In an appearance on CBS’ “Face The Nation” on Sunday, Giuliani weighed in on the high-profile fatal shootings of two black men—Alton Sterling and Philando Castile—this week that have sparked protests throughout the country, saying that black children have “a 99% chance” of killing each other. Incidentally, those are about the same odds of Giuliani saying something racist about black people if you invite him to talk about Black Lives Matter on TV. The freelance bigot clarified his claim by trotting out the tired and false narrative of “black-on-black” crime being the root cause of all violence against black people in America, saying, “The real danger to them, 99 out of 100 times, is other black kids who are going to kill them.” Given this fake statistic, Giuliani fails to grasp why black kids are even worried about cops in the first place.
I believe it was Dorothy Parker who once said to a woman that if she had nothing nice to say, she should come sit next to her. Somehow I think even Ms. Parker would want to kick Rudy Giuliani’s ignorant racist ass. Because he happened to look and act authoritative on 9/11, Giuliani has managed to craft a lucrative career for himself as a security specialist, terrorism “expert,” and professional racist.
I don’t know about you, but if I’m looking to understand some of the issues facing the African-American community, the LAST person I’m going to be thinking of turning to is a self-important Conservative White man with a history of (and penchant for) saying truly stupid and offensive racist things. Giuliani’s qualifications to discuss the plight of Black America is on par with my right to authoritatively discuss child rearing.
In fairness, Giuliani’s performance on 9/11 and during the aftermath was exemplary. It was an impossible task to keep New York calm and help it return to normal, and he went above and beyond the call of duty in many, many instances. That said, it’s not a basis for a lifetime sinecure on Fox News Channel as a “terrorism expert.” His experience as a federal prosecutor would certainly allow him to speak with some authority on subjects relating to crime and law enforcement. There’s nothing on his resume that would qualify him as an expert on life in and issues impacting Black America.
Giuliani’s comments on Black Lives Matter (BLM) tell the reader everything they need to know about him…which is that he knows NOTHING about BLM and what it stands for. Read BLM’s website, and you’ll see that they’re not about violence or promoting victimhood…not that the true fits Giuliani’s narrative, of course.
Too many Conservative Whites have managed to convince themselves that BLM is the modern-day reincarnation of the Black Panthers. Except that BLM has nothing in common with the Black Panthers…except perhaps skin pigment and an abiding frustration with the way African-Americans continue to be treated. The Black Panthers had no problem with employing violence; BLM promotes non-violent conflict resolution as the only effective means of achieving equality and social justice.
If he truly cared about the issues and problems facing Black America, Giuliani would stop expounding (not at all) authoritatively about what BLM is about…and LISTEN. He’d talk to African-Americans, ask them about their lives and the challenges they face, and LISTEN to their responses.
Then again, he knows that Fox News Channel isn’t going to continue writing him checks for listening to, and soberly reflecting upon what he hears from, African-Americans. He knows he’s only getting paid if he confirms the preconceived racist notions of Conservatives already terrified of African-Americans and upset that they don’t seem to know their place.
