Megyn Kelly and "The Curious Case of Color-Blocking"

Very few things make me laugh out loud. But reading about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s professional ambitions recently yielded a healthy chuckle for me?—?and NOT for the reasons you may automatically be thinking.

It’s not about ideological differences or professional jealousy. It’s not because she’s 10 years younger, a great deal wealthier and the arguable epitome of Western beauty standards. And for the most part, it’s not even because according to Vanity Fair's cover profile story this month, Ms. Kelly appears to have staked claim to being Oprah Winfrey’s media successor. No, it seems a lot of people considered that claim a bit dodgy.

In a blunt critique by Christina Cauterucci of Slate.com, Ms. Kelly is quoted as saying of Ms. Winfrey,”

“In all her years coming up … [Winfrey] never wallowed in any sort of victimhood. She didn’t play the gender card and she didn’t play the race card. She was just so good we couldn’t ignore her.”

First, whether she knows it or would be willing to admit it, that statement suggests Ms. Kelly believes a significant number of people of color have succeeded by playing the race card, or by demanding things they weren’t qualified for due to past victimization. I find this extraordinarily offensive. It probably reflects her personal opinion about the hot-button affirmative action issue, and definitely plays well with her staunchly conservative audience. But from someone yearning for broad appeal in the 21st Century, I agree with Christina Cauterucci that it’s a decidedly outdated and isolating stance.

I also think that comment constitutes what I consider a criminal case of “color-blocking.” That’s a coping mechanism used by many white people worldwide, folks who are well-meaning and not necessarily prejudiced against people of color. But it is embodied in statements like, “You are so talented/articulate/poised/successful?—?NICE?—?that when I look at you I don’t see your color.”

I’ve heard it many times in my life, and have used each scenario to educate the person intending to compliment me. Often I’ve resorted to humor to transmit a gentle message: “If you don’t see color when you see me, RUN, do not walk, to your nearest opthalmologist’s office. My skin is dark as a Hershey’s chocolate bar, and I’m really quite happy with it. You don’t need to temporarily deaden optic neurons every time we interact to make me feel comfortable.”

Full disclosure: I have only seen a handful of clips of Megyn Kelly “in action” as a journalist. But as issues of culture, ethnicity, and skin color are erupting globally and daily?—?from police shootings in America to Muslim bashing and refugee resistance globally?—?it is equal parts astonishing and disappointing that such a talented, articulate, intelligent, successful journalist would gush that she admires Oprah’s refusal to use race to succeed.

She may be technically correct, but I feel like Fed-Exing Ms. Kelly a box of Kleenex and a copy of “The Color Purple” and advising her to have a seat somewhere. That response may seem reductive and flippant, but it gets me to my central point:

Of all the media icons of the past century, Oprah Winfrey epitomizes the acrobatic ability of an African American to reach the pinnacle of career success yet NOT run as fast and far as possible from issues of color, race and culture. Of course Ms. Winfrey’s intelligence, tenacity, poise, and gravity are elements that have no inherent color. Of course she worked hard, made the right connections and is now an unparalleled living legend who, if you like, “just happens to be black.”

But is Megyn Kelly mesmerized by the resume and not the reality? Is admiration of Ms. Winfrey’s astronomical financial bottom line obstructing Ms. Kelly’s view of Oprah Winfrey’s masterful straddling of America’s color line? I don’t have the analytics to confirm my suspicion, but I’d wager that fully half of what Oprah Winfrey has produced in her journalistic and creative careers has been about being of African descent, in America or globally. She has talked about race, interviewed people who talked about race, produced films of the works of black authors, opened a school in South Africa, regularly hosts dinners honoring black female legends…..

Maya Angelou was her Spiritual Mentor/Mother, for heaven’s sake.

Now, you could argue that while much of her creative output may have had a ethnic tone, Oprah Winfrey never really “used” race to succeed. Her genius lies in appealing to humanity and elevated consciousness, and people of every hue and hemisphere responded. She has never asked for anything to be given to her simply because she was black.

But to make that statement as if to confer some badge of honor on Ms. Winfrey is utterly absurd. There are many people of color who vocally insist they don’t want to be seen as black or brown or Asian, but just as Americans or members of their profession first and foremost. They have that right. But revering Ms. Winfrey for that reason is beyond tone-deaf.

And I haven’t even mentioned my opinion that Megyn Kelly declaring herself the next Oprah is the epitome of interstellar hubris. They haven’t even invented the analytic tool to measure how CRAY CRAY that sounds to me! Here’s my analogy: In my humble opinion, during the 20th Century there were only two U.S. Presidents who achieved heroic legend status based on their extraordinary personal dynamism, the set of cataclysmic world events they tackled and the responses they crafted to handle them. One was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the other was John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Both were incredibly human and had more than their share of flaws and challenges, but managed to carve unparalleled niches in recent history.

I believe Oprah Winfrey has attained equal stature in the Media realm, along with names like Barbara Walters, Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow. Her achievement is even more epic because she not only conquered journalism, she mastered the creative/entertainment realms as well. While it is perfectly appropriate for women of all backgrounds to revere Ms. Winfrey as a role model?—?as I do?—?I am once again forced to use the technical term “CRAY CRAY” to describe Ms. Kelly’s ambitions. Jut because you can clap back at Donald Trump during a Presidential debate does NOT put you on a career track toward Oprah Winfrey’s level of talent and impact.

Pump ya’ brakes, Megyn. Just let Donald Trump roll up on me during a hot flash, and he’ll wind up booking an hour-long Q & A with Gloria Steinem to try and regroup. Trust and believe.

I won’t belabor this point, because I may have already risked being dismissed as a catty, bleeding heart liberal player-hater taking potshots at Fox News. Some might argue that without having enough evidence about the full measure of Ms. Kelly’s skill, poise and intellect, I can’t assess whether she’s the rightful heiress to Ms. Winfrey’s throne.

But I suspect that should the next Oprah emerge in my lifetime, it will be a woman who is savvy enough to realize that reducing a legend to a couture-draped see-through spectre by suggesting her skin color didn’t matter in her life’s journey will NOT strengthen her cross-sector fan base, as Ms. Winfrey has been able to do.

Through the decades, I’m guessing more than a few people have told Oprah Winfrey they don’t see color when they look at her. I would have PAID to see how she responded. And I’m asking a favor with this posting: If you are a white person who has ever complimented a person of color by telling them they’re so smart or well-spoken or talented that you don’t see their color, or that their color "doesn't matter"…

You might be a candidate for laser eye surgery. I’m just sayin’. I’ve had it, on both eyes. Each and every day, I am newly astonished by and grateful for the depth and range of colors on this planet.

I would never pretend to NOT see a single one of them.