Washington Times Fanned Stereotypes with Obama Daughter's Picture

The Washington Times quickly yanked the picture of Malia and Sasha Obama juxtaposed with the screaming headline "36 Chicago area kids killed sets record." Times editor John Solomon blamed it on a computer auto file error. No word from Editor Solomon who or what programmed the computer, and no formal apology either for the slander.

No matter, the Times blunder (?) dumped back on the table the sensitive, troubling, and polarizing issue of racial stereotyping. And that's the issue of the blanket typecasting of young blacks, as crime and violence prone no matter who they are. The plague of gang killing and violence and murders in Chicago that stirred the Obama-murder connection has stirred even more vivid, and lurid images of young blacks as lawbreakers.

The relentless media and public tagging of young black males as gangsters hasn't helped matters. When some young blacks turn to gangs, guns and drugs, and terrorize their communities, much of the press busily titillates the public with inexhaustible features on the "crime prone," "crack plagued," "blood stained streets" of the ghetto. TV action news crews routinely stalk black neighborhoods filming busts for the nightly news.

The explosion of gangster rap and the spate of Hollywood ghetto films convinced many Americans that the gang lifestyle is the black lifestyle. They had ghastly visions of the hordes of gang members heading for their neighborhoods next. The overwhelming majority of the victims of gang attacks are blacks, and the violence almost is exclusively confined to battles over drugs and turf control in poor urban neighborhoods. But with public panic over gangs, and with few accurate numbers on just how many urban youth are actually gang members, some police and city officials play fast and loose with the numbers.

In Los Angeles, police claim that more than 700 gangs with 40,000 members ply the streets of the city committing murder and mayhem. Police and city officials have tossed similar colossal figures on gang affiliation around in other big cities, Chicago included.

The Washington Times juxtaposition of the Obama girls with crime and violence, no matter how fleeting, was just another in the long litany of sorry examples of how crime and violence are inextricably woven in the brain cells of far too many with blacks. That is even blacks named Malia and Sasha Obama.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly radio show, "The Hutchinson Report" can be heard on weekly in Los Angeles on KTYM Radio 1460 AM and nationally on blogtalkradio.com

Comments

[RobertHenryEller]

There are many issues raised by the photographs of the Obama daughters juxtaposed with this article.

But only one ultimately concerns me:

Their safety.

On this issue alone, heads should roll.

No excuses.

No apologies.

[nunzia]

That rag is the print version of Faux News.
I know there are more morons in this country than thinkers,
but we have to hope that there are more thinkers at this site.

I don't suggest that the malice be ignored, and I welcome you're noting it.
I just wish more people would consistently identify that rag for what it is.

[laura1212]

Just keep the first family as well as all Americans in prayer.

[Brenda Johnson 1]

Good post - There are black kids who are doing positive and uplifting things - we rarely hear of them or see their faces in the media. The message is that black males are overwhelmingly criminals. They are disproportionally represented in the criminal justice system. Lots of reasons for that, including more vigorous pursuit of them by police, more vigorous prosecution, heftier sentences by the court system, and then the impossibility of them getting a job after being saddled with a record. Someone said sarcastically in a post that "slavery had ended".. The prison system is the new slavery. If other races were pursued as vigorously as are Blacks , the statistics would be different. From the Washington Times:
".......Er­ic E. Sterling, president of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, told me. "If you look at the average sentence imposed on low-level offenders and the amount of crack cocaine involved in those cases, then compare that to the average sentence given to high-level offenders and the amount of powder cocaine involved in those cases, you'll find that the low-level offenders are being punished 300 times more severely than the kingpins."
In 2007, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, 81 percent of those convicted for crack offenses were African American, though only 25 percent of crack users are black. In other words, law enforcement officials have become so focused on busting small-time black drug users that almost everybody else in the drug trade gets a free ride.

[Eric Daniels]

SCMagnolia& IKARINOKAMI, Both of you don't give a damn about poor black children you just like sticking it to Obama, like I said in another post the GOP has had power in crime policy since the 1980's and their solution in dealing with gang violence was to DO NOTHING and add cheap slogans instead of action. Sasha and Malia are being used by the right-wing press in order to report on real issue Gang and Drug violence in the inner cities, they could have used the victims and their families on the cover but they wanted to zing Obama just like you are doing SCMagnolia. I frankly don't think you are black but a white conservative with a phony protest

[SCMagnolia]

Frankly, Eric Daniels - you don't know me. And while it may give you the warm fuzzies to continue blaming the GOP about doing nothing, let's not forget that while they were, in fact, doing nothing - neither was Congress (you know, that pesky little group actually responsible for MAKING LAWS??). That INCLUDES Obama who, along with other Democrats held the majority in Congress since 2006, and DID NOTHING - but go along with the GOP.

