During Wednesday afternoon’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Jason McIntyre asked Cowherd for the top five cities where he would live right now.
After Cowherd started with “Chicago,” McIntyre exploded. And what came out of his mouth next was both frustrating and dangerous.
“Chicago?! It’s like a war zone right now. It’s like Afghanistan!” exclaimed McIntyre.
Cowherd quickly shot him down by defending the city, after which McIntyre retreated and continued on with the news.
But what started as an innocent discussion on cities quickly morphed into ammunition for those who love to attack and demean major cities through specific talking points and false narratives.
And by major cities, we, of course, are referring to Black communities.
Lies, false narratives and fear are, as President Andrew Shepard (played by Michael Douglas) stated in the film “The American President,” used by Republicans in elections.
“Making you afraid of it and telling you who’s to blame for it. That ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.”
That strategy has been employed for decades.
Want to rally your base? Instill fear and anger by harping on crime in New York, Chicago, Detroit and LA.
Mind you, where have mass shootings been happening? But I digress.
The South Side of Chicago is an easy scapegoat because of its large Black population, yet many in the media refrain from celebrating it for its rich history of music, literature, entertainment and sports. Instead, a single gunshot becomes national news and the false narrative about the city is perpetuated.
Why? Because scaring people is effortless, especially people who don’t live in the city and understand what the reality is.
“It’s easier to say ‘What about Chicago? What about Chiraq?’ than it is to visit the city and talk to the people about what’s really going on in neighborhoods,” said journalist and Chicago native, Evan F. Moore. “Right-wing and conservative outlets paint the city the way they want through these talking points.”
It’s a common practice across the country.
Continue reading over at First and Pen.
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