Thirty years ago, I was a reporter for a mid-sized southern paper owned by the New York Times. As such we were part of the organization’s news wire. The company relied on us reporters to feed it stories, which the Times printed — regularly. In short, the NYT trusted our competence.
That is until a couple of stupid kids drove to high scho…
Thirty years ago, I was a reporter for a mid-sized southern paper owned by the New York Times. As such we were part of the organization’s news wire. The company relied on us reporters to feed it stories, which the Times printed — regularly. In short, the NYT trusted our competence.
That is until a couple of stupid kids drove to high school with a Confederate Flag hanging in the truck’s rear window. Suddenly, we locals, including our African-American education reporter, weren’t up to the job. The NYT flew down at least one reporter and a photographer. A colleague had to give up his desk for a couple of days as the “pros” dug into “the incident.” Voila, a local school disciplinary issue turned into a national story because, of course, the South is a cesspool of racists.
I grew up in Connecticut, left, and returned nine years ago. In my life I’ve seen more racism in this bastion of tolerance than I ever saw in my five years down south. Mostly it was and is manifested in the racism of the lowest of expectations. As goes Connecticut, so goes New York.
I throw this out to echo other comments here that the NYT on the issue of race hasn’t been doing its job for decades. A newspaper’s job is to report news as it is. We all know that, or should. Yet the Times does nothing to explore and report on the daily interactions of those of us who live in this melting pot called the United States. It and its wannabes — the Washington Post, NPR, and the other dying metro dailies — want to keep the activists’ America-is-racist trope alive to sell papers and herald to the world their profound compassion for the lessers in our society. Gee, who are the real racists here?
I know that you are speaking about reporting, and the following quote is made in reference to fiction, but your post still reminded me of this statement from Flannery O’Connor:
“Anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is going to be called realistic.”
Most of us are just fly-over country to the folks at the big publications.
Why I love the Common Sense comment section. It causes us to reach.
What a great quote, Cal. I’m in awe of and humbled by your knowledge of Flannery O’Connor and ability to apply her genius to our reality. Thank you, because you prompted me to look up the REAL meaning of grotesque. Here it is.
“: a style of decorative art characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature”
Thanks. That’s why I love the comment section as well. I always learn something and everyone is usually civil. Its really the only place I ever comment about anything online.
Flannery O’Connor was nothing if not witty. She and I share the same alma mater (though it was an all-girls’ school in her time). The definition you provided makes O’Connor’s quip even more incisive. Thanks for sharing it.
Thirty years ago, I was a reporter for a mid-sized southern paper owned by the New York Times. As such we were part of the organization’s news wire. The company relied on us reporters to feed it stories, which the Times printed — regularly. In short, the NYT trusted our competence.
That is until a couple of stupid kids drove to high school with a Confederate Flag hanging in the truck’s rear window. Suddenly, we locals, including our African-American education reporter, weren’t up to the job. The NYT flew down at least one reporter and a photographer. A colleague had to give up his desk for a couple of days as the “pros” dug into “the incident.” Voila, a local school disciplinary issue turned into a national story because, of course, the South is a cesspool of racists.
I grew up in Connecticut, left, and returned nine years ago. In my life I’ve seen more racism in this bastion of tolerance than I ever saw in my five years down south. Mostly it was and is manifested in the racism of the lowest of expectations. As goes Connecticut, so goes New York.
I throw this out to echo other comments here that the NYT on the issue of race hasn’t been doing its job for decades. A newspaper’s job is to report news as it is. We all know that, or should. Yet the Times does nothing to explore and report on the daily interactions of those of us who live in this melting pot called the United States. It and its wannabes — the Washington Post, NPR, and the other dying metro dailies — want to keep the activists’ America-is-racist trope alive to sell papers and herald to the world their profound compassion for the lessers in our society. Gee, who are the real racists here?
I am from the South (Texas), and the most racist town I have ever visited was Boston.
I know that you are speaking about reporting, and the following quote is made in reference to fiction, but your post still reminded me of this statement from Flannery O’Connor:
“Anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is going to be called realistic.”
Most of us are just fly-over country to the folks at the big publications.
Why I love the Common Sense comment section. It causes us to reach.
What a great quote, Cal. I’m in awe of and humbled by your knowledge of Flannery O’Connor and ability to apply her genius to our reality. Thank you, because you prompted me to look up the REAL meaning of grotesque. Here it is.
“: a style of decorative art characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature”
Thanks. That’s why I love the comment section as well. I always learn something and everyone is usually civil. Its really the only place I ever comment about anything online.
Flannery O’Connor was nothing if not witty. She and I share the same alma mater (though it was an all-girls’ school in her time). The definition you provided makes O’Connor’s quip even more incisive. Thanks for sharing it.