His kids are NO BETTER or WORSE than those Black & brown children dying in the streets, nobody's "using them" for anything (other than to show just how much having an "African- American" family in the Big House means absolutely nothing in the scheme of things for those kids).

Matters not to me who you THINK I am. But who I am not, is a Black woman willing to cast all reason/common sense to the wind just to vote for someone who never once spoke to the interests of my community just because HE LOOKS BLACK LIKE ME. I don't know about you, but I'm free (you DO know that "de jure" slavery thing ended some time ago right?). I don't have to do the "undercover brother" thing like some of us are wont to do to curry favor.

Zinging Obama?? Please. Let's stick to grown-up stuff like jobs, universal healthcare, not spying on me, holding Bush & Co. legally responsible for crimes against humanity, the REAL Paycheck Fairness Act for gender equality -

[Eric Daniels]

I voted for Cynthia Mc Kinney SC Magnolia and using Obama's children to highlight gang violence and crime is a non- starter with me. And maybe 90% of African- Americans voted for the best man for the job and not according to someone's skin. But since you think that Blacks can't think for themselves without the Democrats leading them maybe you are the racist in this conversation. And since you want to blame Congress for those failures to pass laws what about the Attroney General of the United States in the last 30 years who could HAVE ordered RICO cases against drug cartels running in the United States but was more concerned with ending Affirmitive Action and pursing so -called "reverse racism" cases instead of dealing with the no.1 killer of black youth in these cities which is gang violence because of drug disputes. let's see who were the U.S. AG during those 30 years one Democrat Janet Reno and 8 GOP members highlighted by Ed Meese, Dick Thronburgh, Alberto Gonazles and John Ashcroft amongst others. Congress may be able to pass laws but it takes a committed AG from Washington to enforce the laws and make criminals pay in these cities. It is beyond the African- American community or local police because these drug gangs have morphed into powerful syndicates who can operate anywhere in the world just like the Hell's Angels.

[Nommo]

The problem is the "de facto" brand did not.

[leahi1656]

Did ya notice how much of the bad press directed against the Moonies suddenly and mysteriously disappeared once the Reverend Moon acquired ownership of The Washington Times?

The power of the press ain't dead. Just ask the Rev. Sun Mung Moon.

[mediamarv]

Racial stereotyping is prevalent in all media... especially TV news. For example, here in SF, KPIX, the CBS outlet, will use b-roll footage of blacks in street scenes whenever it does a story about welfare. Now, those stories don't show up like they used to, off the radar screen mostly these days, but I noticed (because that's my business) it happening more than once.
I'm not sure if the defining reason is ignorance or just laziness..­.

In the WT example, automation is the culprit? Man, that is a new one on me. Gotta add that to my files!

[tfoley]

The media is damned if they do damned if they dont. Are they not supposed to report the killings in Chicago public schools? Are they to lie and say it is whites killing in Chicago public schools? I believe it needs more national attention if this many murders were happening in a predominately white school district it would be front page on the New York Times, and Katie Couric would be leading with it. But, because the media doesn't want to appear racist they barely report on it.

[madatnewsmedia]

You're absolutely right that it deserves more attention, but what the hell does that have to do with the Obama girls? The black community want the world to see what's going on, but keep those girls out of it! PERIOD!

[tel8034]

Really ..........­....... the AA demographic does not make up the largest number of persons who recieve welfare and food stamps, yet they are the ones portrayed when there is a news story about welfare/, leaving the impression that ONLY AA's receive this benefit. What about the Appalachians where welfare and food stamps are the norm?

All of the Columbine-like incidents were carried out by students who were NOT AA, and in those incidents, multiple persons are killed in a matter of minutes and required SWAT teams to diffuse the situation ..........­..... Yet again, it's the predominantly AA schools who are portrayed as the most dangerous.­..........­...... There are BOY scouts (white) in Texas being trained to carryout militia attacks on immigrants ..........­. BUT THE MSM DID NOT MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT THIS HORROR....­.......Wha­t will the MSM say if one of these BOY scouts uses his training to kill classmates because of a petty schoolyard dispute?

The stereotyping of AAs by the media has been going on forever, and their efforts worked so well that even a couple who had attended ivy league instituitions, had successful professional careers, had a wholesome family unit, were castigated as angry black militants, who did the unthinkable ..........­.. They fist-bumped.

The same couple has a new home in the White House, and both have very high personal approval ratings ..........­.. Yes President and First Lady Obama have clearly debunked the stereotype of African Americans which the MSM took pains and decades to craft.

[Shellly]

I don't even think metal detectors were ever installed at columbine, but if you go to any HS in the inner cities, metal detectors are the norm. children can't even bring their cell phones to school. this type of thing does not happen in rich neighborhoods.

