Having compassion for the family who lost an innocent child in Orlando last week does not mean I am blind to the discrepancies in the media and public reactions to this tragedy and the near tragedy that occurred in Cincinnati nearly three weeks ago.
For those of you who insist on burying your heads in the sand and pretending that race is not an issue, I say wake up! Clearly the media (social and professional) reacted differently to each case. So much so that i knew the race of each child before I ever saw a clear picture. Not only were there petitions for charges against the black parents as well as DHR intervention, but I read many hateful commentary stating that this child's life was not more valuable than the gorilla's and he should have been left to die. The Florida family (white) never received the level of vitriol that was spewed at the Cincinnati family (black). It is tragic that the white child died, but many of you stated that the black child should have died. Where was the anger over the deaths of the two alligators killed in search of the white child? I missed it. Where was the petition for action against the white parents who allowed their child to wade in the waters of alligator country? I missed that as well. Where is the compassion for African Americans in this country? Yes, I also missed that . It is a sad truth that whenever anything happens to a black person, the spin is to blame the victim or portray them as not so innocent. There is a rush to publish any negative information about the victim (however irrelevant) and portray that somehow this was their fault, or they deserved it. White victim; the media and the authorities say, "Let us respect their privacy. Let us have compassion for this family." And my favorite, "I am you!" Where was all this empathy, respect, and compassion two or three weeks ago? And why is it race baiting to say " I see what you're doing."?
Darlene Pryor the author
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