Last Saturday, the news was dominated by the coverage of an attempted terrorist attack in Chelsea. However, the story lost its momentum once it was discovered that no one was killed in the blast and that the suspect had been captured. Just days after a Boston Marathon style attack, the news had shifted to coverage on riots in Charlotte over the shooting of an armed black man by a black police officer. Rather than spending time clarifying that the man in question was armed, and that the #BlackLivesMatter movement was misleading people with a false narrative that he was holding a book rather than a gun, which was debunked by the police report at the scene, news organizations continued the debate of excessive police force and institutional racism in the police department. As a result, Charlotte burned as stores were looted and cars were overturned.
Now, this gap in coverage between the two events has less to do with black and white, and more to do with green. It’s important to understand that most major networks cover events like the ones we are seeing in Charlotte with promises of ratings. The #BlackLivesMatter movement has gained such a following, and sparked such heated debate throughout the country that stories like Dallas, Ferguson, Milwaukee, Louisiana and now Charlotte have become the car crashes that news networks and audiences alike just can’t seem to look away from. However, the events of this week are a scary sign.
As mentioned earlier, the man was armed and shot by a black officer. This means the odds of this killing being motivated by racism or a racist bias are slim. Personally, I believe if you are armed and pose a lethal threat to a police officer, that officer has the right to respond with lethal force. But facts be damned, #BlackLivesMatter has ran with and perpetuated a false narrative fueling hate and violence not just in Charlotte, but across the country as well.
But how can #BlackLivesMatter be getting so much coverage on a national level despite having a track record of spreading lies? I attribute this to the fact that the movement has high profile celebrities and athletes using their platforms to bring attention to these cases. From LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade speaking at the ESPYs, to the recent protests from Colin Kaepernick and others. These people have proven to have an enormous influence to start a national dialogue on serious issues, and I wish they would do the same for other problems this country faces, like terrorism which was swept under the rug earlier this week in favor of the events in Charlotte.
I understand these athletes feel a personal connection to these issues due to their race and upbringing, but we’re all American, why not start a national dialogue on how to better combat terrorism? If these people could get behind a cause that has repeatedly lied to millions and manage to bring one of the most controversial social issues to the national stage, then they can do the same for terrorism. Unlike the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the issue of national security affects us all. So let’s stop worrying about black and white, and focus on the red, white and blue.
