In what some people are calling ignorant and racially intended, O’ Reilly recently made some controversial comments during a dinner in which he treated Al Sharpton to. Recalling his dining experience at Harlem’s renown restaurant, Sylvia’s, on his radio show, O’ Reilly stated:
“It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun,” he said. “And there wasn’t any kind of craziness at all.”
O’ Reilly refuted the accusations that people are making by stating that he was simply trying to make a point that racial differences and tensions have improved to the fact that you can go in a “black” restaurant and expect the same service as if you were going to an Italian restaurant or some other “non-black” establishment. O Reilly further stated that his recent experience at an Anita Baker concert depicted a very diverse and professional crowd of individuals and that many people who aren’t exposed to black people may only equate them to rap music and much of the negativities that have been surrounding it.
O’Reilly further stated that in the restaurant, there weren’t black folk screamin “Motherf***, I want more iced tea!” to show that some people’s perception of how black people act is skewed. Some individuals are saying that O’Reilly’s comment(s) were racist and uncalled for while others, especially some in Sharpton’s camp, found no offense in his comments.
What are your thoughts? I know I had posted a topic a lil while ago regarding Nas’ “reckless” usage of the word “racist” when talking about O’Reilly. Do you think O’Reilly’s comments were ignorant or real?
~Thesis
Reecie
thehonorable
Everybody knows O’Reilly is a dumb ass… here he just adds to his track record.
On a side note… I’m a fan of the fried chicken and greens at Sylvia’s but Amy Ruth’s has better mac and cheese. The sweet tea is bout a tie… lol
lol
He’s racist and disgusting…no if ands or butts about that. It’s just crazy to me, how people out there really think that Black people are animals or something. What does he expect from a Black restaurant? People to be holding the waitress at gunpoint while ordering candied yams and catfish? What kind of craziness goes on at any restaurant? I don’t know of any crazy restaurants…so why would there be a difference in a Black one?
Why is he comparing everything to a white Italian restaurant as if that were the gold standard and other races should strive to meet that sort of civil behavior? I mean give me a break man! This is just further proof that he talks all this sh!t about Black folks without actually knowing anyone. He probably can’t even use the “I’m not racist I have A black friend excuse”!
Although I hate Billy-O and think he is a Bigot, but if you actually listen to the comments, although naive and ignorant, I do not find them racist. However, I think they are a backhanded compliment that shows is bigoted and ignorant background.
I’m not a Bill O’reily fan but I don’t think he meant it that way. We do have a lot of jokes and sterotype that suggest that if a white person goes to a black neighbor hood, event and etc something bad is going to happen to that person. Like in the movie soul plane and listen to jokes made by people like Chappelle, Chris Rock and others. They all make joke suggesting that and despite the fact that it’s not true a lot of white people actually believe these stuff.
I remember one time me and my white friend went clubbing. I wanted to go to this one club but he was afraid to go in because it was a black club. He didn’t come out and say it but it was pretty obvious that was the reason. My friend actually believe some guy would actually beat him up or try to rob him for the simple fact that he is white. I remember another time I went to a party with a white friend of mine where most of the people at the party was black. The minute she notice that she almost had a heart attack and didn’t want to go to the party. Despite the fact that people laugh at these jokes people actually believe this jokes are for real. The sad reality is when it comes to sterotypes for black people a black person in a suit isn’t a very popular one.
to be honest, i am a black man who likes bill o’riley. there, i said it, but before you turn the hate on me, there is a reason why i like him. 9/10 times i would prefer someone with an ignorant point of view to express their views openly so they can shed their ignorance (and im using that word in the traditional sense, not “stupid,” just “not knowledgable of”). while the rest of the country is in its PC mode always hiding their controversial views, o’riley doesnt give a shit and will say what’s on his mind. my problem with the whole PC movement is that if people like bill o’riley and don imus (to a certain extent, because his comments were viscious) say something borderline racist then the problem of race in america is being highlighted in the public eye rather than sugar coated by those who think it and dont say it. if a bunch of white people walk into a black-owned establishment and think the things that o’riley said, i find that to be more dangerous to race relations in this country further down the road. once ideas are so embedded in peoples mind that they dont verbally express them, that means reversing the trend will be significantly harder. however, if someone says what is on their mind publically and its a comment made out of ignorance, they at least have a chance to be educated as to why they were wrong. and to be honest, i think that there are more people who need that kind of education than there are people who don’t.
here’s why i disagree with reecie’s above comment… let me start off by saying, yea it pisses me off too that some people are so ignorant that they have to think and say things like that. it angers and saddens me deeply. but honestly, and i may get some backlash for this, but i do not think it is entirely their fault. the racial divide in this country is so deep especially in social settings that how can we expect others to understand us when they have no real personal interaction? how can anyone have views towards a group that they arent exposed to other than what the media portrays? i would like to think people as a whole are smarter than that, but that would be putting way too much faith in people. i have heard people from all different races (including blacks) make comments about another group purely out of ignorance (again, in the traditional sense of the word). people as a whole do tend to need some sort of explaination for how they feel about things. there are good hearted people who get the wrong ideas from the wrong sources. i cant blame that on them. and honestly, how could you? the media hasnt painted blacks in a positive light since… well, lets just say its been a while. and if someone thought to themselves, “well, BET is black-owned, let me hear it straight from the source,” they get the same garbage being played on the white-owned media outlets. that’s a problem to me, and without folks like o’riley saying ignorant things, how could this problem even be addressed? im not pissed at him, im pissed at the situation our country is in and i really feel like the sun is setting on the possibility for the kind of social change we need in this country. and it doesnt seem to help by pointing fingers at people and labling them racists. thats just one more negative stereotype for us to fall into. i obviously dont have the answers on just how we can get to where we need to be, but im working on it haha. but i truly believe we need people to say whats on their mind without being worried that we’re going to crucify them for it. and maybe its not our “job” to educate ignorant people, but honestly some sort of proactive step needs to be taken.
…sorry, that was so long winded…
Stallion,
I absolutely agree with what you are saying. B/c when i was in college and there would be a “black” event, and i have been asked if white people were allowed to come.(as ignorant as this sounds, this occurred more than once).
My freshman year, I was playing a video game with some kids and my friend came in and said the sigmas were having a cookout in the basement (free food). I was not hungry so i did not go, however 3 whites overheard it and decided to go, however, when they saw a group of black guys, 2 turned around basically because they were scared the 3rd guy went and ate. This kid was in my major so we became decently good friends over the years and we talked about incident and how the other 2 were scared and why and he basically said he looked at as free food. This just shows that many whites actually fear black people.
Also, my freshman year. I was walking to the student union at dusk and there was a guy and a girl (seems like in a relationship.) I was walking behind the both of them at the same pace and the guy was constantly turning around looking very uncomfortable. The girlfriend was asking what was wrong with him. Well, to go to the food court there was a wall and 90 degree turn up stairs (outside). When we both approached the wall, he stopped the girl and kissed her at the wall basically letting me walk pass. So, I am in lines at Wendy’s and they walked passed and the girl said, “see i told you he was just getting something to eat” or something to that effect. This guy was terrified of me. (I think I had a backpack on too).
Other freshman year comments: This guy on my floor 6′5 brotha, Cool as night breeze but I heard white guys saying how scared they were when they saw him.
Its crazy but many whites have never been around any black people in there life and they think black men are 50 cent lyrics etc. Sad but true. However i dont get mad b/c it is just a lack of exposure. However was annoyed when people assumed that I played bball or football b/c i’m a black male at the university.
I mean me and my friends have innappropriate comments and jokes flying across the room 24/7 but never in seriousness would we ever go to a spanish restaurant and say to each other wow they weren’t even drinking tequila or wearing sombreros, I mean I think it’s worse than the Don Imus Situation just cause homeboy was serious…and it just shows how racist America is because his Fans have his back like CRAZY…fox even put out a press release basically supporting this statement saying “‘This is nothing more than left-wing outlets stirring up false racism accusations for ratings. It’s sad”. It isn’t a democratic or replubican it’s a basic social conduct thing. I am not judging these statements based on anything but the context that they were said in. Criticizing hip hop is one thing, that’s at least debatable and I respect his right and I encourage people to scrutinize something if they have a problem with it so we can talk about it least, but this is straight inexcusable racist/bigot/prejudice statement.
Can you guys cover Jill Scott? She did have a new LP come out this week. You got the pussycat chick on your site and no Jill Scott, What up Homey
I am agreeing with Reecie on this one. Yes I do agree that due to the fact that so many people do not socialize with other people of different races, they can easily get the wrong image with what they see on the tv and read in the news. However this does not apply to Bill O’Reilly.
This man is obviously well educated. Regardless of what you think of his views, he knows exactly what he’s talking about. He has spoken to Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and many other educated black men and women on his show. (I have watched him a few times just to know exactly what some people are listening to and believing) and I can assure you that none of these guests were screaming, swearing, waving weapons around, or any other negative behavior. So the man knows better.
Its like saying that when we walk into an Italian resturant, we expect to see the mob or a loud italian man in a wife-beater. Most people (including the average joe) know they won’t be seeing this, even though we see it regularly on tv. Bill O’Rilley is just a racist who is trying to mask his racism with the illusion of ignorance, and that…is very dangerous.
