Race continues to be a major sticking point in the national discourse. There have been two recent stories in which race has been a major factor.
First, there is the case of Daniel Penny, a white man who was charged with second-degree manslaughter for choking Jordan Neely, a homeless black man, to death on a New York City subway. Witnesses claim Neely had been making threats at the time of the incident. But some have raised questions about the length of time Penny held Neely in the chokehold to prevent him from further threatening the passengers.
Members of the activist media portrayed the killing as yet another sign that white supremacy infuses American society. On the left, people alleged, without evidence, that Penny was motivated by racism when he placed Neely in the chokehold.
RedState’s Bob Hoge wrote an article noting that even high-profile leftists like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Al Sharpton tried to portray the incident as racially motivated, but video evidence showed Penny releasing the chokehold and placing Neely in a recovery position. Penny denied holding any racial hatred and expressed his love for all people and cultures. He described the events leading up to the encounter and expressed sadness over Neely’s death.
Then, we have the case of Sarah Comrie, a nurse who works at a hospital in New York City, who found herself in an altercation with a black man in a dispute over a Citi Bike. The conflict was captured on camera.
The footage showed Comrie attempting to take a Citi Bike, while a young black man claimed it was his and prevented her from removing it. The woman called for help and said she was pregnant. The incident sparked the usual accusations of racism and attempts to dox the woman.
However, it was later revealed that the bike was indeed the woman’s, and she had paid for it through the Citi Bike app. The young man and his friends prevented her from taking the bike again and blocked its QR code. Again, as of this writing, not a single left-leaning personality has provided proof that Comrie is a racist. But, as is typical, this has not stopped the race baiters on the left from making the claim anyway.
In recent incidents involving individuals like Daniel Penny and Comrie, we witness a distressing pattern of the media’s eagerness to inject a narrative of racism and white supremacy into the news of the day without ever having to establish that racial animus existed in these situations in the first place. These cases, initially devoid of racial animosity, were quickly seized upon and distorted to fit a preconceived narrative.
Such reckless narrative spinning not only exacerbates existing racial tensions but also plays into the hands of authoritarian elites in government who exploit this division for their own gain. As Americans, it is essential to recognize and challenge these manipulations, which distract us from addressing the real issues that plague our society.
The media’s rush to label Daniel Penny’s actions as racially motivated demonstrates their willingness to prioritize sensationalism over objective reporting. Despite video evidence clearly showing Penny’s attempt to subdue a threatening individual and render aid, prominent figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Al Sharpton propagated a false narrative of racism and white supremacy.
Reasonable people can disagree about Penny’s actions, and there is certainly room for debate on the matter. But by cherry-picking facts and manipulating the truth, members of the left-wing intelligentsia chose to foster division.
Similarly, in the case of the falsely accused hospital worker, the media irresponsibly amplified accusations of racism without verifying the facts. The woman’s attempts to retrieve her own rented bicycle were twisted to fit a predetermined narrative. Rather than engaging in thorough investigative journalism, outlets like NBC hastily reported the story, further fueling the flames of racial tension.
While media outlets sensationalize these incidents, authoritarian elites in government exploit the resulting division to consolidate their power and divert attention from their own machinations. In this way, nefarious forces in the government are partnering with a media establishment to further expand their power at our expense.
By perpetuating a narrative of racial animosity, these elites distract the public from holding them accountable for their policies and actions that perpetuate inequality and erode personal freedoms. The more Americans are divided, the easier it becomes for those in power to manipulate and control the narrative to their advantage. The real tragedy here is that too many Americans eagerly fall for the deceptive narratives the media is perpetuating.
