Our social media platforms and television screens have been inundated with news and imagery of minorities being savagely attacked or even killed by those who are supposed to protect and defend them. Racial discrimination is prevalent in our society, and even though we have elected a black president, nothing has changed since Obama was sworn in. In fact, many might agree that our society has worsened rather than gotten better.
White ranch handlers armed with guns took over a federal building in Oregon, defying officials’ orders to vacate the building after being told repeatedly to leave. They argued that if law enforcement attempted to disrupt their lawful protest then they would fire their weapons.
Now, let us flip the script. Imagine if these “protestors” were minorities. Be it black, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern or another racial or ethnic minority, the outcome would not have been the same. The state of Oregon would have turned into Ferguson or Baltimore after word spread that someone of color was holding up a federal facility. The CIA, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), FBI, the National Guard and local police departments would have all been brought to the scene, and everyone would have been killed or locked up for standing up for what they believe in.
There was no coverage of this event until people on social media started discussing it and making it relevant. If the people who were protesting were a part of a minority group or practiced a non-Christian religion such as Islam, there would have been wall-to-wall coverage of this news story, and the major news networks would be the first to break the story.
The choice of words people use to describe events greatly affect how someone views something, whether it be in a positive or negative light. We are in an era in which social media runs the world, and media groups perpetuate this part of the pop-cultural phenomenon where the words we use can either make or break a person. Often, negative words are associated with minority groups when they stand up for the injustices they face. Their protests usually end with police intervention, while positive words are associated with white protests. The disparity is clear.
In the minority community, it is guilty until proven innocent. Words such as “terrorists,” “thugs” and “unlawful citizens” are used to describe criminals who are minorities, and these labels have been the center of many debates on media outlets like FOX News and even CNN. But this language nor any other derogatory phrase is used when a group of white protestors do the same thing or even worse, as is clear by the armed occupation in southeastern Oregon. Unquestionably, words with a negative connotation would not be used in the same sentence as the names of the armed Bundy brothers and other protestors and supporters involved.
So one might wonder if our police forces and government officials have favoritism for those who are not minorities and if certain privileges are only extended to white America that other minority groups would otherwise be exempted from. Was this same privilege given to Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was shot to death in Cleveland for having a toy gun? No, for him, it was guilty until proven innocent. Unfortunately, the courts decided that, despite his youth, his death was justified, and his privilege was denied.
There’s no doubt that the protesters in Oregon should receive the same treatment as minorities who commit similar crimes, instead of authorities taking the situation lightly. I am sick and tired of the two-way street that the justice system and police trod on. Enough is enough. White, black, brown, yellow or red, everyone should be treated the same by the authorities.