WOW that is ignorance in the first degree. a genuine case of the insider looking out.
it sounds like he was genuinely surprised though-
i guess living amongst all the assumptions about black people, yet never actually having stepped foot inside a black community before, would be a pretty life-changing experience..
but he should keep the thoughts to himself.
it isnt national geographic.
what a dumbass.
we create more racism by gettin angry by what ppl say… 2 be quite honest i feel nothin was wrong w/ what he said it was more of a compliment and i’ll tell u why, this is a man that has stired up some trouble in the past and now found himself even goin into an urban resterant and goin somewhere where there is more black ppl than he would find a white person (point blank period he made the effort to go to an urban place somewhere to be honest as a black man… we see someone come into a urban place where he wouldn’t normally be seen and we be lookin like WTF is he doin here… and thats childish its a free fuckin country and how ignorant of ppl to say his comment was ignorant… Read it again, he’s puttin it out there tellin ppl basically we are the same i saw no difference from bein here and bein in an Italian resterant w/ all ppl… U all shoulda looked at it that way and took it as a fuckin comliment… I’m a young black man and to see some of the things black ppl allow to get them upset makes me very upset and makes the ppl who stereotype us black ppl sound correct… Look @ the world today fighting is something thats unnecessary to be quite honest and then ppl jump ppl if u can’t fight ya own battles on ya own then maybe you shouldn’t be fighting bein jumping is some straight up punk shit and for those ppl who find is necessary to use a knife or gun or whatever to fight someone is really a punk ass pussy there is no way in hell when a man fights another man should he be so scared that i feels he gotta use a weapon someones fist should be enough PPL are unfair these days w/ the jumping, using weapons (which i proudly say again is some punk shit and you obviously scared of the person or just can’t fight) and the judging ppl it really sickings me i hope the world turns out to be a better place and the ignorance stops because its stupid
Denial, Denial, Denial…White folks are in denial that racism exists, even as they speak racist words. Black folks are in denial that racism exists as they try to rationalize the racist comments that come out of folks mouths and even take it as a compliment. lol…it’s crazy. I get so sick of talking about race because Black folks are just as clueless as white folks are until 6 black teens get charged with attempted murder for a schoolyard fight.
So you mean to tell me that if a person came to your house and had dinner with your family and left saying “I can’t believe how civil it was. It was like eating with a white family!”…you wouldn’t find that to be racist? If a person said, “Oh my God, I can’t believe that you have a college degree and have never been to jail. You’re just like a nice wholesome white kid”…you wouldn’t find that to be racist?
That’s why racism is so successful in this country today, because people stop just shy of the line and they have little nuances in what they say to make their point but still give them room to deny any wrongdoing. Everyone can believe what they want to believe…but remember the saying “the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist”.
I agree a little with REECIE.She has a point.The minute Civil Rights seems threatened to the black/African-American community (i.e Jena 6 headline).Everyone gets the urge to march or walk like a day out in the park.Ignorance is in every fabric of American society.It’s in the blood (homez)(like my mexican homies would say..lol(jk).But,yes Chappelle and Chris Rock are right by “their” portrayals of how skewed the white view is of black people in America.Ask yourselves has their ever been something said so racist there wasn’t a rebuttal.Or even a Hey! that’s not true moment in your day to inform white colleagues,co-workers,etc.,about how black people are not inferior human beings.I think not.Some white people they say believe in aliens just so they can justify 1) there isn’t a god 2) we don’t have to live or abide by biblical law. 3)slavery was and is necessary 4) If they already feel like their the ones with the better economic,social,and moral footing than any I guess it gives support not only to white priviledge but an inferiority complex with a twist of “oh so your people are civilized” type of comments.
im not entirely sure where im going with this, but i guess it kinda fits into the whole depiction thing. let me start by saying im not african-american/black (whichever it is you prefer). i am (as you could guess from my name) 100% azn. as the school district i attend is approximately 60-70% black, most of my friends are black, and i have no problem with them. the reason i say that is because on times when i have been hanging out with my azn friends who arent used to seeing blacks, and we pass by an area with black people (doing anything, they could be coming out of church, and yes that has happened before) they will kind of shrink away or become uncomfortable, even when we are in a large group. basically, America has gotten to the point where the stereotypes are present in all areas of society, regardless of who the stereotypes are about.
so basically,i agree with donjusuton when he says that the media has put blacks in a negative light all over america, and it continues to do so. meanwhile, people like bill oreilly continue to have the limelight cast on them. YES what he said was wrong, but does it really help to just keep criticizing him? does anybody really think that he will listen to your criticizims? instead of having people like Rev. Sharpton continue to speak out against people like oreilly, they should instead work to fix the stereotypes that have been created in this country.
i think criticizing o’reilly’s comments makes a huge difference, whether he sees them or not! it’s better than shutting up or even worse, defending him (as most people in here have done already!) if you have an opinion, speak up- no matter how you do it; it’s just as important as o’reilly’s or anyone’s.
there’s not any one person you can rely on to ‘fix the stereotypes’. if you want change you gotta take action yourself, instead of waiting around for someone else to. criticizing racism at any rate is progressive, not negative- when it’s done constructively.
i’m an American but i live in New Zealand now. if anyone over here made comments like o’reilly, there would be immediate backlash in communities, media, and government. it would be treated as totally unacceptable. i just can’t believe that people (especially fellow African Americans) would defend those types of comments or even consider them as a compliment!! whatever he’s done to brainwash you, it’s working!
