NPR on ACORN: The Hard-Core Bigotry of Low Expectations
by Maura FlynnToday NPR took notice of the most recent ACORN scandal. Credit to Frank James for covering this story in a fashion that puts most of the MSM to shame so far.
“Instead of wasting its funds on lawsuits, ACORN might want to consider doing more intensive training of its workers and testing them with its own undercover testers.”
Unfortunately, Mr. James concludes his piece by indulging in what George Bush (or one of his speech writers) so eloquently referred to as “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”
“It’s also important to keep in mind that ACORN’s workers are coming from the same low-income neighborhoods the organization serves, with all that entails — poor schools, high crime and the sorts of social problems that have been documented for decades.”
“So the flaws conservatives are pointing out about ACORN are not so much problems associated with that organization per se but more about the problems of being poor and minority in urban America.”
It’s true that the neglect of school children in the inner cities and elsewhere is morally wrong and possibly criminal. It is arguably the systemic root of much of what ails America. And it’s true that liberal government policies dating back three generations have served to warehouse the poor while creating perverse financial incentives to underachieve, i.e. welfare policies that encouraged the poorest to forgo savings, to ignore career and college ambitions and to have multiple children outside of marriage. Even so, it is sick and condescending to assume that the poor and disenfranchised lack any moral compass. The aforementioned behavior, financially speaking, is perfectly rational — thanks to our government. The implicit suggestion that these people “don’t know better” than to abet child prostitution is the height of racism and arrogance.
Such lack of expectations born of liberal guilt is tragic, but telling.
This isn’t The Wire, Mr. James. These aren’t street level drug dealers at the mercy of a politically confused Drug War. These are employees of a government funded organization who blithely conspire to rape little girls. And I do thank you for pointing out who trained these people. Yes, ACORN did. But why fail to mention that this organization has yet to apologize, or to thank James and Hannah for bringing this horror to their attention?
I’m not asking for coverage from the mainstream media. I’m asking for their outrage.
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198 Comments
So if you're poor and went to a crappy government school you don't know that having sex with underage girls is immoral? Yeah, that makes perfect sense……if you're a liberal.
Excellent Maura
"I’m not asking for coverage from the mainstream media. I’m asking for their outrage."
Don't hold your breath.
Why do I find myself again underwhelmed by the hard boiled journalistic abilities of NPR. Of course they will side with ACORN. They are just a bit left of oh, say Putin….
And how much of the Stimulus was allocated for NPR?
Typical leftist/statist "rhetoric." Just who is pushing the "race" issue?…once again, the left. The suggestion that "poor," "low income" and/or "minority" individuals know no better than to facilitate/enable child prostitution (or prostitution in any form) is the penultimate admission of the left as to their regard for the "poor" and for "minorities." But, that doesn't really explain why these "poor" "minority" individuals also facilitate the child-sex trade, illegal immigration and efforts to defraud the federal government. Is such conduct a product of their upbringing and neighborhood too? Yeah, right.
Interestingly, for my own blog, I was watching the state-run media this evening to see if any of them reported/mentioned the ACORN issue. None did. But, CBS, in reporting on Rep. Joe Wilson, undertook remarkable efforts to cast all those who support Rep. Wilson as racist. Rather than re-state it here, read what the CBS report offered:
http://jacksonianlawyer.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/...
It's always someone elses fault….it's never "my fault" right?????
why don't we hold to our founder's values, mores, and "good will" to men????…..to keep this country safe….???? why is ACORN saying child prostitution is ok??? and also that black on black crime is acceptable in the lower income areas of the big cities???
they would be much safer being slaves!!!!!!!!!!!….and not dealing with thew drug dealing gansters!!! where most are under black on black opression!!!!! and fear of straying alive!!
at least the slaves knew they could wake up tomorrow moprning>….righyt??:
Moral compasses don't cost a cent.
Mr. James fails to realize that this is not about someone's education. It is a matter of knowing right from wrong. You don't have to be college educated to know that prostituting children is wrong. ACORN needs to be investigated. To say these employees are incapable of knowing right from wrong, because of their background, is an insult to the good people that live and work in the urban core.
Thanks Maura for pointing to the bias at NPR via Frank James. They are bound and determined to cover this from and angle that tries to make themselves look good at all cost. Even their journalistic reputations – or what's left of them.
Why is it all of these progressive moralist are near sighted? Truly the emperor has no cloths.
The only "low expectations" here is the criminals that use the poverty of citizens to gain. They should have set up schools , health clinics, clean up crews, activists to prevent drug traffickers, not allow one of their founders to steal over a million and then let him get away with it. It is no wonder we have a hard time trying to help the poor….organizations like this won't let anyone help, that is not their or mandate. Making money is…getting their own elected is.
I couldn't believe the list's of "don'ts" the the came up with. I guess we won't even be able to call call a spade a spade anymore…How sad for America…
Typical leftist drivil. The ACORN excs. know what is going on in the organization . Most likely they encourage the corruption.
