G
Gandalf Grey
Guest
Confessions of Fox's Black Boogeyman
By Min. Paul Scott
Created Mar 21 2008 - 10:15am
As the spotlight beamed down on my face, I could hear the producer counting
down. Ten seconds to Armageddon; my first encounter with Fox New's epitome
of evil, Sean Hannity. As I sat there waiting for the big showdown, I asked
myself,
"What's a militant, Afrocentric, radical dude, like me, doing in a place
like this?"
It started off on a whim. I had watched Hannity and Colmes a few times and
developed a strong dislike (OK, bitter hatred) for Sean Hannity before he
even opened his mouth. (Something about that permanent smirk on his face
makes me wanna slap him.) So, one morning in 2002, I called ABC radio and
asked to speak with the producer of his talk show.
"Hold on," the receptionist said. "Too easy," I thought. "She must be new."
I was expecting to talk to an answering machine but, to my surprise, someone
picked up the receiver!
Being a seasoned community activist, I new the drill. You get 10 good
seconds to pitch a story idea before a snooty producer, who is up against a
deadline, rudely cuts you off midstream and tells you to fax him your info
at (212) 555 -"click..." So, before the producer guy could finish saying
hello, I had already given him my entire bio.
"Good, no click, yet. Now for the story pitch..."
"I wanna tell Sean Hannity, that Jesus was black !"
After a second of awkward silence, the producer said that he liked the idea
and would get back with me soon.
I told myself that I wouldn't hold my breath.
Two weeks later, the phone rang. It was a producer from the Hannity and
Colmes tv show who had run across my info. She wanted me on the show that
night.
"Let me check my schedule," I said, pausing to shadow box with the giant
poster of Sean Hannity with scripto horns drawn on his head that hangs on my
living room wall.
"Cool." Ready for prime time.
A few hours later, I was rollin' through the 'hood in an expensive town car
with a white chauffeur, courtesy of Rupert Murdoch on my way to some secret
Fox News bat cave satellite studio.
As I got mic-ed up, the producer made small talk while he adjusted the
audio.
"Say, someting in the microphone, please."
"Sure, Sean Hannity is a no good, son-of-a....."
"What?"
"Never mind..."
Then it was show time, just me, Sean, Alan Colmes and 10 million
Conservatives who would soon learn hate my guts.
The show is pretty much the same every night. They do their classic good
cop/bad cop routine. Alan Colmes asks you a few polite questions to butter
you up and then ...BAM!!! Hear comes Hannity, the Hitman.
"You, know Pauuuul," he sneered in that arrogant, northern drawl that only a
bigot could love, "it's racists like you...."
The show always goes pretty much according to script. Hannity hits you with
a couple of patented conservative one liners. You make a quick rebuttal,
then Colmes thanks you for coming on the show. The show generated so much
controversy, Colmes wrote about it in his book "Red, White and Liberal."
I wasn't on Fox News again until January of 2006. I baited them with an
email about "boycotting Black History Month because it was too white."
That morning, I got calls from most of Fox's shows, all wanting me to
discuss the issue. At that point, I became Fox's big black boogeyman,
appearing on the network 4 times that year.
It's no secret that Fox News has an agenda. They are there to ease white
guilt and make Right Wing white folks feel that their bigotry and heightened
sense of ethnic paranoia is justified. So, anytime some racist, Michael
Richards/Don Imus type guy says something totally ignorant, they bring on a
black "militant" so they can say...
"Look, ma..There are "black" racists, too !!!!
If they are not doing that, they are busy trying to play one black "leader"
person against another.
I remember hearing a Fox News producer quietly, sobbing in the background,
when what he thought was going to be a knock down, drag out fight between an
African American lady professor and myself over black history, turned out to
be a respectful, enlightening conversation.
So, in 2006, any time there was an incident of white racism, anywhere on the
planet. I could count on my cell phone ringing.
Now, I know that many of you are asking why, knowing the nature of Fox News,
do people like myself even go on the network. After all, its kinda like
walking around with a big "kick me" sign, on purpose.
To borrow from the controversial rapper Jadakiss, we do it because " we need
air time."
Our hope is that between Cynical Sean's sneering and Wild Bill O'Reilly's
"holier than though" finger pointing, maybe, just maybe, we can get one or
two good punches in. Also, the appearances lead to other opportunities to
clarify our positions that were distorted by the network. In my case, I
would go on Alan Colmes' radio program, even interacting with callers,
following the show which was a more principled discussion.
Sure, sometimes I felt like kicking myself for even doing the show. (I
should have known it was a set up , when they sent a stretch limo with
flashing party lights to pick me up for the last encounter.) But hey, they
can't all be gems.
As an activist, I always ask myself if my seven and a half minutes of fame
helped to raise the consciousness of the country. Did I put an issue before
the public that would have otherwise gone unheard ?
