20 January 2009

Bull

I've read a lot of drivel in my time, but this is ridiculous.  If I understand this stuff (I don't want to say what I really think) correctly, this Ronnie Collins is calling two of our local school systems racist because they don't dismiss students for a full day?!?!?!  How can you call the practice of federalism racist? Our local school systems exercise autonomy in the matters of school holidays.  Also, Collins says that "Southern states like Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina picked McCain because their voters did not feel comfortable with the idea of having a black president." I CALL BULL on both Mr. Collins and on the BHC.

Why the BHC? I could do a better job of reporting than that was done on this piece. This piece of reporting is very simplistic and follows this outline:

I. Celebrate the One's election

II. Celebrate MLK

III. Accuse all southerners of racism

Basically, this was a softball piece that did little but take up print space in the paper and pixels on the website. We all know the editorial board of BHC, J. Todd and his gang on Morrison and their stands. That said, I grant that the piece accomplished what it set out to do. I would caution the casual reader of the BHC website to remain just that, a casual reader. This sort of reporting belongs on page 4 of the local high school newspaper, not on the so-called flagship paper of the Mountain Empire.

Why do I call BULL on Mr. Collins? His reponse is as simplistic as the reporting done for this article. To say that McCain carried Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina because of race belongs in the 1950's, NOT the 21st century. Each time I read this article I believe that this could have been written in the 1950's.  Why do I say that? Let me give another outline. Mr. Collins essentially says this:

I. Southerners voted because of race

II. Southerners have threatened Obama's life

III. Southern schools racist because they don't allow a full day holiday on MLK day.

This is not to discount the fact that some did vote on account of race. I'm sure there are those who did. However, there is more to the election of 2008 than just race.  This seems to me to be a simplistic analysis of the 2008 election.  Mr. Collins is right on one front. We need to work together for issues common to us all, not just based upon skin color or ethnicity. The BHC should be ashamed of itself putting this type of reporting on its website.

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