by Charles Davenport, Jr.
Hypocrisy and double-standards are to be expected
from the old media, but mainstream “journalists” seem
intent upon lowering the bar further still, alienating what
remains of their dwindling audience. As demonstrated
recently in Greensboro, media bias is most conspicuous
when an issue involves conflict between a black liberal
(the perpetual victim) and a conservative (the vile oppressor).
Such was the case at a Sept. 16 Guilford County
Board of Commissioners meeting.
Early in the meeting, Isabella Adkins, treasurer of Conservatives for Guilford County, spoke to the board. She is a persistent and effective critic of county tax rates and spending policy. A native of Romania, she speaks English fluently, albeit with an accent.
During a separate discussion of federal stimulus bond financing of a downtown hotel an hour or so later, Commissioner Carolyn Coleman endorsed the project by describing it as a “capitalistic enterprise” in which government could help establish a business and provide jobs. “This is America,” Coleman said. “This is the way it works.”
Several members of C4GC booed and hissed at Coleman’s portrayal of capitalism as a partnership with government. “I know where you from,” the commissioner responded, “but I’m from America.” Some observers believe Coleman’s nativist remarks were directed squarely at Adkins. From the local mainstream press, there has been very little interest in the matter, and no condemnation of the commissioner’s remarks.
We are well aware of what would ensue, had a conservative — say, Commissioner Billy Yow — made a similar comment to a black immigrant: scathing lead editorials, 24-7 news coverage and daily press conferences, in which demands for the commissioner’s resignation would be issued. After all, xenophobia (when practiced by conservatives) offends the sophisticated sensibilities of “journalists.” C4GC has demanded a public apology, which Coleman insists is not forthcoming. The stage is set for the issue to be revisited at the next meeting, which takes place Oct. 7.
Remarkably, very few have commented on the fact that Coleman, an anointed member of the Ruling Class whose experience is confined to the public sector, considers herself qualified to lecture Isabella Adkins and C4GC on the meaning of capitalism. The current state of the economy — record-breaking debt, soaring unemployment and a seemingly endless recession — casts grave doubt on the Coleman theory: that private enterprise benefits from government “assistance.”
Adkins owns and operates a small business with her husband, a high school dropout who once lived in a West Virginia trailer with no water or sewer. “He came to North Carolina,” Adkins says, “with a car, a few clothes in the back seat and $50 in his pocket.” Isabella’s origins are also humble: She arrived from Romania “with one bag full of books and one change of clothes.” From those volumes she absorbed the philosophy of Ayn Rand, which mandates a strict separation between government and private enterprise. This is a fundamental conservative belief.
“Commissioner Coleman,” says Adkins, “has never held a job in the private sector. She has never received a paycheck from a private employer. She has never owned a small business. She has never had to worry about making payroll.” Coleman’s perspective on the relationship between government and business is the polar opposite of the view espoused by Adkins and C4GC. WEB Du Bois, a founder of the racial-agitating, grievance-perpetuating NAACP, was a self-proclaimed Communist and enemy of capitalism. From his autobiography: “I believe in communism…. I believe that all men should be employed according to their ability and that wealth and services should be distributed according to need…. After earnest observation I now believe that private ownership of capital and free enterprise are leading the world to disaster.”
Adkins flatly rejects the NAACP and all that it stands for: “Miss Coleman is a prominent member of the NAACP, and her comment towards me” demonstrates that the organization “is only concerned with the advancement and equal opportunity of African-Americans.”
If Commissioner Coleman is not an authority on capitalism, perhaps her field of expertise is etiquette and decorum. She told the Greensboro News & Record that Isabella Adkins and C4GC owe her an apology for interrupting the meeting: With that in mind, consider this lede from the Raleigh News & Observer’s website in July: “A mid-meeting disruption brought tonight’s Wake County school board meeting to a halt with a group of chanting protesters refusing to relinquish the microphone and police arresting more than a dozen of them.”
Because the state head of the NAACP, William Barber, had been arrested for trespassing on school property earlier that day, the leader of the protesters was none other than Commissioner Carolyn Coleman. While addressing the board, Coleman summoned two-dozen anarchists to her side and joined them in a chant opposing Wake County’s neighborhood schools policy.
But weren’t we just informed that “talking over” elected officials and “making noises” constitute “crossing a line”? The objective observer (or reporter) would condemn the actions of Coleman and her mob in Raleigh as, at minimum, a breach of decorum. Not surprisingly, however, Coleman’s actions were portrayed in glowing terms in the local press. According to old-media reporters, it is not only acceptable, but also commendable, to disturb the peace, get arrested, and shut down meetings to demonstrate one’s moral superiority and commitment to liberal causes. Imagine the howls of outrage if Adkins and C4GC employed similar tactics.
Charles Davenport Jr. (cdavenportjr@hotmail.com) is a freelance writer living in Greensboro.
Early in the meeting, Isabella Adkins, treasurer of Conservatives for Guilford County, spoke to the board. She is a persistent and effective critic of county tax rates and spending policy. A native of Romania, she speaks English fluently, albeit with an accent.
During a separate discussion of federal stimulus bond financing of a downtown hotel an hour or so later, Commissioner Carolyn Coleman endorsed the project by describing it as a “capitalistic enterprise” in which government could help establish a business and provide jobs. “This is America,” Coleman said. “This is the way it works.”
Several members of C4GC booed and hissed at Coleman’s portrayal of capitalism as a partnership with government. “I know where you from,” the commissioner responded, “but I’m from America.” Some observers believe Coleman’s nativist remarks were directed squarely at Adkins. From the local mainstream press, there has been very little interest in the matter, and no condemnation of the commissioner’s remarks.
We are well aware of what would ensue, had a conservative — say, Commissioner Billy Yow — made a similar comment to a black immigrant: scathing lead editorials, 24-7 news coverage and daily press conferences, in which demands for the commissioner’s resignation would be issued. After all, xenophobia (when practiced by conservatives) offends the sophisticated sensibilities of “journalists.” C4GC has demanded a public apology, which Coleman insists is not forthcoming. The stage is set for the issue to be revisited at the next meeting, which takes place Oct. 7.
Remarkably, very few have commented on the fact that Coleman, an anointed member of the Ruling Class whose experience is confined to the public sector, considers herself qualified to lecture Isabella Adkins and C4GC on the meaning of capitalism. The current state of the economy — record-breaking debt, soaring unemployment and a seemingly endless recession — casts grave doubt on the Coleman theory: that private enterprise benefits from government “assistance.”
Adkins owns and operates a small business with her husband, a high school dropout who once lived in a West Virginia trailer with no water or sewer. “He came to North Carolina,” Adkins says, “with a car, a few clothes in the back seat and $50 in his pocket.” Isabella’s origins are also humble: She arrived from Romania “with one bag full of books and one change of clothes.” From those volumes she absorbed the philosophy of Ayn Rand, which mandates a strict separation between government and private enterprise. This is a fundamental conservative belief.
“Commissioner Coleman,” says Adkins, “has never held a job in the private sector. She has never received a paycheck from a private employer. She has never owned a small business. She has never had to worry about making payroll.” Coleman’s perspective on the relationship between government and business is the polar opposite of the view espoused by Adkins and C4GC. WEB Du Bois, a founder of the racial-agitating, grievance-perpetuating NAACP, was a self-proclaimed Communist and enemy of capitalism. From his autobiography: “I believe in communism…. I believe that all men should be employed according to their ability and that wealth and services should be distributed according to need…. After earnest observation I now believe that private ownership of capital and free enterprise are leading the world to disaster.”
Adkins flatly rejects the NAACP and all that it stands for: “Miss Coleman is a prominent member of the NAACP, and her comment towards me” demonstrates that the organization “is only concerned with the advancement and equal opportunity of African-Americans.”
If Commissioner Coleman is not an authority on capitalism, perhaps her field of expertise is etiquette and decorum. She told the Greensboro News & Record that Isabella Adkins and C4GC owe her an apology for interrupting the meeting: With that in mind, consider this lede from the Raleigh News & Observer’s website in July: “A mid-meeting disruption brought tonight’s Wake County school board meeting to a halt with a group of chanting protesters refusing to relinquish the microphone and police arresting more than a dozen of them.”
Because the state head of the NAACP, William Barber, had been arrested for trespassing on school property earlier that day, the leader of the protesters was none other than Commissioner Carolyn Coleman. While addressing the board, Coleman summoned two-dozen anarchists to her side and joined them in a chant opposing Wake County’s neighborhood schools policy.
But weren’t we just informed that “talking over” elected officials and “making noises” constitute “crossing a line”? The objective observer (or reporter) would condemn the actions of Coleman and her mob in Raleigh as, at minimum, a breach of decorum. Not surprisingly, however, Coleman’s actions were portrayed in glowing terms in the local press. According to old-media reporters, it is not only acceptable, but also commendable, to disturb the peace, get arrested, and shut down meetings to demonstrate one’s moral superiority and commitment to liberal causes. Imagine the howls of outrage if Adkins and C4GC employed similar tactics.
Charles Davenport Jr. (cdavenportjr@hotmail.com) is a freelance writer living in Greensboro.
