Fox News, Melissa Francis, and an Honest Conversation about Race

I can never resist a good headline, and boy was this one a doozy.

Fox News Host Cries Because Conversation on Race Makes Her Uncomfortable

Wow!

I watched the video, and in all honesty, I wasn’t surprised. In fact, I actually felt bad for Melissa Francis, who teared up and said to her co-hosts …

I know what’s in my heart and I know that I don’t think anyone is different better or worse based on the color of their skin. But I feel like there’s nothing any of us can say right now without being judged.

I don’t doubt her sincerity for one moment.

I do believe that Francis truly doesn’t understand why this conversation on race has come to a place where she personally feels victimized.

I don’t think Melissa Francis is a racist person, nor do I believe that she supports any kind of violence against people of color.

What I do know, however, is that her ignorance of the reality of race relations in this country is why many people will watch this video and have not an ounce of sympathy for her. It’s why they will judge her.

An Honest Conversation about Race

The bitter pill to swallow is that while Francis doesn’t see anyone as better or worse based on their skin color, the company for which she works helped put someone in office who does see people as better or worse based on their skin color – and religion, too.

While there are certainly some folks who work at Fox that seem to offer some level of objectivity, such as Lisa Kennedy and John Stossel, many, including Sean Hannity, Brian Kilmeade, and Steve Doocy have proven to be little more than puppets for a company that is complicit in the rise of one of the most dangerous presidents of all time.

We’re talking about a guy who…

• Launched a travel ban that targeted Muslims
• Condoned the beating of a non-violent Black Lives Matter protester
• Referred to Jews as “cunning businesspeople”
• Called supporters who beat up a homeless Latino man “passionate”
• Referred to Mexicans as rapists
• Attacked the parents of a Muslim soldier who died while serving in the U.S. Army
• Took two days to denounce the actions of nazis

It’s hard to feel much sympathy for anyone working at Fox who gets upset because she feels like she’s being judged based on her thoughts on race relations.

Yes, it sucks that Francis is in pain over this conversation about race. But it’s nowhere near the pain that Freddie Gray must’ve gone through the night he was being tossed around in the back of a police van right before he died.

It’s nowhere near the pain Eric Garner must’ve felt as he lost consciousness, right before he died.

It’s nowhere near the pain the mothers of black boys all over this country feel when their children are murdered by bad cops.

It’s nowhere near the pain the children of immigrants must feel when their parents are rounded up and deported. Parents, by the way, who work hard and contribute to society all in an effort to provide a better life for their kids.

It’s nowhere near the pain Muslims and Jews feel when their places of worship are vandalized and bombed.

Melissa Francis feels she’s been put in a position where she’s being unfairly judged. And maybe there’s some truth to that. But it sure as hell beats being put in a position where your very existence is at risk every single day because the President of the United States views you as being unworthy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Understand, I write these words not to criticize Melissa Francis, but instead draw attention to something that’s very obvious to most people in this country, but not obvious to those who are privileged enough to never have to be put in a situation where the color of their skin or the God they worship puts their lives at risk.

That is the reality that I don’t think Francis gets. It’s a reality that plenty of white folks who voted for Trump also don’t get. And until that changes, we will never be able to have an honest conversation about race.

You can see the Fox News segment below …