Sowell cited Neo-Nazis' actions as example of "racial hype game" surrounding Jena 6 case
In his September 25 syndicated column on the so-called Jena Six case, Thomas Sowell asserted that "[r]acial hype has replaced all rational discussion," claiming that "the Jena episode has shown that two can play the racial hype game." As an example of such "racial hype," Sowell cited the publishing of "the telephone numbers and home addresses of all the young blacks involved in the school incident" on a neo-Nazi website. The Washington Post reported in a September 22 article that the posting on the Neo-Nazi website encourages readers to "get in touch [with the black teenagers], and let them know justice is coming." The article further reported that the "FBI is investigating to see whether the posting violates federal laws."
In the same column, Sowell criticized the slogan -- "No justice, no peace" -- used by civil rights protesters in Jena and said that the "Neo-Nazis have now helped demonstrate what a dangerous slogan that is, since different people have opposite ideas of what 'justice' is in a given situation."
Media Matters for America has documented in a report titled "Black and White and Re(a)d All Over: The Conservative Advantage in Syndicated Op-Ed Columns" that Sowell's column regularly appears in 141 daily U.S. papers and occasionally -- meaning at least once a month, but not weekly -- in 22 more, ranking him ninth among syndicated columnists by the number of papers in which he appears.
From Sowell's column, headlined "Law Versus Mob Rule":
It is painful -- and dangerous -- how little we learn from history, even when it is recent history.
Just a year ago, "rape" charges spread lynch-mob hysteria on the campus of Duke University and in much of the liberal media, while professional race hustlers descended on the town of Durham, North Carolina, and mindless tribalism was stirred up by extremists in the local black community.
This year, we have all learned what a total fraud that case was, from beginning to end. Yet now we see a similar outburst of mindless tribalism and another attempt at mob rule, promoted by such veterans of last year's hysteria as Jesse Jackson.
[...]
Racial hype has replaced all rational discussion. Moreover, the Jena episode has shown that two can play the racial hype game. Neo-Nazis have published the names and home addresses of all the young blacks involved in the school incident.
The slogan "No justice, no peace" has been used to justify settling legal issues in the streets, instead of in courts of law.
Neo-Nazis have now helped demonstrate what a dangerous slogan that is, since different people have opposite ideas of what "justice" is in a given situation.
Long after the imported demonstrators have left, and the national media have lost interest, the families of the black youngsters involved in the school altercation will have to live with the knowledge that their privacy and security have both been lost in a racially polarized community, with vengeful elements.
The last thing the South needs is a return to lynch-mob justice, whatever the color of whoever is promoting it.
... and your point is?
He's trying to create some false comparison between the [mostly] Black protesters and the Neo-Nazis.
I believe what Sowell is getting at is how entrenched both extreme sides are on this issue, that substantive discussions on race are getting get lost. Horrible people driving down the street with nooses hanging off trucks, and some calling for complete exoneration of the black teenagers who obviously committed a crime.......Sowell is right, the media will leave Jena eventually and the residents will have to learn how to coexist in the same schools and neighborhoods again. Those that enflame the situation on both sides, and then head out of town, are not helping anything.
Not "getting get", just getting.....sorry
It is patently obvious that there are white and black people that take full advantage of the race card, many times to a fault.
Time will tell which side used it more, not to mention the extra damage it will cause our society.
Had the six black kids been charged with assult and not attempted murder from the begining.
Or the white kids been charged with....I don't know.... disturbing the peace? Inciting civil unrest? defacing public property? Something, anything for putting nooses on the tree instead of being given in-school detentions?
Perhaps it is good that the DA and the Jena, LA population did things this way, it made what could have been a local issue to what is now known about all over the world!
Which begs the question: What the HELL! A shadetree......for whites only? This is 2007....not 1962......WTF!
It is a sad day in America to know that this garbage is still happening!
What do you mean "again"...doesn't sound like they were doing too well at coexisting before.
No, that is not true - even after the noose incident they attended sporting events together and there were no incidents reported until the beatings many months later. So apparently they were coexisting.
Helloooo...they had a tree for white people...yeah that is some great coexisting.
I have already opined on the tree. If you have evidence that the town was in constant racial tensions then let's see it, because that is not the way it is being reported.
What! A hang out for whites only...in my book that qualifies as constant racial tension.
I am sure you can find some hangouts for blacks only to. I understand where Tommy is coming from. You want racial tension, try L.A. Where the Illegal Alien gangs are murdering blacks to clense the steets. Do this example and the topic compare equaly?
Ya think? I'm sure those black hangouts are sanctioned by the school too, and the white students have to ask the school board for permission to enter those hangouts, right?
The school sanctioned them? I missed that part in the article.
Go back and read up on it. The black students specifically asked for permission to sit under the tree.
Asked the students or the faculty? Ill look.