Translation: They don't know any better.
But…but, uh….you're a racist!!
Every time a liberal says the word racist a kitten dies. Atleast we won't have to get all of them neutered. That should make Bob Barker happy.
Delete the 2 "the's" I meant to say "they"! Sorry!
“It’s also important to keep in mind that ACORN’s workers are coming from the same low-income neighborhoods the organization serves, with all that entails — poor schools, high crime and the sorts of social problems that have been documented for decades.”
So that makes it alright to aid and abet in breaking tax law, condoning prostitution, and the trafficking of illegal aliens into the country with the purpose of exploiting them as sex slaves. Oh well it all makes sense to me now. Duh.
4 (so far) distinct — and geographically diverse — offices with common approaches to the same scheme. This is more than a couple of bad apples. this is a learned behavior. And, it didn't come from public schools
Actually, near the end of the CBS Evening News w/ Katie Couric – they did:
1. Repeat what has been all over FOX for almost a week.
2. Forgot to include the 4th video
3. Did scoop us all on the Bertha Lewis (ACORN) interview – her statement likened to "McCarthyism is here" – if they can get that statement, who do you think is tied to the media within ACORN? And how liberal are they that Lewis trusts them?
4. Said the Census Bureau cut ties w/them (did they mention how long the story has been out there? (9/11 – this is 9/15)
5. Said the Senate confirmed a vote last night to cut off funds – gee, where did they get that info from? Possibly biggov't?
6. Failed to do any true investigative reporting of their own, nor ask the question of what do we do next?
I used 2 tv's and flipped between the channels every few seconds to see – truly a sad day in journalistic integrity.
And speaking of ACORN and those "poor," "low income" "minorities," I recently updated my blog to include a little bit of history about ACORN and their efforts to increase the federal minimum wage…for all but themselves – they said that they shouldn't have to comply with minimum wage requirements because, if they did, they couldn't afford to hire as many workers. Brilliant….once again though, do as we do, not as we say. The article, with the accompanying Washington Times article linked within, can be found below:
http://jacksonianlawyer.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/...
If you have low expectations, you can expect the bear minimum.
It seems like the MSM is in cahoots with these extreme leftists to drive the agenda because they believe the same things, or they know they must go along with the flow because once the radicals take over they would be history. I wonder which it is. Or is it both?
Talk about it on http://www.speakoutforfreedom.com
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Grey Champion, kevinmogee, SavageNews, Michael Chavezand others. Michael Chavez said: NPR on ACORN: The Hard-Core Bigotry of Low Expectations: Today NPR took notice of the most recent ACORN scandal… http://bit.ly/HvIpN [...]
Thanks for posting this.
I don't buy Frank's argument for a second. Even if you could explain away the extremes of the situation (prostitution, human trafficking) by simply attributing them to a declined sensitivity to lawbreaking by the "disadvantaged," the fact of the matter (and an angle I haven't really seen reported yet) remains that, since we've seen essentially the exact same behavior by ACORN employees in not only multiple offices, but now multiple *regions*, it's clearly evident that SOMEONE must be TRAINING these people in ways to circumvent the law. We have, in essence, been given a window into some of the inner workings of ACORN, and they stink to high heaven.
Frank even tries to brush off the notion that ACORN contributed to the housing crisis — what utter tripe! I seem to recall the exact phrase, "Honesty is not going to get you the house" having been uttered just recently by an ACORN employee…
Thank you all at this wonderful site for doing all that you are doing to help root out this cancerous corruption on our society. Let's crack these nuts and flush 'em out!!!!
It is past stupidity or any excuse you can come up with. If you're not with us, you're with them. This won't go away, if you're in the business you better take a stand. We the people will control your future, and believe me we will remember.
And they want the gov't to regulate radio and tv? Make us all watch NPR and PBS? Wasn't non-profit shown as a big failure by these two?
They already are slaves, or at least indentured servants – to the Rathke Brothers.
Being poor and a minority does not give you a pass on lacking morals and values.
I like nascar does that make me a racist or what?
Oh, so, ok then…CBS mentioned in closing and/or in passing…didn't see fit to lead the news with it. Might as well have not covered it at all.
Nicely said.
That's not a fair interpretation of the statement.
Rather, If you're poor and went to a crappy government school you don't know that helping someone sell underage girls for sex is immoral.
Thanks for this… this is another much needed piece to help present the whole picture of what is wrong with the whole nation. The great divide is growing and becoming more defined. Will be interesting to see what the eventual bridge will look like.
Sid Burgess
National Director
http://newsfifty.com
I knew I should of taken typing in high school instead of Trig.! LOL My post reads like I'm stuttering!!! EDIT: I meant "they"and only one "call". Blame it on too much caffiene and lack of sleep from spending so much time on the Internet!!
It's like the NY Times burying it in the back of a section instead of on the top of the fold 1st page.
