By Andrew L. Jaffee

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Marketplace radio program, Marcellus Andrews stereotyped Caucasian-Americans. He was supposedly commenting on Don Imus’ racial slurs against the Rutgers’ women’s basketball team. If American Public Media (APM) was to broadcast a rational condemnation of racism, that would be understandable; but for APM to disseminate a racist rant by Andrews is unconscionable. Has our public discourse devolved into double-standardized, tit-for-tat race-bating vs. race-bating? You know for a fact that APM would never allow a Caucasian-American tirade threatening African-Americans with (at least economic) violence, and stereotyping all Black people as racists. Nonetheless, APM permitted African-American racism to be spewed during the prime-time news hour. Here is Andrews’ “commentary,” annotated by yours-truly:

MARCELLUS ANDREWS: I never thought I’d see the day when free-market capitalism became the sword of racial justice. [Implication: “free-market capitalism” is inherently unjust, despite the fact that U.S. consumers are driving, for example, companies to adopt environmentally-friendly policies. Both Ghandiji and MLK successfully used economics to affect social change.]

See, a funny thing’s happened in America: black people not only got mad at Imus, we got even. [Are American Jews supposed to “get even” with Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan for their virulent anti-Semitism? What door is Andrews opening here?]

Imus forgot that advertisers want our dollars as much as they want those of the haters. I mean, Imus and hundreds of other white men whose radio and TV shows assault black kids every day with their racism-for-fun-and-profit rants. [Implication: Everyone except African-Americans are “haters.” Gangsta rappers are assaulting the minds of their own kind everyday with violent and misogynist lyrics, and making huge profits. African-American-owned media (BET) is disseminating and profiting from gangsta rap.]

When Imus smeared millions of young black women, he included smart, sweet, chocolate-colored Leah Andrews, my niece in Denver who wants to play basketball at, yup, Rutgers. [Again, Andrews has no problem with gangsta rap’s assault on young African-Americans.]

And when he did that, Staples, Proctor & Gamble and a host of other Imus sponsors that support the country’s premier broadcast outlets realized they can’t have it both ways. They can’t have our support and the haters’ support, too. [Implication: Everyone except African-Americans are “haters.”]

Here’s the bottom line. Whites still earn the lion’s share of all income in the U.S. But it’s dropping — from 88 percent in 1995 to 85 percent in 2005. [Times change. Does that frighten you, Mr. Andrews?]

The reality is that the fraction of all households that are white is falling, while black households are growing. [Are you threatening whites with economic violence?]

So, the black market is growing, the white market is shrinking as a fraction of the whole and the Latino market is exploding. Racist ranters are playing to a declining market segment. [Implication: All whites, the “declining market segment,” are racists.]

Leah’s mom and dad told her to turn her hatred of America’s pleasure at abusing her into the energy to achieve. And she will with the help of a surprising new ally in the unfinished war against racism: money-hungry capitalists. [Is Leah’s “hatred” — racism — a good thing? I’m an American, but don’t “abuse” anyone. Are Leah’s mom and dad teaching her that all whites are racists, like those Caucasians who helped during the civil rights movement?]

Think of this as the black and green revolution of American capitalism. Black folks have enough money to impose a cash veto on numbskulls. [Very imprecise language. Again, are all whites numbskulls?]

Want to beat up on black folks for fun-and-profit? Fine. You have your fun, while we hurt your profits. [I don’t want to beat up anyone. It is you, Mr. Andrews, who is using violent language. I have lived abiding by the Middle Path, not hating anyone. Have you?]

See related:

• Dissention Against Jackson, Sharpton Grows
• Sharpton’s Double Standard Gets Rapped
• Imus is in “good” company
• Al Sharpton on Don Imus

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Related: Economy, Political Correctness, Society

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