Is the media encouraging racism?

Cafe Society
1

Whenever a racist blowhard politician like Trump or Lepage makes a racist comment, it is talked about for days in the media. Isn’t this just encouraging racism?

2

Why would it be? Typically, the conversation is hand-wringing about how terrible it is and how terrible the speaker was for saying it (not that I’m pro-racism but I doubt many would argue that the media overblows stuff for ratings).

3

So by the OP’s logic, does the news covering terroristic attacks encourage terrorism?

Does news coverage of mass shootings encourage gun violence?

Do food network shows encourage obesity?

Do Bravo housewives shows encourage stupidity?

4

I would say yes to these two. I have always thought that the media launching an attacker into massive fame is a big incentive for them. If Osama Bin laden hadn’t arranged 9/11, nobody would know his name. The attacks put him in the history books.

5

I’m pretty sure that fame isn’t what OBL was seeking, nor is it what ISIS is seeking.

6

Making people aware that racism exists allows people the chance to consider whether they notice any differences between races, informs them that there’s others who think there are meaningful differences, and that the “lib’rl media” is against those people. I could see that turning a few people.

While life is harder in the Middle East than it is here and probably the police and governments are far worse to the people than we are, the Western media makes it seem like Western interventions into the Middle East are causing more harm, torture, and death than the locals are, turning Western (and possibly Middle Eastern) people against the West.

I know that it’s believed, for example, that giving attention to serial killers encourages them and the creation of copycats. I see no reason to think that mass shooters would be any different.

I doubt that the Food Network is doing a great job of teaching people about proper portioning.

Yes.

All that said, those same programs might push people away from negative acts as well. It depends on the individual, the presentation, and random luck.