are about 5 1/2 times larger, the cable companies simply are playing to demographics!

No story here folks…

Comment by Proud Albertan — 05.03.05 @ 7:46 pm

You guys may claim it’s about money, but can you recall the last time a minority that was abducted and subsequently murdered made national news? I can’t.

If that’s the case, does it make the reporting any less fair? Or does it have to be that tragedy in the minority community can only be reported if it has some direct link to the white community…i.e. benefit to lily white politicians et al that want some type of gain from it?

I don’t see where LB or the writer posing the question is out of bounds.

And the demographic thing is just a little too easy to put out, especially when media outlets rave about their diversity.

Then again, $$$ speak volumes in this country!

Comment by Chris Roberts — 05.03.05 @ 8:21 pm

I suppose if you want to delve into why this story but not that story, you need to see if there are other missing white girls who have not gotten attention either. If there are some missing white girls getting little attention, what are the differences between them and the Georgia goofball? In each case, is it race, wedding, money, chance, or some combination of all? I would not speculate without more data.

Comment by Nardo — 05.03.05 @ 8:57 pm

The answer is very simple. An attractive, vibrant, energetic, popular white girl dissapearing is a tear-jerking tragedy. It is easy for the vast majority of TV viewers to wonder if it could be them, or one of their loved ones, that this could happen to next.

If everything is the same, except that the girl is black, the automatic assumptions made by the viewer are domestic violence, drugs, prostitution, gang-violence, or that she got involved in some other form of activity that involves the seemy underbelly of society.

It isn’t right. It’s a horrible assumption. It is, however, the truth.

On the one hand, the assumption is racist at its core. On the other hand, we as a society have witnessed so many young black women dissapearing because of the above reasons, the assumption isn’t just a racist stab in the dark.

Alan Keyes said in a debate, he didn’t fault the policeman for stopping him because he was black. He faulted the black criminals for giving the policeman a reason to think a black person could be criminal on the basis of race alone.

The problem is more than two-fold. How it is reflected in the news is a symptom, not the problem.

Comment by Lockjaw the Ogre — 05.03.05 @ 8:59 pm

La Shawn:

I don’t know if Jennifer Wilbanks’s story was covered because she is white, rich, and well connected, but I think she will probably get off lightly because she is white, rich, and well connected.

On the other hand, there are too many black “civil rights” leaders uninterested in a crime against a black person unless it was committed by a white person. The white liberal media is not too keen to talk about black-on-black crime, either.

Comment by Mwalimu Daudi — 05.03.05 @ 9:58 pm

Just plain crazy when the media fixates on certain cases and a case like Ms. Huston comes along they don’t raise an eyebrow.
I couldn’t see what the significance of Scott Peterson was over Joe Blow down at the Pima County Courthouse here either.
On Ms. Wilbanks at the very least they should charge her for all the manpower used to look for her and charge her for filing a false report in N.M.

Comment by Dean — 05.03.05 @ 10:12 pm

I was posting about this same topic this evening, my post strayed a bit to compare Elizabeth Smart with a local girl that was reported missing a month before Smart, her name is Alexis Patterson and this just happens to be the 3rd anniversary of her disappearance. It always bothered me that Alexis was a big story here in Milwaukee, but nationally, it was all Elizabeth Smart, Alexis got a short mention on Americas Most Wanted, but that was about the extent of the national coverage. Anyone want to guess on the racial makeup of the two girls in this story?

Comment by Patrick — 05.03.05 @ 10:26 pm

I remember the story about Alexis Patterson. Beautiful little girl lost.

Comment by La Shawn — 05.03.05 @ 10:29 pm

If Frank and Proud Albertan are correct, the “news” needs to have another name or a more accurate name such as “news that we think the majority of our viewers would care about.” I didn’t watch any news or opinion programs tonight in protest against all the coverage of the airhead from Georgia.

Comment by Evon Bachaus — 05.03.05 @ 11:16 pm

I agree with Lockjaw the Ogre, I think this explanation is a lot closer to the truth. I think blacks on a whole over the years have continually by way of entertainment and politics distanced themselves from mainstream American values, which is why a white woman being murdered or missing in this case, especially one that is of upper social standing catches national attention a lot easier/quicker than a black woman in the same scenario. Maybe some how on a subconscious level, blacks aren’t viewed as being a part of or contributors to American values therefore it becomes difficult to empathize.

Comment by Jerry McClellan — 05.03.05 @ 11:21 pm

Why is it taking Georgia authorities so long to charge Wilbanks? If I was stopped by a cop in my car tonight and lied to him I’d be handcuffed.

Comment by mike — 05.04.05 @ 12:21 am

Jerry and all the others have expressed what I think. A little bit of each point adds up to a glaring disconnect in what get’s reported and what isn’t. The only thing I would add is the MSM/DNC massah mentality (Scarlett vs Prissy) also plays an albeit subconcious role.

