By Damion Boycott
On Friday July 20th, 24 year old James Holmes went on a shooting rampage that killed 12 people and injured 58 others at an Aurora Colorado movie theatre. Early reports say that Holmes set off tear gas canisters before he opened fire on patrons of the crowded movie theatre.
When the story began to spread nation wide most reports failed to mention that Holmes is a white male. This should reflect a growing concern among Americans about how the media conveys stories. If the suspect were black he would be portrayed as a monster, if the suspect was an Arab Muslim he would be called a terrorist. When the suspect of an exceptionally violent crime is white he or she is judged as an individual. When the suspect is an African American or an Arab Muslim they are always judged was part of a group. There is clearly a double standard in the way the media reports stories.
There is also a double standard in the way the Police handle white suspects. An unarmed black man that is not in the process of committing a crime can get shot at 50 times by the police- as in the case of Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo. Black men don't even need to be armed with guns to be killed by the police. However, a white man can shoot 71 people and be "captured" alive by police. How can anyone doing that much damage be taken alive? Black teenager, Ramarley Graham of The Bronx was shot and killed in his home, in front of his grandmother by the police- he was also unarmed.
White men always seem to pose a greater threat to the broader society, however, they receive far less scrutiny and less brutality from police. Tim Wise is known for doing lectures on white privilege. He often talks about White Americas' sense of entitlement and sense of unearned privilege. The way history is taught in schools- every noteworthy accomplishment was achieved by white males. White men control the politics and economy of most of the world. Tim Wise teaches that we live in a white male dominated society and white men have a sense of entitlement as a result. This is why it is so easy for white men to carry out these rampage style mass killings, it is because they have a sense of entitlement
The Media has a way of deliberately and systematically racializing crime and violence as something that Blacks, Latinos and now Muslims do. If a black man carries out a mass killing rampage the media would portray him as a monster. If an Arab Muslim committed the same crime he would be labelled a terrorist. If a white man shots 71 people in a movie theatre there is an elaborate discussion around what type of movies he watches or what type of video games he plays. He is singled out as a disturbed or rouge individual.
When people of color commit crimes the far right wing in America will go as far as to suggest that racial profiling is the answer. However, when white men like Timothy McVeigh, James Holmes and others commit crimes with grim human consequence no one advocates racially profiling white men that fit their description. Racial profiling always seems to get a thumbs up if the people being profiled happen to be people of color.
Part of the issue is that there is a pattern of behaviour among white men that is not being addressed. It is absurd that African Americans make up 13% of the population of the nation and are portrayed as the segment of society that is most criminal. This is a way of vilifying people of color that do not control the way images are projected in the media. If the media points out the ethnicity of people of color when a crime is committed, it is fair and objective to mention the ethnicity of white men as well.