Steve Sailer points out that the New York Times has claimed that there is no such thing as racist black
extremism:
Wait,
what exactly is black identity extremism? The answer is: nothing. It’s a
fiction, as others have powerfully argued, including Andrew Cohen, a fellow at
the Brennan Center for Justice.
But that doesn’t make the report any less sinister. As Cohen pointed out, the F.B.I. has a “history of surveillance and intimidation of black Americans that frequently goes beyond legitimate law enforcement into paranoia, racism, and political expediency.”
The F.B.I. document takes pains to say that the mere exercise of constitutional rights to protest and even the “rhetorical embrace” of violent tactics “may not” constitute extremism. But the danger — or even the aim — is that the entire racial justice movement gets painted with the brush of terrorism.
The next time there is an act of violence by an African-American against police officers, brace yourself for the right-wing media or the attorney general or the tweeter in chief to seize on the phrase “black identity extremists.”
But that doesn’t make the report any less sinister. As Cohen pointed out, the F.B.I. has a “history of surveillance and intimidation of black Americans that frequently goes beyond legitimate law enforcement into paranoia, racism, and political expediency.”
The F.B.I. document takes pains to say that the mere exercise of constitutional rights to protest and even the “rhetorical embrace” of violent tactics “may not” constitute extremism. But the danger — or even the aim — is that the entire racial justice movement gets painted with the brush of terrorism.
The next time there is an act of violence by an African-American against police officers, brace yourself for the right-wing media or the attorney general or the tweeter in chief to seize on the phrase “black identity extremists.”
Neither
Mr. Rosenthal nor Mr. Sailer appears to have noticed that the inevitable
conclusion of this line of reasoning is that murderous violence and other
criminal behavior is simply normal black behavior.
Is that really the position the New York Times wishes to publicly assert?
Is that really the position the New York Times wishes to publicly assert?