[ztck5356]

Way to go Washington Times! Good luck getting your bailout money when you need it.

How many ways can you say "stupid?"

[Flavor]

Mr. Hutchinson, thank you for the article but you and I both know this stuff sells. To show both those precious babies while talking about gang crime sold a paper. This type of stuff goes on all the time it's nothing new but from speaking with co-workers none of us liked what the paper did and we talked about it and this office it's multi-racial. Not only Chicago, St.Louis, Philladelphia, NewYork, LosAngelas, and many other states are seeing gang activity in record number. This is also nothing new, you were exactly right when you said drugs is the big factor. I really want to say to those who operate the way some papers do, you wonder why your sells are dwindling could it be the americans are tired of the same old operation, theres nothing wrong with telling a story but when you use a picture of innocent children to get a sell you are desperate. Until, America is tired og building jails and say we are going to tackle the way these drugs are entering in then we will see some change but not until their ready, drugs is a billion dollor industry and yes america profits off of it. Look at the new jails.

[madatnewsmedia]

You know when there will real change" Only when enough white children are killed the way our children have been killed! Blacks and other minorities have been struggling for a long time; it's only now, that anything's being done; why is that? 1) We have a new president who understands and 2) white folks are feeling the pain of losing their jobs and homes! It's not fun, is it? Well, that's how blacks and other minorities have been feeling for years!

[thinking before speaking]

So you are saying we should be killing more white children over drugs and desperate poverty? Again, you believe more white children should be dying? Are you listening to yourself? We should stop the slaughter of young blacks, we should be killing more whites? Really?

[MARTYB]

Yeah "but" we are killing each other like there is some sort of contest going on, that cannot be denied.
One of the saddest to me stories out of Chicago happened last year when a police officers kid put his
body in front of a female school mate so she would not get shot as this moronic "young" fool shot up the bus. Maybe i'm just old but i sure don't remember "us doing that to us", sigh.

[MHT73]

You're absolutely right about the subliminal messages, we should keep all of the Obama's in our prayers.
It's interesting to me that there are other subliminal messages at play in messages about deaths of school children that absolve and, ultimately, glorify the murderers. It feels a little safer to think that these shootings took away lives of children who were just as culpable - that the schoolyard is like the OK Corral, and that the child who was shot just wasn't as fast on the draw as the child who shot him or her. It feels less safe to recognize that every child who died was someone's dear son or daughter, and may have been every bit as cute as the Obama girls are. Then, when the killers are caught, they get all sorts of media attention, while the faces of the victims fade from our memories. It would have been better to have shown some of the real victims - there were 36 to pick from, and I'll bet lots of those children were sweet and adorable.

[lcdbsez]

I wondered how long it would take the lunatic rightwingers to go after the Obama kids . . . of course, these are the same people who wailed and whined about the press reports when the Bush twins were out getting plastered in college . . . and Mary Cheney's lesbianism (which they never quite explained why it was "off-limits" to talk about -- and whether or not the Christian-­conservati­ve "theory" that the parents are to "blame" for homosexuality or not . . . ?) -- but it's OK to attack Malia and Sasha -- they're black (and, presumably, used to it -- huh????!!!).

And, of course, The Washington Times is run by a deeply religious guy -- Rev. Moon -- who practices the teachings of his Lord and master, Jesus Christ . . . right??? . . . and attacks people's kids, if he doesn't agree with their philosophy . . . yeah, that sounds about right.

[trinidadgirl]

The problem is that these people are not even subtle! We already know their modus operandi and
they can't help themselves, as they continue to do what it takes anyway!
But, at least now they don't get away with it without some sort of uproar!

[Ohioan730]

1. The glaring headline about 36 children is what stands out for me.

2. Its obvious that people who don't know any black folks assume that all the poor ones live and behave the same. Every time there is a discussion about inequality and reduced opportunities for people of color, certain folks cite examples of black male imprisonment and welfare and teenage pregnancy as if all these problems ONLY exist in the black community in America. They imply that black people are inherently messed up and what some of us do, all of us have to answer for as if we all have one brain.

One of the main topics of discussion amongst black folks is why we don't "stick together". That would indicate the profound code of INDIVIDUALISM that frustrates many black people because it seems to slow down our collective progress. IMO, this individualism makes us more apt to think individually. How wrong people are to assume we all follow each other. The only thing we all agree on is we don't like when people think we all have one central brain. So we vote Dem-the kinder of 2 evils.

3. Sasha and Malia do not represent the black kids at risk in Chicago. Both of their parents are Ivy League educated and a long way from the southside. They are the hope and inspiration for kids who look like them but by no means should they have been used as an example to that story.

[SeymourButz]

Agreed 100%.