Here, got it for you. Now that I have read this in full, it is becoming apparent that we have two sets of laws. We keep hearing that one of the AA youths, Bailey, had a previous record. Turns out that this stems from a confrontation at a convenience store with a white youth who was at the party the previous night (a party that excluded entrance to AA's). There was a shotgun involved and conflicting stories. 5 witnesses (all AA) said the white dude brandished the gun and they had to wrestle it out of his hands. One witness (the white kid) said the black youths tried to attack him so he ran to get his gun to protect himself. So obviously the police believed the white dude and arrested the black youths.
You made it sounds like a formal letter was written to the Principal. That was not the case.
Yeah like the hangouts for Blacks that are created by segregation.
To deny there are is the real problem. Truely no offense intended.
I am so happy that all those outside agitators have existed through out history, thank God for those nosy Northern abolitionists, interfering Freedom Riders, and the most famous outside agitator of them all MLK. I think there should be A National Outside Agitator Day although some down the way of Jena might think we already have one you know MLK day. Seriously Tommy, as American citizens we have every right to go anywhere in this country that we want to if we think that the laws are not being fairly and justly applied and protest. Obviously many felt strongly enough that an attempt to send a 16 year old to jail for 30 years for an assault that had been brewing from this tree incident was extreme, and Tommy this charge was a yet another example of minorities being treated more harshly by a system that can be absolutely unforgiving towards legal transgressions committed by minorities. The legal system treats Whites and Blacks/Hispanics very differently. Hispanics and Blacks are given much much stiffer sentences for the same transgressions committed by Whites which begins in the juvenile system. Study after study has shown this. BTW I believe if this were your 16 year old son about to be committed to prison for 30 years you'd be glad that your fellow citizens thought enough to spend their money and time travel to your town in the middle of nowhere to raise their voices to help your teen-ager.
Looks to me like this article equates African American protesters seeking justice to Neo-Nazis.
What I find funny is how many conversations about race were taking place nationally before the Jena 6?
As for the "racial hype" bull, Jena 6 as I've said time and time again is about much more than race, Equal Justice Under the Law. It's much easier to place the emphasis on race.
Pearl,
I agree that Jena 5 highlighted the real racial tensions in our country, particularly the South - and that maybe some good can come out of all this, that dialogue and prejudices can be brought out in the open honestly.
But as Sowell suggests, I just don't see people screaming at each other from opposites sides of the street as productive or moving anything foward. It only makes racists more racist, and people who are genuinely torn and saddened by this just left feeling more alienated and disguisted.
Jena 6, (I am not having a good day)
Tommy, one of the things I was most happy to see was the picture of young African Americans using the Internet and networking to create a march designed to create dialogue. To acknowledge an injustice through a vocal but poetic way that was used along time ago(civil rights of the 60's). There was no violence and the yelling were chants that usually take place in a march. There was no violence directed at the white students, teachers, police or DA’s office. The opposite side has appeared with nooses on the back of trucks and posting on Neo-Nazi web site of the address of black students and suggesting that it would be “OK” to render “Justice” as they see it. They in no way compare with what took place in Jena and Sowell is wrong to try to compare to two.
Pearl,
I don't see Sowell comparing those two. What he is comparing is the hype and preconceived injustice in the Duke case, with the tactics by those who are hanging nooses, and those who want the black teenagers set free.....obviously the nooses are the most hideous, but they do share an analogy in their advocacy being done by those who have no real interest in solving these sensitive issues, but rather inflame the situation and book the next flight out when the media tires of the story.
He makes two comparisons and I disagree with both of them.
I personally think this era of conservative dominance and control has emboldened bigots to come out of the woodwork.
I get the sense they feel they don't have to worry about being held accountable for expressing their views.
Racism and bigotry are fashionable once again.
Yes it is. Now the question is, do you think we'll see the same level of outrage from the right about this incident, or are we more likely to hear them clammor for a reduced sentance because they somehow think this is the exact same thing the jena 6 did?
I am not sure how you equate an out cry for equal justice with an outcry of racism. The two do not belong on the same level. One is pushing for hate and more hate and the other is pushing for equal treatment...where's the connection.
Lost, He also mentions the Duke rape case where many convicted the students before it was known that the charges were bogus.
If the black students who committed this beating are set free, as many advocate, where is the justice in that?
First off I see no correlation to the situtation at Duke and Jena. The justice is not in total exoneration the justice is if both are treated the same...if one side got a slap on the wrist then the same should be applied to the other...why is this concept so hard for some to understand.
So, you agree that the black teenagers should be set free?
I wrote...if one gets a slap on the wrist the other should be treated equally. I think the kids who beat up the other kid should have been treated the same way the kids who incited racial violence were dealt with. Instead what happened was one was dealt with "in house" by the school and the other was sent into the justice system for punishment. And after being sent into the justice system a further injustice occurred. At best this was simple assault by a minor...not something that normall results in jail time.
