NPR Suffers ‘When Woke Worlds Collide’ Dilemma in Piece on Historic Winner of Boston Mayoral Race
“We realize we don’t always get things right the first time, and our previous tweet/headline misrepresented the story. We deleted the previous tweet, which was causing harm, and have updated the story,” NPR tweeted in response to the controversy over their initial story framing.
Every once in a while, conservatives get to experience the delicious schadenfreude that occurs when “woke” worlds collide in Democratic/media circles where one minority group is pitted against another in political campaigns. These situations inevitably lead to heartbreak and feelings of discrimination for one side and fretting by a party that proclaims to be “inclusive and welcoming” to all supposedly “disadvantaged” groups except in all the instances where they’re not so welcoming.
Such a situation has reared its ugly head in the aftermath of the Boston mayoral race. Taiwanese-American Democrat Michelle Wu, a city councilwoman, came out victorious over her opponent and fellow Democrat city councilwoman Annissa Essaibi George, who is white. With her victory, Wu became the first person of color ever elected to the seat.
There were also three black Democrat contenders for the seat: two black women (acting Mayor Kim Janey – who inherited the seat from former Mayor turned Biden Labor Sec. Marty Walsh and city councilwoman Andrea Campbell) and one black man (John Barros, the city’s former econ development chief). But they were eliminated from the competition in a preliminary election that took place in mid-September.
In their reporting on Wu’s victory, NPR took a rather sullen approach to the historic nature of Wu’s win, lamenting the fact that that the black contenders in the mayoral race didn’t even come close. Correspondent Tovia Smith tweeted out the link to her story Tuesday morning, noting that “Wu enjoys broad support, but there’s also more than a tinge of disappointment that Janey & 2 other Black candidates fell short”:
Michelle Wu starts today as 1st woman &person of color elected Boston Mayor. (Acting Mayor Kim Janey inherited the interim job.) Wu enjoys broad support, but there's also more than a tinge of disappointment that Janey & 2 other Black candidates fell short https://t.co/7KWxQHhS51
— tovia smith (@toviasmithnpr) November 16, 2021
And in a now-deleted tweet (archived here), NPR wrote that “While many are hailing it as a turning point, others see it as more of a disappointment that the three Black candidates couldn’t even come close.” Their original headline on the story read, “Cheers and some letdown as 1st elected woman and person of color becomes Boston Mayor.” It has since been changed to read “Why Boston will need to wait longer for its 1st elected Black mayor.” The featured image was also changed from Wu to Janey:
NPR appears to be having a struggle session because the wrong type of female minority won the Boston mayoral election. pic.twitter.com/FPwKHbEB0a
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 16, 2021
Other Twitter users took notice, and went off on both their approach and attempted reframing of the story, which fell flat:
Michelle Wu, an Asian American, is the first woman first person of color elected to lead the city of #Boston. But woke @NPR thinks Wu's win is a let down. https://t.co/zLXgKbC4k8
— Helen Raleigh (@HRaleighspeaks) November 16, 2021
Kim Janey became Boston's first black, first female mayor, but she finished 4th in the preliminary among 5 mayoral candidates of color. (Janey even endorsed Michelle Wu.)
NPR had applauded the diversity of the contenders. What changed? Why downplay an Asian American woman's win? pic.twitter.com/FizBISLYxN
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) November 16, 2021
Why indeed?
To make matters worse, NPR posted a new tweet with the reframing and in a follow-up tweet apologized for the “harm” they allegedly caused:
We realize we don’t always get things right the first time, and our previous tweet/headline misrepresented the story.
We deleted the previous tweet, which was causing harm, and have updated the story
— NPR (@NPR) November 16, 2021
Except the problem wasn’t just the tweet. It was the entire article, which quoted a number of “woke” disappointed Bostonians who were upset none of the black candidates came close to winning.
This is what happens when a political party (and compliant media) puts the physical characteristics and supposed victimhood status of a person before the person’s qualifications. I’m not knocking Wu or any of the other candidates. I don’t know much of anything about them. But I do know judging a person by anything other than the content of their character and their qualifications are not what this country is supposed to be about.
Twitter user “A Newsman” summed the whole sordid situation up best, I think:
The idea the the first Asian American woman elected wasn’t diverse enough for NPR is the sign of deeply race focused culture that ranks people based on their level of victimhood. This racist thinking permeates “progressive” organizations until it’s destroyed any & all credibility https://t.co/c8UQQVvznC
— a newsman (@a_newsman) November 16, 2021
It’s a warped mindset that can also destroy a country, too, but only if its citizens allow it.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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Comments
I am confused. I thought person of color was codeword for black?
