(ThySistas.com) We live in a racially charged society. There is no denying that. From what we see on TV to what we read on social media and the Internet, race is all around us.
I can’t remember a time when racism was so prevalent in our country. I mean I know it has always been an issue, but because I didn’t grow up with it in my face, I’ve never had to really deal with it until I became an adult. Now, sometimes, all I see is race and honestly, it’s kind of hard not to.
Which is why I don’t understand how Stacey Dash thought she was the exception to the white man’s rule when it comes to black peopl
e. She is the black woman all black folks love to hate. Not only does she align herself with the conservative right, she speaks horribly of the community from which she tries so hard to distance herself. You do remember that she said we don’t need black history month and that she called Jesse Williams a “plantation slave?” Well recently, she got a rude awakening when it was revealed that the higher ups at Fox News refer to her as “the black girl.”
Here is the thing; no matter what the black people do, who try to prove to white folks that they aren’t like “the others,” they will always be viewed a certain way. Now for Roger Ailes, the man who made the comment, to refer to Dash as “the black girl” it speaks volumes not only about him but also about the network. Currently, he is involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit, as it has been revealed that the news outlet objectifies its female employees. This is the kind of behavior that you expect from one like Ailes who allows some of the most racists and bigoted stories at Fox News.
Now, knowing Dash, she probably just brushed the words off and didn’t think anything of it because, ya know, she’s getting a paycheck. But for those of us who are aware and know that Ailes’ behavior and comments are indicative of someone who thinks less of black people, it’s totally unacceptable. I know that it means Dash is on the payroll because she cosigns his racist viewpoints. He and others who think like him, believe that racist comments from a black woman is some kind of validation that their views are legit. It is not. What it shows is that some people are willing to sell out for a dollar.
When it comes down to it, no matter how much certain people of color try to show the dominant society that they are the exception, they cannot erase their skin. And that is the determining factor of how a lot of people will be treated. What a sad truth in a year like 2016.
Stacey Dash and others who think like her need to wake up. In the midst of them trying to disprove a stereotype by being “different” they are doing a great disservice to the black community by allowing people outside of our experience to treat them with extreme prejudice.
It does no one any good in the end.
Staff Writer; Rasheda Abdullah