Tommy, where is the justice in charging a 16 as and adult? When the court overturns the convection no new charges have been filed yet this kid has been held in adult since Dec. 2006. Where is the justice in that?
Pearl,
Where did I say that? I said they should not be set free as some are advocating.
That is the job for the courts. Tommy
Tommy I think you are confused as to why some are asking for freedom. They want Michael Bell to be release or charged him so that bail may be set and he can at least leave the adult prison where he has been held since Dec. 2006.
The courts in Jena haven't been working too well for these kids. Michael Bell was originally charged with "attempted murder" but dropped at the last minute to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated second-degree battery. He was convicted and when that convection was overturned no new charges have been filed yet he still remains held in adult prison with NO new charges. How long is too long to wait in limbo? Charge him or release him!
Pearl,
All this is really not the point of this article by Sowell, to try this case and it's details here or anywhere outside of a court of law is unfair to everyone.
The larger point he makes, and I agree with, is that the people that come in and offer up their "racial hype" and then pack their bags when the story dies down is a good point.....from all sides.
These residents have to live with each other in some harmonic state eventually, we as a country have to live with each other and we need racial discussions and honest dialogue - not self promoters, or haters, or other inflammatory individuals.
Well if you agree Tommy could you detail what racial hype was brought in. I watched parts and it seemed the emphasis was on peaceful protest of the racial injustices great emphasis was put on not letting agitators stir things up and to stay focused on the real issues they were there to deal with...but maybe I missed the "racial hype" you speak of...could you provide that information.
Read Sowell's column, he gives examples in explicit detail.
Perhaps I am reading the wrong column I saw no explicit details...I didn't even read any general ones as to any racial hyp brought in by those who came to march in protest. The only thing I read was the deatils about what the racists groups did. Could you help me out here and point to the details about those who came to protest the injustice issue.
Look, I have explained in several posts why I agree with Sowell here and his points about trying this case in the streets instead of the courts with inflammatory importers from both sides. His point of view is laid out quite clearly in his article, I have said where I agree with him. If you disagree, fine. His point is not about the injustices specifically, which you keep focusing on, but rather the dangers of subverting the courts and trying these cases in the streets with outside influences who will be gone as soon as the dust settles and the headlines fade.
Here again, you don't see the points he is making, and considering they are pretty well explained, there is nothing I can do to help you.
We disagree.
Tommy, all you have said is you agree about racial hype being brought in by outsiders. I asked you to tell us examples of this. You point me to the article which you states has explicit details of what they did...you were incorrect there is no references in the article to actions taken by those who came to march only of the neo-nazis. You can't provide the information because it doesn't exist. You are agreeing with something that you have no evidence even occurred. Yet when this is pointed out to you you say I just can't see it. Well if that is true then please educate us...tell me what they did to bring racial hype...point to one action of those protesting the injustice. Yoour dorging the question and refusing to answer your own assertions pretty much says that you have absolutley no basis for your assertion that racial hype was brought in by the protesters...you are just parrotting what this columist wrote...and he had no facts to back up his claims either.
Besides Pearl, It is hardly justice for anyone to try this case on the street or in the media. That is the job for the courts.
I don't think the issue was about the black kids being set free, it's more about why none of the white kids were punished with what they did before the beatings took place.
That's what equal justice is supposed to be about - MAYBE if something had been done with them, it wouldn't have led to that beating...
Although it sounds like the town of Jena had issues simmering in the background anyway...
I thought it was pretty telling that not too many Jena residents wanted to be interviewed around the time of the protests.
What could those kids have been charged with?
Well if you want to take it to an equally ridiculous extreme as the attempted murder charges how about an equally overkill making terroristic threats...that would fit the bill. Of course I think this is over kill but it would consitute equal treatment under the law.
Baaaaaaa, be real.
Gee...I think that is the reaction most rational people had to Bell being charged with attempted murder too. By the way the terroristic threat is legitimate...not that I think these stupid kids should have been charged to that level. What do you think happens to someone who plants a fake bomb...planting nooses is no different.
You could charge them with a hate crime.
Now that is better. Can you?
Maybe. The black kids were charged with attempted murder for an assault so anything is possible.
There was an official on that said something about hate crime statutes not being applicable for juveniles. Which is ironic since they went out of there way to charge this 16 year old Black kid as an adult and level the most serious charge they could level at him. I hope as we speak that someone will study the charging and sentencing patterns in the county where Jena is located. It's public information. I would love to see if this overcharging of this Black teen-ager indeed is a part of a pattern. If it is this has to be made public and this unequal application of the law has to stop in Jena and everywhere else it’s occurring.
I agree Lynn. There must be equal justice regarless of race creed or color.