Heck! I thought Asians were white now! I just can’t keep up!
They are, wanna comes to school admissions.
When it
When filling out school applications Asians should put “person of color” for their race.
Only when it comes to anything having to do with academic merit (college admissions, private HS admissions, any public exam schools).
For now …
No, that would be the light/white Spanish! BUT only if they VOTE for Republicans! If they go democrat then they’re back to being POC’s! Now Asians are ALWAYS white no matter how dark because they study too much! And don’t forget that “OTHER” White category of all those black Americans who vote and run for office as Republicans! If I recall just recently the very obvious black American Lt. Governor of Virginia has been designated as a “white supremacist”! She could pass for one of the SUPREMES except in the racist “color blind” eyes of democrats! This particular strain of “color blindness” only sees successful black people or failed, suppressed by white supremacist black people! All others are simply white supremacists!
Asians are considered people of color when compared against the evil white supremicists. When compared to other minorities, Asians and Hispanics are considered white.
This highlights another glaring issue with CRT and wokeness. Everything revolves around labeling groups, but the labels change to fit the circumstances. Therefore, there are no groups. But woke ideas require there to be groups. It’s quite a conundrum.
Voter’s choice, probable competence versus probable incompetence. I am glad they finally voted wisely.
Asians, Jews, Palestinians, Catholics, and Armenians are all now too “white adjacent” to count as minority or disadvantaged groups. Also, please forget about the “glass ceiling” that was purported to limit the ability of women to advance in elective office.
It’s all very simple. All of the white people who dominate NPR now identify as black. This is why they all wear dashikis while doing their shows. So, since black people hate Asians, because Asians are a minority yet do so well in America, NPR hates this new Asian woman.
I have to wonder what NPR would have said if an Asian woman Democrat defeated a Black woman Republican? Would it have been met with the same level of disappointment?
In our topsy-turvy world, republicans of any color are considered white by the media. If you don’t vote for me, you ain’t black, and all that.
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the left’s view of “anti-racism” is pro-black and anti-everyone else targeted racism. Every single day.
Its not so much pro-black as it is
“we will do everything in our power to stoke black outrage and anger while simultaneously insisting that blacks are naturally inferior and must be coddled in order for them to succeed.”
I know a number of successful blacks, who have succeeded on merit. It is unfair to those with merit to pollute the workplace with incompetent racists.
But successful blacks became so by behaving as directed and by obeying their white oppressor overlords. Therefore they are considered the bourgeoisie and traitors to their proletariat class.
That was a joke guys …
Perhaps a joke, but accurately describes how blacks are treated. If they aren’t successful, they are victims who have no choices and are destined to be victims. They have no hope of being able to do anything on their own to change their circumstances and must be taken care of.
If they are successful, it was because of someone else’s efforts to support them as the “token” example of how the someone else isn’t really racist.
It is a depressing and demeaning viewpoint, and I wish more people would see that and rethink how they vote.
Pro-Black as in Hutu vs Tutsi, Xhosa vs Zulu, Luo elite vs deplorables.
Some, Select [Black] Lives Matter. It’s a Pro-Choice religious (i.e. behavioral) conviction. That said, Roe, Roe, Roe your baby, down the river Styx.
Not so much “pro-black” as “anti-white” or anything they classify as “whiteness”
This is the neo-racism. Where racism is okay – just so long as it’s against the skin-color the mob has determined to be bad. And the definition of “bad” is squishy. It can be whatever people with your skin color did in this country 200 years ago – even if your family did not come to this country till 20 years ago.
COLLCTIVE GUILT FOR PAST ACTIONS OF YOUR GROUP. It is like saying – someone with your skin color was a criminal 75 years ago – so we have to lock you up. Shut-up and don’t protest or that’s a further violation. Admit your (indirect) guilt – your privilege from indirectly benefiting from the 75 year-old act of the person with your same skin color.
Oh they got their initial headline correct insofar as it reflected their worldview; some pigs are more equal than others. What they are doing is attempting to walk back and disguise the honest animus they made quite plain in the public view.
The calculus in the diversity Olympics is simple; white is last, male is on the bottom. Heterosexuals are after thoughts. Asians have been relegated by the d/prog true believers of CRT/Equity to the status of proxy for white people. This is largely based on their group adherence as a general rule to traditional concepts associated with white ‘privilege’; hard work, self reliance, academic achievement, free speech, entrepreneurship and so on.