““I can’t believe how civil it was. It was like eating with a white family!”…you wouldn’t find that to be racist?”
Hmmmm, I agree that statement is ignorant, stupid, dumb and such, but it depends on where it’s coming from. A person who has never met a black person before may honestly be shocked (as lets face it the media is not our friend) and this may seem like a compliment to them…saying that black people are just like them.
What O’Reilly said was filled wih ignorance and a supposed educated man who speaks for America should know better than to base several million people’s personalities and culture on 20 rappers on MTV…but I honestly don’t think he was trying to be racist I think he honestly thought he was making a compliment….which is f*&king terrifying. In this day and age to think that people still believe every stereotype about other cultures and people is beyond a joke.
ths is kinda in response to stallion. i think criticizing racism, in a constructive manner, is progressive because it a) sends the message that racism won’t be tolerated at any cost, and b) educates people about stereotyping as a negative thing.
for example, you could just point the finger at o’riley and label him a racist (as Nas had done) or you could point out that his comments were ignorant- the stereotypes of blacks compared to italians are racist, and why.
you don’t have to crucify someone for making racist comments but there does always need to be some sort of backlash. how else are people going to be educated on the matter?
also, someone like o’riley who ’speaks’ racism is just as dangerous as someone who keeps it to themselves. and you gotta address the consciousness of all, not just one or the other…
Bill O’Reilly is not culturally ignorant he has had African-Americans on his show. Michael Eric Dyson for instance has been a guest on his show. I say that, to say that he has been in the company of polite,educated people before and you would think that his comment about Sylvia’s would reflect that. However, he did what ignorant, racist people do he used a negative stereotype completely unrelated to the issue at hand and used it to pimp smack the black community.
The media actually blew this out of proportion by editing what he said in a very specific way.
Link: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1666573,00.html
Quote:
“So, O’Reilly says to me that the reality to black life is very different from the lowlife behavior glorified by the rappers. He told me he was at a restaurant in Harlem recently and there was no one shouting profanity, no one threatening people. Then he mentioned going to an Anita Baker concert with an audience that was half black, and in sharp contrast to the corrosive images on TV, well dressed and well behaved.
“I joked with O’Reilly that for him, a guy from Long Island, a visit to Harlem was like a ‘foreign trip.’ That’s when he brought up his grandma. He said she was prejudiced against black people because she knew no flesh-and-blood black folks but only the one-dimensional TV coverage of black criminals shooting each other and the rappers and comedians glorifying “gangsta” life and thug cool. He criticized his grandmother as irrational for being afraid of people she really did not know.”
I’m not a Bill O’Reilly fan, but I’m not a fan of taking things people say out of context either.
OMG ppl this is what i’m talkin bout ya’ll bringing up different subjects that yes indeed are racism, but when it came to this topic i didint think it was… just as i wrote ahead… also you cant refer what happened to a white man coming to your house, because this is talkin about a white man coming to an area majority black.. U have to excuse the fact that yes both white and black ppl can be ignorant to racism and makes it worse by gettin upset at the small issues… For example, this subject LMAO it kills me that ppl would get upset… first of all, by gettin upset the way you do it just makes things worse what happens to fire back at the white man and then it just goes back and forth back and forth… I don’t understand u ppl… NOW JENA 6 is a whole nother topic a whole different kinda issue… O’Reilly is a white man who grew up hearing things about black ppl from who uwould have to be upset w/ his parents… When your white or black and u grow up hearing so many negetive things about the opposite race than what do u expect… A lot of ppl these days STILL grow there kids up like that and think its ok because well the next family is doin it and the opposite race family is also doin it that doesn’t make US any better than THEM… and like i said when your a white man that grew up that way i give you respect for even havin the courage to come to the community and eat w/ us YES less segregation, but u PPL see it as a negetive thing and i honestly hate that… I’m a young successful black man… and the shit that goes on in this world and how ppl take things is amazingly horrible… PPL talk about equal rights, well SHUT THA FUCK UP sometimes and just look at things in a brighter picture if he had never came he woulda never knew that we are the same no matter what color we are… He grew up learning other things about black ppl and bein that he’s growin up mentally and learning new things and realzing what he was taught or grew up to know black ppl as was false… But everyone sees that in a whole nother light and get mad… NOW JENA 6 can be related to this so don’t try to be like its racism just like this and that… For those who disagree w/ me o fuckin well its time u ppl grow up and mature mentally… REALLY PPL REALLY