Having black people on their cable news shows explain Obama's speech to the white anchor. You would think the thing was being translated from the !Kung. Luckily, America apparently has a nearly unlimited supply of black people who want to go on cable news shows to make exactly the same banal observations as the commenters of various other hues.
I'm stuck home with vertigo. Please, God, send me a car chase.
Excuse me miss, but I speak Jive.
what are you saying?
I was thinking of Sigourney Weaver in 'Galaxy Quest', but I'm Asian and might have missed something in the translation...
Of course, what we really need is Garret Morris translating for the hard of hearing...
Of course, their decision springs from the same only-blacks-can-understand-certain-things view of race that caused some people to like the speech in the first place.
Judge him by the content of his character? Screw that, he's black, and that means we need a black talking head to interpret!
Given the speed at which MLK, Jr. must be spinning in his grave by now, I would expect to find a wrinkle in the space-time continuum forming around it.
Yes, of course, it's terrible, Megan. All these dang black people who've come out of the woodwork...
There goes the neighborhood, right?
Would the rest of you say that "niptpicker" is extremely dense, missing the point, or purposefully attacking a straw man (i.e., Ms. McArdle's alleged horror of seeing darker-skinned people on tv)?
This post is redundant. There's a website.
Bilwick,
I just can't recall Megan complaining about the banality of pundits before she complained about the "nearly unlimited supply of black people who want to go on cable news shows to make exactly the same banal observations as the commenters of various other hues." Odd, that.
So, I wonder, what is it that so concerns? Isn't this post either saying "what's with all the black people on my teevee" or "huh, black people are as boring as white people (oh, did I mention white people are boring?)"? I, for one, am glad that this campaign has kind of forced shows to reconsider their mix of pundits and, yes, I do think you often get a different perspective from people of different backgrounds.
.I just can't recall Megan complaining about the banality of pundits...
Then you have a very bad memory. Yesterday she complained about some idiotic comment regarding the futures market, and the archives are replete with other examples.
Besides, what bothers our gracious hostess is obviously not that black people are on TV, but that news shows seem to think that black people have a special insight into Obama's speech--a belief apparenlty belied by the actual content of their commentary.
Nitpicker, I complain about the banality of cable news all the time. I can't imagine how you've missed it.
@nitpicker, just started reading MM, eh? Try
"The vapidity of cable news, part 938"
http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/03/the_vapidity_of_cable_news_par.php
Just one time during these "educate white people about black people" segments, I want the white anchor to gaze with wonderment at the black commentator and ask "Can I touch your hair?"
If you have bppv, the Epley maneuver may help--it fixes mine most of the time.
Why do those who run TV stations keep talented black journalists/anchors in margina roles and not give them main anchor jobs in markets that have a large white population...as white viewers really that racist and can't get their news from people who don't look exactly like them? Ask news management and they'll NEVER admit they do this.