Racism is not news! It’s history!
One way to get the meaning behind the comment that “Racism is not news”, is to define news. Much is lost in the translation when words are left undefined.
News is defined as information that wasn’t known before. It is also current events reported by means of being broadcast over the radio, television, online or in print media. This is a simple definition that can be found in most dictionaries.
News, whether it be “fake or real” is driven by ratings. This is a known fact. WHAT YOU ARE HEARING ABOUT THIS GREAT RACIAL DIVIDE AND “HOW” YOU’RE HEARING ABOUT THE THINGS RELATED THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY RIGHT NOW IS DRIVEN BY “RATING”. You must understand that CNN AND Fox News and every other form of newscasting that there is are all involved in a “ratings” war.
So, when you’re listening to the “news” you will hear a whole bunch of slanted and prejudiced opinions. You’ll hear some ignorant inflammatory commentary intended to arouse the listeners. You will hear and see some sensational verbal antics with fiery debate style encounters. You will see and hear some (Uncle Tom-ing). You will hear see and hear lots of intolerance and batches of race-baiting for the sole purpose of keeping viewers tuned in order to get ratings.
What’s race baiting? Again, much is lost when words and terms are left undefined.
Race baiting: The use of racially derisive language, actions or other forms of communication in order to anger or intimidate or coerce someone to act.
Race-baiting is used to get a bystander to stop standing by and to become complicit. To become complicit is to join in for a cause with others that is questionable and may even be illegal. The root purpose of complicity is always connected to some criminal activity.
So, especially for those who profess to be “Christian”, if you are being race bated to get involved in the current rhetoric and you’re using derisive commentary, verbally or written to fan the flames of hate for your own personal ratings, you are being complicit.
My comment was directed at Racism as being (new news). It has been systemically woven into the fiber of this nation since it’s inception. It is our history was the point. The thought of slavery sickens me. I’m the son of former slaves. I know my families history. My name is McLaughlin, I’m not Scot-Irish. My great granddaddies slave master was.
I lived through the later days of Jim Crow laws and blatant public segregation of all things. I’ve dealt with brothers that wanted to have reconciliation services with me. I’m the one that says, “How can we reconcile when we were never “conciled”. This means that maybe there was a time when we may have been in a right relationship. Secondly, to say we’re reconciling seems to suggest that there is culpability on boths sides. “What have I done?”
Racism isn’t news for the sake of rating and show, it’s a part of our history. Woven into the souls of ignorant and blind people who have no clue about the one who not only reconciles man to God but also, man to man. He is none other than Christ Jesus the Lord.
2Cor. 5:17-19
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
If you have been reconciled then you can reconcile because you’re a new creature and God keeps no record of past wrong.
It’s called Justification.
Those of us who have been born again can’t be the instigators of race baiting. We can’t flood our posts with our slanted opinions and ignorant inflammatory commentary for the purpose of fanning the flames of racism. We can’t become intolerant and belligerent just to stir up emotions and make those who are standing by become complicit. And lastly, we can’t be (Uncle Tom-ing) and sucking up to folk thinking we’re going to get some sort of reparation or hand out.
This is no exhaustive treatise on all there is to know about what’s going on in America. I wrote this because of the people who are angered to the max thinking that racism is news. Racism is history and has been with us from the beginning and will be with us when everything comes to an end.
Fight it with everything in you but don’t try and make others complicit by making them feel some kind of way because they don’t feel the same way about “all” things as you do. It’s gonna get worse before it gets better. It’s a setup. No “one” man is going to step on the scene and fix everything and make it all better. If there is one, the bible calls that person the antichrist.
Let’s be careful about what we say and how we say it. It’s our job to minister grace to the hearers.
Colossians 4:6
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer “EVERYONE”.
What’s happening right now is serious. Ask God for words full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you can know how to answer “EVERYONE”. Somebody has got to have a level head.
There needs to be a MESSAGE for this MESS-AGE. Remember, faith without works is dead. So, some have to say something and some need to do something. Keep doing what you believe God has called you to do. But, make sure it’s seasoned with the same GRACE that saved you. Remember GRACE?
Racism is not news! It’s history. (Been with us from the beginning). So, need to not use it for ratings.
—Vaughn McLaughlin