*Romany Malco, who reprises his role as Zeke in the recently wrapped
“Think Like a Man, Too,” weighed into the Trayvon Martin topic from a
different angle.
In a
blog on The Huffington Post,
the actor pointed out the role of mainstream news, pop culture and
economics in this story steamrolling over more prevalent black on black
shooting crimes that are largely uncovered by the press.
He wrote:
I haven’t touched on the Trayvon Martin issue because race matters in
this country are the paralysis of the American people. To
constructively discuss Trayvon would require empathy, introspection and
an understanding of America’s social and economic history. This is why
the open forums we have seen thus far seem to fuel more ignorance and
bias than reasonable debate.
To be brutally honest, the only reason people are even aware of
Trayvon Martin is because it became a topic within mainstream news and
pop culture. Meaning: News directors saw it as a profitable, sensational
story. Hundreds of blacks die annually in South Side Chicago without
even a blurb. Trayvon isn’t in the mainstream news for any reason other
than ratings and profit. The news coverage on the Zimmerman case almost
implies that the killing of this young black man is somehow an anomaly
and I resent that.
In this country, if it isn’t streamlined through mainstream media and
pop culture, it doesn’t seem to warrant national debate. Our
“government” continues to wreak havoc on our civil liberties and there
is little to no protest from the black community because of media
diversion tactics that keep such pertinent issues out of mainstream
media. But if Jay-Z or Rihanna were to make mention of it, we’d suddenly
be jolted out of our sugar comas and protesting on freeways.
My point being, people are up in arms about Trayvon based on
regurgitated pundits and manipulated facts aired to elicit emotion while
fueling America’s anger and division. That’s how you boost ratings. No
different from Piers Morgan’s desperate rant over gun control when he
knew his ratings were in the dumps. And from where I stand, anyone who
still relies on corporate-owned media pundits to support an argument
isn’t equipped to offer worthwhile solutions.
People are using Trayvon Martin’s death as an excuse to project their
own deep-seated issues with racism and will not be capable of
intelligent, empathetic debate until they’ve cooled down and afforded
themselves an education.
Addressing Trayvon without first addressing the absence of critical
thinking in our schools, the lack of introspection, the reasons for our
low tolerance and our country’s skewed value system does nothing more
than create a sounding board for the ignorant. So rather than facilitate
more racism outcry, I’d like to address young black people
specifically.
I believe we lost that trial for Trayvon long before he was killed.
Trayvon was doomed the moment ignorance became synonymous with young
black America . We lost that case by using media outlets (music, movies,
social media, etc.) as vehicles to perpetuate the same negative images
and social issues that destroyed the black community in the first place.
When we went on record glorifying violent crime and when we voted for a
president we never thought to hold accountable. When we signed on to do
reality shows that fed into the media’s stereotypes of black men, we
ingrained an image of Trayvon Martin so overwhelming that who he
actually may have been didn’t matter anymore.
Don’t you find it peculiar that the same media outlets who have
worked so diligently to galvanize the negative stigmas of black men in
America are now airing open debates on improving the image of black
males in American media? Do you honestly think CNN is using their
competitive time slots for philanthropy?
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” – Rahm Emanuel
If we really wanted to ensure Trayvon Martin’s killing was not in
vain, we’d stop perpetuating negative images that are now synonymous
with black men in America. We’d stop rapping about selling drugs and
killing niggas. The next time we saw a man beating a woman, we’d call
for help or break it up, but one thing we would not do is stand by with
our cellphones out — yelling WORLDSTAR! Instead of rewarding kids for
memorization, we’d reward them for independent and critical thinking.
We’d spend less time subconsciously repeating lyrics about death and
murder and more time understanding why we are so willing to twerk to
songs that bemean women and boast of having things we cannot afford.
We’d set examples of self-love for our youth by honoring our own hair,
skin and eye color. We’d stop spending money on designer gear that we
should be spending on our physical and psychological health. We’d seek
information outside the corporate owned-media that manipulates us. We’d
stop letting television babysit our kids and we’d quit regurgitating
pundits we haven’t come up with on our own.
Education, introspection, self-love and excellence are the only ways
to overcome the wrath of ignorance. So before going back to popping
molly and getting Turnt Up, I urge you to consider the implications of
your actions. Your child’s life may depend on it.
