The Black Informant

The Lies and Distortions of the 30-Second Sound Bite

By Gwen Richardson

Can an individual’s entire life’s work be encapsulated in a 30-second sound bite? Members of the media would apparently say “yes,” but most rational, logical human beings would answer this question with a resounding “no.”

The reason is that the selective nature of a 30-second sound bite could either spotlight the positives or, in the case of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the negatives, and lead an observer to reach a conclusion that is completely devoid of reality. A sound bite could capture one’s most devastating failures or one’s most resounding triumphs. But media’s lust for negativity, with their focus on crime, death and destruction, virtually guarantees that any person’s successes will be overshadowed by their defeats.

That’s why many people reached the following conclusions from the endless loop of negative video snippets regarding Wright: He is a hateful preacher, frothing at the mouth with obscenities and anti-American sentiments; that these snippets are indicative of every Sunday sermon he has preached, from beginning to end, for the last 35 years; that even the marriage ceremonies and baptisms he performs are laden with similar language; and that anyone attending Trinity United Church of Christ must be a left-wing radical with animosity toward White people, in general, and the American government, in particular.

Although the conclusions are, in my opinion, completely irrational, the media have left some people no choice. That is virtually all media have shown viewers about Rev. Wright and they have included no information to the contrary. Some observers have, thus, reached the conclusion that that is all there is. The only way their minds can be changed is if they conduct their own research, which few will bother to do.

Yet, if media did a minimal amount of research, they would discover that Wright is multi-dimensional, as we all are. For example, they would discover that he served six years in the U.S. Marines, much of that time as a hospital corpsman, and received a letter of commendation from President Lyndon Johnson for assisting in his heart surgery procedure in December 1964. They would find that Wright is not a pastor on the fringe, but is rather a mainstream preacher, having been invited to the White House in September 1998 to pray with President Clinton when he was under siege during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

They would find that Wright is the author of four books, holds four earned degrees and eight honorary doctorates. They would find that Trinity has a significant number of White members and that the United Church of Christ is a denomination which is 98 percent White. (more…)

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1332: Made some minor updates to post.

The 30-second sound bite is a very effective tool in the world of politics. As far as defining it as fair or unfair, that depends if your side is the benefactor or not. So sis, get used to it.

Remember Bush’s “Mission Accomplished?”

Or how about his comment to former FEMA director Michael Brown?

“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job,”

How about New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin?

“I don’t care what people are saying Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day,” he said. “This city will be a majority African-American city. It’s the way God wants it to be.”

How about Sen. Robert Byrd’s ridiculous comment?

“The people of West Virginia don’t need a lobbyist,” declared the irate senator. “They have me.”

Let’s not forget Bill Clinton’s bold-faced lie:

“I did not have sexual relations that woman.”

Remember the clip that deep-sixed John Kerry’s run for the presidency?

I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.

Senator Obama has successfully convinced a hefty portion of Americans that he is the right man for the job as head of one of the most powerful political machines in the world. You don’t get there by using handicap ramps and safety rails that steer you away from the dangers of criticism. No, you get there by using whatever tool that is available to you. That includes the use of 30-second clips that do not tell the whole story (ever checked out a political commercial?)

My reason for highlighting this particular article is because it represents many of the sentiments of folks I have been reading online in the past couple of weeks regarding this Rev. Wright business. What is interesting to me is that some of the same folks who are putting forth such a great effort to convince others that Wright was just having a bad day and that he is being unfairly judged based on a 30-second clip are the same folks who in most cases said NOTHING about this judgmental standard when it was being applied to politicians or personalities they disliked. Fairness should not be relative, but it usually is.

Rev. Wright has a long history of saying the things he said in those clips and apparently he has not issued an apology for his remarks or attempted to water them down. So why do certain members of the public (like the author of the article above) feel obligated to “rescue” him? He is a grown man and both his comments over the years as well as his actions have already spoken for him.

I think that for most Blacks, it is going to be quite interesting (and to some, quite intrusive) if the world gets the opportunity to place a Black man, his family and his associations under a constant microscope. What really makes this interesting is that Obama does not fit the narrative about Blacks in this country we have been pumping into the international market of opinions for decades. Let’s be honest here, this has hardly been a problem when the microscope has been on White presidents for all of these years. So under an Obama presidency, the world will get a up-close and daily view of the real plight of Black Americans who fully take advantage of what this nation has to offer them.

Welcome to the world of politics where the clip can make or break a person.