> CB: Here's the difference between us as I see it: I think that racism > is a significant , but not exclusive ,origin of this incident.
true enough. this is a difference between us. i think racism is not very significant, but probably not entirely irrelevant, to the origins if this incident.
> CB: I think racism is a major social problem in the U.S.. and I
> think the media plays an important role in persuading most white
> people that racism isn't as widespread as it is.
you'll get little argument from me here, though i see the media as complicit in this exercise but generally not intentionally so. more often reporters and their editors are blinded by their own biases and by their adherence to the status quo ideas rather than to any explicitly formed racist ideology. but the effect is the same.
> CB: They do that by UNDERemphasizing it in incidents such as the
> current one. I think there is almost no problem whatsoever by the
> media or others overemphasizing racism in this incident or in
> general.
here is where we really differ. race is underemphasized in areas where it is transparent already to the general population: welfare, poverty, education, crime - it's almost endless, really. and that, i would agree with you, is a big problem. however, the media have no need to underemphasize explicitly racist incidents, such as the dragging death of robert bird, because this allows people to go on thinking that racism is the of extremists, devients, etc. and is not a fundamental element of our society. by suggesting that individuals, and not our society as a whole, are responsible for racism, this works to help maintain the transparency of racism, not to undermine it, as you suggest.
i would add that this incident does offer the media an opportunity to explore the connection between powerlessness and racism. in other words why these boys, who felt powerless, adopted racism as a response. that would be a valuable discussion but one i doubt we'll see very soon.
kirsten