(Image: Racism typeface via Shutterstock)Also see: Racism and Criminalization in the Media
Back in the mid 1990s, Dinesh D’Souza wrote a book with the provocative title, The End of Racism. His assertion was that if racism has a beginning, it can also end. Ending racism is an ideal that certainly crosses political lines, but the process of getting to that end…well, that’s where the differences between progressives and conservatives start to show.
The power of the White Citizens’ Council, the Klan, the Dixiecrats and, most importantly, laws that legalized racism in the United States has been diminished since the mid-’60s. Does this signal the “end” of racism? Hardly. To understand modern day racism and the way in which it reinforces social hierarchies based on skin color, language, religion and culture, I spoke to Truthout writer, Bethania Palma Markus. Markus wrote a piece entitled, “Racism and Criminalization in the Media” where she takes on the subtle and not-so-subtle depictions of race in the media. Paula Deen’s idealization of southern plantation life, the coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing and the people profiling in news stories serve to reinforce social hierarchies through a softer (but no less effective) kind of racial coding of African-Americans, Latinos, Arab-Americans and Asian-Americans and their “place” in society.
Race is an artificial construct. Yet, the power of racism lies in a time-tested media tactic that’s used to sell us everything from soap to war to the belief that whites currently suffer the same kind of racial discrimination as African-Americans. What is that tactic? Simply put, a message needs time and frequency to penetrate the consciousness of a target audience. Or to put it another way: people will start to believe a message repeated over a long period of time.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $104,000 in one-time donations and to add 1340 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy