It has been said many times before that there is an almost concerted effort on the part of mainstream media to normalize Black harm, and desensitize the majority of those who view it. We are often bombarded with imagery of freshly-harmed Black bodies on constant, digital, looped cycles.
Broadcast after broadcast of the event, with rarely even a spoken or written disclaimer before it is played.
Hannah Giorgis, in a 2016 article she wrote for Buzzfeed shortly after the murder of Philando Castille, said:
We all know by now the process of headline, footage, analysis, and eventual lack of justice that has seen the harm wrought upon so many Black bodies go unpunished.
But what effect does this cycle have on people who aren't Black? We already know that there are many studies showing that the sight of Black skin decreases white people's empathy compared to that of lighter/whiter skin, so it might not be hard to suggest that all this imagery still does not provoke any feelings of empathy.
Taken from a historical perspective, that last sentence couldn't be any closer to the truth.
Allow me to re-emphasize the words quoted above from G.L. Godkin:
We venture to assert that seven-eighths of every lynching part is composed of pure, sporting mob, which goes...just as it goes to a cock-fight or prize-fight, for the gratification of the lowest and most degraded instincts of humanity.
As Tariq Nasheed notes in his caption, there were only a handful of Black people in attendance. And at the sight of the Black man being forcibly dragged away in a chokehold, the audience - and I use the word 'audience' intentionally - responds by almost immediately whipping out their phones and following the action.
At 0:20 seconds into the video, we hear what is assumed to be a young, white child shout out ''Worldstar!" as the Black man is dragged by security into an indoor area. His exclamation elicits a wide smile from a white, sunburnt male watching the event unfold before him. The perspective moves toward a see-through glass pane to get a better shot, and at 0:41 captures another young, white child grinning from ear-to-ear at the sight of the violence.
It's hard to watch that video and not be left with the impression that the audience was not disgusted by the gross mistreatment of another Black male at the hands of white 'Authority', but rather that they enjoyed it, like many of their ilk before them have. As the video proceeds, their wooh-woohs and shouts from the background sound increasingly less critical and almost more like cheering.
It is important that we all take the time consider the reaction that was displayed and consider the realities and history of Black harm as well as the way it has been shared across non-Black communities through time. And it is equally important that we keep our considerations in mind the next time we publicly share our Black pain to an audience that might just find satisfaction in it.
Broadcast after broadcast of the event, with rarely even a spoken or written disclaimer before it is played.
Hannah Giorgis, in a 2016 article she wrote for Buzzfeed shortly after the murder of Philando Castille, said:
We all know by now the process of headline, footage, analysis, and eventual lack of justice that has seen the harm wrought upon so many Black bodies go unpunished.
But what effect does this cycle have on people who aren't Black? We already know that there are many studies showing that the sight of Black skin decreases white people's empathy compared to that of lighter/whiter skin, so it might not be hard to suggest that all this imagery still does not provoke any feelings of empathy.
Taken from a historical perspective, that last sentence couldn't be any closer to the truth.
Allow me to re-emphasize the words quoted above from G.L. Godkin:
We venture to assert that seven-eighths of every lynching part is composed of pure, sporting mob, which goes...just as it goes to a cock-fight or prize-fight, for the gratification of the lowest and most degraded instincts of humanity.
*
With all that's been said above in mind, I share this video taken at the 2017 Vidcon conference - an annually-held event where some of the biggest online video stars meet with their fans and promote their content.
As Tariq Nasheed notes in his caption, there were only a handful of Black people in attendance. And at the sight of the Black man being forcibly dragged away in a chokehold, the audience - and I use the word 'audience' intentionally - responds by almost immediately whipping out their phones and following the action.
At 0:20 seconds into the video, we hear what is assumed to be a young, white child shout out ''Worldstar!" as the Black man is dragged by security into an indoor area. His exclamation elicits a wide smile from a white, sunburnt male watching the event unfold before him. The perspective moves toward a see-through glass pane to get a better shot, and at 0:41 captures another young, white child grinning from ear-to-ear at the sight of the violence.
**
It is important that we all take the time consider the reaction that was displayed and consider the realities and history of Black harm as well as the way it has been shared across non-Black communities through time. And it is equally important that we keep our considerations in mind the next time we publicly share our Black pain to an audience that might just find satisfaction in it.
but I know he didn't deserve it regardless. Cac cops always know how to use non-violent means to subdue people when the target is white, but these private security guards who were aren't even real cops used more force against him than they are legally allowed to, from what I've read on it so far.