Because at the end of the day, that's all that counts.
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
By Min. Paul Scott
Created Mar 21 2008 - 10:15am
As the spotlight beamed down on my face, I could hear the producer counting
down. Ten seconds to Armageddon; my first encounter with Fox New's epitome
of evil, Sean Hannity. As I sat there waiting for the big showdown, I asked
myself,
"What's a militant, Afrocentric, radical dude, like me, doing in a place
like this?"
It started off on a whim. I had watched Hannity and Colmes a few times and
developed a strong dislike (OK, bitter hatred) for Sean Hannity before he
even opened his mouth. (Something about that permanent smirk on his face
makes me wanna slap him.) So, one morning in 2002, I called ABC radio and
asked to speak with the producer of his talk show.
"Hold on," the receptionist said. "Too easy," I thought. "She must be new."
I was expecting to talk to an answering machine but, to my surprise, someone
picked up the receiver!
Being a seasoned community activist, I new the drill. You get 10 good
seconds to pitch a story idea before a snooty producer, who is up against a
deadline, rudely cuts you off midstream and tells you to fax him your info
at (212) 555 -"click..." So, before the producer guy could finish saying
hello, I had already given him my entire bio.
"Good, no click, yet. Now for the story pitch..."
"I wanna tell Sean Hannity, that Jesus was black !"
After a second of awkward silence, the producer said that he liked the idea
and would get back with me soon.
I told myself that I wouldn't hold my breath.
Two weeks later, the phone rang. It was a producer from the Hannity and
Colmes tv show who had run across my info. She wanted me on the show that
night.
"Let me check my schedule," I said, pausing to shadow box with the giant
poster of Sean Hannity with scripto horns drawn on his head that hangs on my
living room wall.
"Cool." Ready for prime time.
A few hours later, I was rollin' through the 'hood in an expensive town car
with a white chauffeur, courtesy of Rupert Murdoch on my way to some secret
Fox News bat cave satellite studio.
As I got mic-ed up, the producer made small talk while he adjusted the
audio.
"Say, someting in the microphone, please."
"Sure, Sean Hannity is a no good, son-of-a....."
"What?"
"Never mind..."
Then it was show time, just me, Sean, Alan Colmes and 10 million
Conservatives who would soon learn hate my guts.
The show is pretty much the same every night. They do their classic good
cop/bad cop routine. Alan Colmes asks you a few polite questions to butter
you up and then ...BAM!!! Hear comes Hannity, the Hitman.
"You, know Pauuuul," he sneered in that arrogant, northern drawl that only a
bigot could love, "it's racists like you...."
The show always goes pretty much according to script. Hannity hits you with
a couple of patented conservative one liners. You make a quick rebuttal,
then Colmes thanks you for coming on the show. The show generated so much
controversy, Colmes wrote about it in his book "Red, White and Liberal."
I wasn't on Fox News again until January of 2006. I baited them with an
email about "boycotting Black History Month because it was too white."
That morning, I got calls from most of Fox's shows, all wanting me to
discuss the issue. At that point, I became Fox's big black boogeyman,
appearing on the network 4 times that year.
It's no secret that Fox News has an agenda. They are there to ease white
guilt and make Right Wing white folks feel that their bigotry and heightened
sense of ethnic paranoia is justified. So, anytime some racist, Michael
Richards/Don Imus type guy says something totally ignorant, they bring on a
black "militant" so they can say...
"Look, ma..There are "black" racists, too !!!!
If they are not doing that, they are busy trying to play one black "leader"
person against another.
I remember hearing a Fox News producer quietly, sobbing in the background,
when what he thought was going to be a knock down, drag out fight between an
African American lady professor and myself over black history, turned out to
be a respectful, enlightening conversation.
So, in 2006, any time there was an incident of white racism, anywhere on the
planet. I could count on my cell phone ringing.
Now, I know that many of you are asking why, knowing the nature of Fox News,
do people like myself even go on the network. After all, its kinda like
walking around with a big "kick me" sign, on purpose.
To borrow from the controversial rapper Jadakiss, we do it because " we need
air time."
Our hope is that between Cynical Sean's sneering and Wild Bill O'Reilly's
"holier than though" finger pointing, maybe, just maybe, we can get one or
two good punches in. Also, the appearances lead to other opportunities to
clarify our positions that were distorted by the network. In my case, I
would go on Alan Colmes' radio program, even interacting with callers,
following the show which was a more principled discussion.
Sure, sometimes I felt like kicking myself for even doing the show. (I
should have known it was a set up , when they sent a stretch limo with
flashing party lights to pick me up for the last encounter.) But hey, they
can't all be gems.
As an activist, I always ask myself if my seven and a half minutes of fame
helped to raise the consciousness of the country. Did I put an issue before
the public that would have otherwise gone unheard ?
Because at the end of the day, that's all that counts.
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson