'The View' Host Sunny Hostin Hits Back at Racism Accusations: 'Everything Is Racist, Especially If You Call It Out’

'The View' Host Sunny Hostin Hits Back at Racism Accusations: 'Everything Is Racist, Especially If You Call It Out (yahoo.com)

An article really caught my eye this morning, as it was on a subject I have been thinking about in the back of my mind. Only a few lines into the article, I realized that the article I was reading was a proxy for things I had been thinking about. It was an example of my fears come true! Well, my father always said I was good at explaining things. Here goes my attempt at explaining my thoughts on the issue below.

The Yahoo article I am referring to was titled, 'The View' Host Sunny Hostin Hits Back at Racism Accusations: ‘Everything Is Racist, Especially If You Call It Out.’ My ears perked up immediately. I have been wrestling with the thought that I might be “poking the bear” at work by trying to be my authentic self.

The dust up took place on the TV show The View. The conflict was that in the opinion of one of the hosts (who is black), often simply the act of calling out racism is being called racist by some. The issue came up in a segment about reparations for black Americans for slavery, referencing republican representative Tommy Tuberville’s recent disparaging remarks about black people and reparations. After a quick scan of the article, I immediately realized that I had been concerned about that very same issue.

The issue here is not necessarily about reparations, but about “poking the bear,” or antagonizing a large fury creature that can eat you whole. I had been thinking about this in relation to my self expression at work and the articles I sometimes write on LinkedIn, like this one. On occasion, they are articles that reflect who I am as an inter-racial minority and how I see the world. At work, I imagine that a few of my posts might also reflect my sense of identity. My fear is that perhaps not everybody appreciates this sort of self revelation. Indeed, it occurred to me that my posts might be provoking that large fury creature. It was this realization, and the confirmation of this phenomenon, that Ms. Hostin provided that jumped out in my mind as I scanned the article.

It was in a discussion on reparations that Sunny Hostin made the point that simply bringing up issues regarding race or racism is called racist by some. Personally, I hate getting into any discussion of reparations as it can stir up a lot of passions and stupidity on all sides. Having said that, my own belief about reparations is that they would surely be helpful to those locked in generational poverty. Many of the less fortunate among us that may be engaged in crime often hail from this entrenched poverty that for many black Americans began with slavery itself.

My own path through life, while definitely not a cakewalk, has been privileged. Yes I am a minority of Latin and African-American heritage, but I was very fortunate to have loving, educated, parents that had professional careers. I don’t need and don’t want reparations...and don’t particularly feel entitled to them. America has done its part for me with “affirmative” policies that have helped lift my parents out of poverty and given them opportunity. And it is those policies that have, by extension, been the catalyst for my relative success in life. I am grateful to a country that has grappled with itself for the ugly sins of its past and has seen the wisdom of redressing these ills. One cannot forget it was a majority of white Americans that voted for these "progressive" policies. And it was a majority of whites that elected Barak Obama.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie Gandhi is when a Hindu pilgrimage is asking Gandhi for guidance in their life. A man comes to Gandhi and says that he has killed many Muslims and believes there can be no hope for himself. Gandhi tells him to find Muslim orphans and raise them as his own. In this way he can atone for his sins. The man is relieved and goes away weeping, feeling redeemed. It was a powerful scene.

Aside from the raw emotion of that scene, what I find really compelling was Gandhi’s desire to help heal his countrymen and his very creative solution to the man’s problem. Those two things seem so important to me in life—the willingness to help and to come up with creative, sometimes out of the box, redemptive solutions to difficult problems. It was the compassionate spirit of helping, and the creativity of the solution, that I find special here. I think of these things in the same way that this country has struggled with issues related to gender, race, ethnicity, and class and has sought to do better.

In this country we have tried to redress gender based discrimination with decisions like Roe vs Wade. Or to deal with the brutality of racism and Jim Crow with affirmative legislation.?Or class based oppression with child labor laws. I am very proud of our country as an American that we have been able to do these things. While perhaps not perfect, they have made our country better and have improved my life personally. On the issue of reparations, a compassionate solution might be to give reparations to those locked in cycles of poverty. For those of us that have been lucky enough to not need it, it is what we can give back to a country that has committed to helping redress these issues. Let's target the help where it is needed and be willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

Perhaps only giving reparations to those with a certain income and level of education is the way to go. The rest of us should consider being willing to forgo any participation in reparations, for a country that has tried to stay true to the credo expressed in the words "equal opportunity." It is what we may be willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the country and to move the ball forward for those that can benefit most from reparations.

That is all I have to say about that issue. What I really wanted to talk about is the "poking the bear" phenomenon, to explore it a bit for the fruits it may offer. The poking the bear phenomenon is what occurs when the mere act of discussing race or racial inequity is viewed by some as playing the race card in order to gain some sort of unfair advantage. I was a little shocked, pleased, and even a bit fearful all at the same time when I saw the article, as it was on a topic that had been rattling around in the back of my mind. I was pleased that it seemed to confirm what I was thinking, namely, that even discussing issues related to race can be viewed by some people as racist. I was a little fearful because poking the bear, so to speak, can get you in trouble, as miss Hostin was experiencing.

The fact is, and perhaps has always been, that speaking the truth as you see it is difficult. First off, it can be difficult to know what the truth is. Secondly, the truth one is speaking can be difficult for an audience to hear, especially if it puts one in a less than positive light. It is also difficult to accurately and effectively distil?and convey one's truth. And indeed sometimes, as we have seen, the very act of speaking the truth can be viewed as hostile, or "poking the bear."

The art of speaking truth to a general audience, some of whom you may rub the wrong way, is to perhaps nudge the bear, rather than poke it. One needs to be aware of how the various audience(s) of your message will receive it. This means speaking your truth clearly, but also with an emphasis on understanding and reconciliation. It is unfortunate, however, when simply the act of raising an issue or concern is seen as antagonistic. It often tells you more about that particular audience, than it does about the veracity of the issue.

Sadly, there will be those that will simply reject you and your thoughts out of hand. They will never be a part of a solution to the issue you are discussing, whatever the issue. There are others, however, that will listen to what you are saying and how you are saying it and, if done in a way that invites people in, you will have their ear and may be able to build a bridge to understanding, if not allyship.

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