The correct answer is to say ‘No thank you’ when being invited to play their racist Calvin ball games. If they persist contact an attorney and force them to play by the real rules.
Statistically, an Asian-American woman represents a far smaller minority group than a black man or woman. So as “minority” goes, she was the most minority in the race.
It’s really very exhausting trying to keep track of the Dem’s ever-changing scale of oppression.
Ok, but in the US we don’t have group rights or group responsibility. Each person is the smallest minority possible; a minority of one.
It is a problem when you have a group so ignorant that they would not understand the pig reference.
Colored person refers to a low information attribute. Person of color refers to a color bloc, is a prejudicial judgment and label.
Diversity [dogma] denies individual dignity, individual conscience, intrinsic value, and normalizes color blocs (e.g. people of color), color quotas (e.g. Jew privilege), and affirmative discrimination.
Woke and morally broke.
Live by the sword, die by the sword.
“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”
Or in a modern frame: live by the scalpel… vacuum, and other weapons of mass abortion.
BALAKANIZATION OF AMERICA
150 Years of progress on race – destroyed by the race-baiters who are given a platform by Woke Progressives because it advances their Marxist agenda.
Why are people so easily misled ?
Not all people or even most people are buying the bigoted narrative of the d/prog. A small, but substantial minority do. Unfortunately they are the ones with the megaphone and given an assist in amplification by the true believers in the MSM.
These clowns are the die coordinators and HR managers and employees who constantly badger and wear down the governing boards and executives until their temper tantrums are rewarded. Then they shift the goal post to another target. Incrementally changing the character and missions of the organization until it is unrecognizable. They are bullies and can be opposed and defeated but when they become increasingly more powerful through our delayed action the day of reckoning becomes more combustible.
They are easily misled because average IQ is very limited when compared to the best of humanity.
When you promote the best and the brightest race and gender don’t matter. You get the job done and everyone’s better off.
Yup, it’s so hard to set affirmative action quotas for elected politicians.
Most politicians are not very bright, their skills lie elsewhere.
Wu is one of Warren’s cronies, there was no way she wasn’t going to get elected.
In case you weren’t keeping score. If you are white female, jewish or asian your victimhood card has been revoked. You are now guilty of being an oppressor. Only your money and vote count otherwise shut up and go away.
Can someone tell me again why they get government money?
Because they would starve, and many people do not want to see how brutal evolution is.
She needs to be careful. A significant percentage of hate crimes against Asians are committed by blacks.
Asian privilege, excluding Russians, Indians, etc.
And also against whites.
‘With her victory, Wu became the first person of color ever elected to the seat.”
Pretty sure that’s not true. Personally saw Mumbles Menino on a baby-kissing campaign tour in Chinatown, eating octopus. He was distinctly green.
A bit of local perspective. Wu was the head of the Boston City Council so she was the most visible local politician in the city besides Marty Walsh who is now Labor Secretary.
Interim Mayor Janney only held the office for a few months and really didn’t do much to lift her profile so it is no surprise she didn’t do well in the election. When two other African American candidates jumped in that likely split the vote for those who are inclined to vote along racial lines which left the voters with Wu and George as the final 2. George was the much more reasonable candidate so, of course, she lost in Boston.
Wu is a looney lefty. Maybe the looniest of the bunch so it will be interesting to see how long it takes her to transform Boston into Seattle East.
Just yesterday she ordered a halt to the removal of a homeless/drug addict tent camp that has been in place for over a year on Mass Ave in the South End. Of course the ACLU is suing to prevent the clean-up of this area.
Had the Black Party run one candidate instead of three, they probably have done better. After all, there is some kind of law that all Black voters would have been required to vote for that candidate.
If Andrea Campbell had won, NPR would be lamenting that she beat the blacker candidate. To determine the blackness of–and therefore, ipso facto the most qualified–candidate, perhaps NPR could refer to the Nazi race scale, which worked so efficiently for them.
And also against whites.
Person of Color = Good.
Colored Person = Not Good.
Racism is so confusing.
Person of Color > Black, because it includes non-black individuals
Colored Person = Black, as in NAACP
Negro > Person of Color (because it makes clear that Person of Color might not include Blacks, unless the “B” stands for Biracial.)
Portion of comment was somehow deleted:
Person of Color > Black, because it includes non-black individuals
Colored Person = Black, as in NAACP
Negro > Person of Color (because it is limited to historic terms, such as Negro League (baseball), United Negro College Fund or quotations from Martin Luther King speeches.)
BIPOC>>Black (because it makes clear that Person of Color might not include Blacks, unless the “B” stands for Biracial.)