Paul McNeil: Why Ferguson Isn't As Bad As It Seems

Published by Portland Press Herald.


The editorial’s claim is that although what happened in Ferguson with Michael Brown was undoubtedly a tragedy, but it has a good side in that we can use this to move closer to equality for all, without racism. He also states that we are really much further along towards peace and equality that the media would have us think.

He argues for this by saying that no one thinks about racism unless media try to spark it to improve their ratings, or a politician tries to use it to secure a vote. Most of the time, however, he talks how whites do things that would be unthinkable decades earlier, such as cheering for a mostly black sports team, and have whole days dedicated to black people of history.

I think the claim is well made, as it really shows that America is a much better place than everyone tries to make it out to be. News corporations will try to dish out assumptions and most of the people will accept that as fact. These people then try to act as if they know the whole story perfectly, and say that this proves how racist whites are. I believe that no one knows all the facts in this case, so unlike the Rodney King days, people should not use this as a way to call America racist, but use it as a way for America to improve.