Loonz, there is several charges that could be brought against the kids that hung the nooses...some come with more serious penalties then others. I would probably favor a lesser charge that involved community service but no detention.
Actually, I don't think they should be charged with a crime. Maybe some psychological evaluations?
Loonz, I think the seriousness of what they did should have been demonstrated to them by some form of punishment not neccesarily within the system. Frankly, when I was in school kids fighting and stuff like this resulted in school discipline the police were not brought in. I realize these days that is not always the case some run immediatley to put these kids in the system. I have some issues with kids being placed into the system to easily these days so I probably wouldn't have had an issue if both sides were given some type of school suspension and met with school counselors rather then any of them going into the system. But obviously there were some serious issues in this community that went beyond these kids and their actions so that changes things a bit I guess.
Actually, I don't think they should be charged with a crime. Maybe some psychological evaluations?
The noose is often seen as a reminder of lynching and a symbol of racial hatred, especially in the American South but also in other parts of the country.
More recently, lynching has come to have a contemporary informal use as a label for social vilification, particularly in the media, and particularly of African-Americans
Stop changing the question.
"Just a year ago, 'rape' charges spread lynch-mob hysteria on the campus of Duke University and in much of the liberal media, while professional race hustlers descended on the town of Durham, North Carolina, and mindless tribalism was stirred up by extremists in the local black community. -- Sowell"
The liberal media wasn't reporting anything about the Duke case.
The Media, liberal or not WAS covering this story extensivly.
The Duke Lacross Story that is.
That's one of Sowell's most endearing qualities - placing the word "liberal" before "media" (or any of a long list) to show that he is indeed writing an op-ed whose sole purpose is to smear the left.
In this op-ed, like many of his op-eds, he is careful to include only enough factual information to give the impression that liberals are the bane of modern society and will certainly lead to its ruin.
The right wingers adore this highly educated and well spoken man, ignoring his intellectual dishonesty and philosophical shortcomings.
I feel the media is very liberal. But not as in a political stance. Just liberal about what they wish to publish.
If the media was liberal, I would watch it.
You got that right, this is classic Sowell. He's an extremely dishonest person, someone who patterns himself after Milton Friedman and Booker T. Washington. Frankly, I've always viewed him as a third-rate version of those two.
"The Media, liberal or not WAS covering this story extensivly."
The liberal media wasn't covering it. I had no idea any of that took place (By the way, I don't watch or listen to the MSM).
YOu knew nothing about the Duke episode?
I knew some stripper was raped by some students at Duke. I didn't learn of a racial component until the charges were dropped. I get all my news from blogs and no one reported on it (it's not news).
You are disgusting. The feline of a woman lied and ruined those boys lives for quite some time. She should be tried and CONVICTED for raping those young boys lives. She is scum.
Here is a simlar article. There is tension all over.
Norfolk Beating Caught on Tapehttp://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?s=7117439
Investigators say that by the end of the day they will have secured petitions against 5 teens in connection with a mob assault of a 13-year-old victim on Saturday.
Suspects range in age from 13-16. All of the teens are charged with Assault by Mob, a class one misdemeanor. They each face no more than 12 months in jail and a fine of not more than $2,500.
Investigators believe the altercation between 5 black teens and one white teen was not race related. They also believe that an earlier altercation escalated into an assault caught on video tape. They further determine that the incident was not gang-related.
Assault by Mob is a serious offense and all teens charged will have to answer for their action in a court of law.
God, when will the insanity end?
As a Black male, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. When white progressives/liberals try to seize upon what they see as racist speech from a fellow white person without consulting someone who would be a target of that racist speech, you end up making a big deal out of a little one.
Of course Bill O’Reilly is racist, just like the overwhelming majority of white Americans. Black people aren’t surprised that O’Reilly would be surprised at what he found in Sylvia’s because we know that most whites, liberal or conservative, would probably have the same reaction.
I’ll give Bill credit for venturing into a Black-owned establishment and taking in the ambience for himself; most white people avoid being around too many Black people because they seem to think the Black people are going to attack them just because they’re white (?).
For my white progressive/liberal brothers and sisters, check with some of your Black acquaintances before trying to point out racism in a foe that many progressive/liberals exhibit as well.
Comment by amandla — September 25, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
I don't think its even peaked yet Snoopy. Come a year I believe depresents will be the drugs of choice. Followed closely by phychoactives.
Sowell is a total whore for the right wing.No where does he mention what the dispute is about. No reference to attempted murder charges for a school yard brawl. No mention of the white student who pull a gun on black student and wasn't charged. And he implies that the Neo-Nazis would have backed off if Jackson wasn't around. Calling blacks a lynch-mob is worthy of Michael Savage.
Sowell has equated Jessie "Hymietown" Jackson and Al "White Interloper" Sharpton with Neo-Nazis.
Can't really argue on that point.