“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.”

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.

“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.”

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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

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

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.

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.

You say “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.”

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).

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.

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.