Comment by Andy — 05.04.05 @ 2:24 am

If it’s just MSM, then why does Fox News follow the same pattern?

Comment by DarkStar — 05.04.05 @ 8:07 am

Media, left or right, doesn’t do what’s morally right. They do what’s monetarily right.

They should be following up on all the stories of abducted PEOPLE, be they male, female, adults children, white black hispanic etc ad nauseum.

They won’t though, if there’s no money ….

Dan

Comment by Dan — 05.04.05 @ 8:38 am

Very good question La Shawn. Perhaps Al, Jesse and Loius should put more energy in ensuring stories like Tamika’s get equal attention nationwide as opposed to coming to DC to convince everyone to take off from work for the first day of their Million Man march re-enactment in Oct.

Comment by Renee — 05.04.05 @ 9:03 am

Good point, La Shawn! It is odd that certain stories garner much more attention than others. Jennifer Wilbanks’ high profile family might have had something to do with it… but is not Tamika’s life just as worthy as Jennifer’s, or Lori’s, or Laci’s, or Dru’s? I completely agree that this imbalance in national media attention is questionable at the very least.

Comment by Janna — 05.04.05 @ 9:39 am

Let’s say it….RACISM

I just wrote a recent news paper editorial for the paper I write for that theorizes racism in America was driven by economics and cognitive dissonance.

To say that “its just business” further solidifies my theory that when the choice for social equality and money has to be made, white people choose money.

Comment by Dell Gines — 05.04.05 @ 9:49 am

To say that race plays no role is ignorant. Even the ‘economics’ theorists agree that at just 13 % of the population, stories about black people don’t ‘play in the sticks’ as it were.

However, assuming this to be true, then it is also true that blacks cannot, in this country, be assured the SAME treatment as whites. Whether the reasons be economic or otherwise, the end result is that a pretty, young and apparently well-loved woman is missing, and no one cares because no one knows. And to say that we don’t talk about her because there is no money in it tells black people, as a whole, that there is no money in you, and you deserve less.

Thus to say that there is no money in running the story of a missing black woman, is to encourage the long standing flirtation that many black ‘leaders’ have with socialism. It is to encourage the looks that white folks get when they tell black people to ‘get over it.’

Now then, I don’t agree that the story was not run because of economics. I believe that, as a result of society’s perception, news media is afraid of the out come. For Laci Peterson, news outlets were hoping that Scott killed her. THAT makes great copy. For the girl in Utah, again they were hoping for the husband.

On the other hand, this girl could have been the victim of some illicit drug sale, a jealous black ex-boyfriend or the ‘random violence that happens in the hood.’ See, no hook, because it is the same old story.

Personally, I think it is sad. The media needs to be taken to task for this one or Rilya Wilson, or the countless other ‘missing’ people who are unknown and thus, unmissed.

On this one, yes Virginia, Race does matter.

Comment by stephen johnson — 05.04.05 @ 10:17 am

Dell,

You say “To say that â€œits just businessâ€ further solidifies my theory that when the choice for social equality and money has to be made, white people choose money.”

I don’t see our so called “Black Leaders” doing any different. Stirring up “Racism” where none exist and ignoring the reall examples of racism makes them no different than the “white people” you comment about. (A spade, is a spade, is a spade).

Comment by Renee — 05.04.05 @ 10:49 am

I ain’t saying there’s no racial element to this, but Wilbanks’ over-the-top wedding arrangements had a lot to do with the publicity.

But I generally don’t watch television, period, never mind the cable news, so I couldn’t testify to how incessantly they played the Wilbanks thing. I have seen from time to time how they virtually stutter a story to incomprehensibility.

Comment by Bob Kunz — 05.04.05 @ 11:20 am

Amazing, that folks are so quick to tapdance around the question that Lashawn is posing.

The fact that folks are uneasy to question the racial politics of her question just shows how far from the color-blind ideal we are.

Comment by nappi — 05.04.05 @ 11:27 am

Renee - “I donâ€™t see our so called â€œBlack Leadersâ€ doing any different. Stirring up â€œRacismâ€ where none exist and ignoring the real examples of racism makes them no different than the â€œwhite peopleâ€ you comment about. (A spade, is a spade, is a spade).”

I am not sure what your point is in relation to my thread?

Comment by Dell Gines — 05.04.05 @ 11:30 am

Around the Blogosphere

John Bolton (…once gave me a dirty look!!) Powerline Roger Simon’s Pajama Party Michelle Malkin, Outside the Beltway, Ace of…

Trackback by JackLewis.net — 05.04.05 @ 11:45 am

nappi: “Color blind ideal?” Since when? We are told by the Left (including much of the black Left) today that we should NOT be colorblind, and to believe in such an “ideal” is racist in itself.

I happen to STILL believe in the ideal, despite posturing to the contrary. I come from a working class white family, whose parents got married (and raised me) in the 60s. They ingrained in me the MLK belief that color shouldn’t matter when it comes to dealing with people … “deal with people as individuals, see past one’s race.”

That being said, there are plenty of us (whites) out there that 1) think all the coverage of this buffoon runaway bride was simply ASININE; 2) that she should be charged with every one of the possible charges that can be brought against her; 3) that being black in America STILL ain’t as easy as being white; 4) lack of coverage of similar black incidents is legitimate; however, as some have touched on above, “mirror” instances which focus on racial animus (usually fueled by Jackson, Sharpton, et. al.) are almost exclusively of the white-on-black variety in the MSM, whether the racial aspect of a story is legitimate or not. Should whites conclude that “hate crimes” are only of the white-on-black variety due to its disproportionate MSM coverage?

Comment by Hube — 05.04.05 @ 7:27 pm

On my previous post, I should have said 4) lack of coverage of similar black incidents is a legitimate concern.”

Apologies for the confusion as it has an entirely different meaning in its original form.

Comment by Hube — 05.05.05 @ 6:32 am

A simple test of this question is possible . . .

If some publication targets black’s, and their content consistently and almost exclusively consists of articles pertaining to “black issues”, is that publication racist, or is it simply catering to its audience due to monetary concerns?

Another kind of test . . . I regularly read the blogs of four Americans, who just happen to be one Filipina, one Black, one off-White, and one who is anonymous. Two women, one man, and the anonymous blogger.

Does their race or sex have anything to with my reading their blogs? Answer: Nope. Mostly I read them because they share my highest priority cultural and spiritual values . . . their race is irrelevant. I feel closer to LaShawn due to her beliefs, than I do to John Kerry, because of a much greater shared set of cultural norms and beliefs.

Also, the bloggers I regularly read talk about things important to all American’s, not just some sub-set, so their writing includes me.

The MSM will report on news that interests the greatest number of viewers, and in most cases, this has very little to do with race, and almost everything to do with how close the primary participants in an event are to the median cultural norm.

Why? Because shared norms evoke empathy. Cultural norms that are “strange” or “different” or, worst of all, in opposition to the median evoke anything from indifference, to antagonism.

Comment by John Stevens — 05.05.05 @ 1:12 pm

Dell,
To say that “white people choose money” is just another symptom of racism. Look in the mirror.
I have no idea whey the media downplays stories when a gang of black kids beat up a white kid while making the reverse front page news, but then barely whispers about a missing black female while trumpeting the missing white.
If it really was a case of the media being anti-white or anti-black, one of the above examples would be reveresed. But it clearly isn’t. For whatever reason, the editors and producers think one story is more news-worthy than the other. I don’t understand it, any more than I can understand people who call Abu-Graib under US control a war crime while wearing Che tee-shirts.

Comment by SCSIwuzzy — 05.05.05 @ 1:28 pm

So John,

You’re basically saying that being a black female who is missing who is not close to the “median cultural norm” is a reason to be indifferent. That’s some bullshit if I ever heard it.

That’s like saying that me being a black female can’t feel empathy for the Jessica Lunsfords of the world because they are young white girls. Certainly to me, in my circle, she isn’t the median cultural norm.

The media needs to do better and so does anyone who continues to think any life is better than another.

Comment by Tiffany In Mpls — 05.05.05 @ 1:41 pm

I remember when I first read about Tamika and thought it was too bad she didn’t get the coverage. That being said, who knows how many other stories of missing women are out there amd are not being covered.

Comment by Sue — 05.05.05 @ 3:50 pm

Tiffany in Mpls said:

“Youâ€™re basically saying that being a black female who is missing who is not close to the â€œmedian cultural normâ€ is a reason to be indifferent. Thatâ€™s some bullshit if I ever heard it.”

Nope. I didn’t say that that was a reason to be indifferent. I said that that is why a for-profit company might choose to report on one story, over another.

This does not mean that the for-profit company is indifferent, it simply means that with limited resources, and the need to make a profit, they will prefer to cover the stories that garner them the most eye-balls, most often.

“Thatâ€™s like saying that me being a black female canâ€™t feel empathy for the Jessica Lunsfords of the world because they are young white girls. Certainly to me, in my circle, she isnâ€™t the median cultural norm.”

Nope. That wasn’t what I was saying at all.

Allow me to clarify . . .

Malcolm X had very little interest in the JFK assassination. He just didn’t care very much about it.

This doesn’t make Malcolm a bad person, it just means that he chose to spend his limited resources on those things that were most immediate, and meant the most to him.

To summarize:

I wasn’t trying to make a moral point. I was just trying to explain why a for-profit company that mixes news and entertainment might choose to cover one story, but not another.

Nor was I trying to make a point about any given individual (such as yourself). I was talking about groups, not an individual.

Comment by John Stevens — 05.07.05 @ 2:43 pm

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