Mark Steyn nailed this concept in an article that is one of my favorites, entitled "Multiculturalists are the Real Racists":
"What a pity we're no longer capable of being 'judgmental' and 'discriminating.' We're told the old-school imperialists were racists, that they thought of the wogs as inferior. But, if so, they at least considered them capable of improvement. The multiculturalists are just as racist. The only difference is that they think the wogs can never reform: Good heavens, you can't expect a Muslim in Norway not to go about raping the womenfolk! Much better just to get used to it."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/736142/pos...
Oh, but The Messiah is the "great unifier"…this shouldn't be happening.
Yeah….right.
Mark Lamont Hill said, and then Bill O'Reilly repeated it later during his show, that O'Keefe has said they went to many ACORN places and got nothing. If this isn't true, someone that can reach them should let them know.
“…the soft bigotry of low expectations.” That sums up concisely why minorities have made insufficient progress since the Civil Rights acts, affirmative action, and subsequent legislation paved the way for a massive double standard which morphed into the toxicity of PC. Your sting shows just how parasitical this double standard is, sucking the real energy out of the country and its political processes. Instead of holding this President to the same standards and expecting him to endure the same rough and tumble politics and microscopic scrutiny all his successors dealt with, we now cannot legitimately criticize him or raise reasonable questions about his associations without the pop psychologists finding some racial motive. That is not only censorship but very dangerous for the country. Keep up the good work. If the consequences of your sting lead directly to the doors of the White House, so be it. He's just as subject to the law of the land as was every other President.
Kinda like when angels get their wings at every bell ring?
As someone who works at an NPR station and was the local anchor for the afternoon show, All Things Considered, I am appalled by NPR's coverage. They started the afternoon with a fair report on the events that have happened (albeit without ALL the information), it went into a commentator saying that he felt that Obama and the things around him are being scrutinized with racial overtones, specially targeting Glenn Beck.
Honestly, I am one of the few (if not the only one) who believes that public radio should be funded by underwriters and the listeners, NOT WITH TAXPAYER MONEY. Today was a good example as to why.
I should also point out that I am one of the few conservative libertarians that work in public radio. So clearly my opinions are not the same as those that came out of NPR today.
Great piece Maura! You expect to much looking for outrage emanating from the MSM. Their nose is so far up Barry’s butt to expect something as silly as, hey? Maybe doing their job!
“So the flaws conservatives are pointing out about ACORN are not so much problems associated with that organization per se but more about the problems of being poor and minority in urban America.”
Kind of like Mr. James isn't an idiot per se; it's just that his reasoning skills are underdeveloped. And he's not a racist per se; he's just ignorant about the capabilities of urban black people.
Sorry for the grammar mistakes in my last messages. Wrote these in a hurry. At work now, so didn't want to get myself into trouble.
Is there another example of the MSM owning up to their bias to this extreme?
The Boomers need to realize that they will NOT be writing their own history. In the meantime, anyone up for some phony Beatlemania? Pathetic.
oops my bad.
Bravo!
And all the Human Rights organizations? The hypocrisy is getting so thick out there soon going outside is going to feel like walking through glue.
I am extremely outraged at this situation and think that the Government should immediately cease funding ACORN and their SEIU/ACLU/AFL-CIO/UMW..etc. buddies. This is not to say that we should not have compassion for those who are simply pawns of the failed Progressive Agenda that we have allowed to engulf our Nation over the last 100 years.
And George Bush. (that's the left's answer to everything these days, that and Shut up. lol)
Ms. Flynn,
Stunning blog! Exactly on point!
One of the things I learned from the book The Bell Curve, written by scholars who admit being both conservative and libertarian, is that one of the main things that makes the ghetto so terrible is the fact that efforts to find and educate every capable person, and get them out of the ghetto, has been so successful. Everybody smart enough to function in the normal society the rest of us live in, gets the help they need to get out… and what you are left with (and this is borne out by testing) is a very homogenously incapable group. And nobody's ever been able to make a dumb person smarter, not by any means, ever.
It sucks, but it is what it is. I recommend the book to anyone who wants non-ideological answers to why things are the way they are. If everybody knew what "real" sociology shows our policies would be much different. Bush's education policies are just as antiscientific as the liberals are. We need to be less ideological and more scientific about this.
You don't have the be educated to have morals.
Zounds! A non-uber-lib at NPR? There's hope yet!
We need to follow James and Hannah's lead and take action. Tea Party people, start picketing your local ACORN office, make you local media take note, we need to keep the pressure on until an investigation is conducted and concluded… I am sure there are plenty of email distribution list already created from locally rally's and bus trips to DC this past weekend.. uses your resources and take a stand!
Careful. First you start using actual facts and next thing you know, you'll be pilloried as a racist.
I remember when the Fairness Doctrine was passed back in the Jimmy Carter Days. I can't remember anything being fair. Some major simularities between Carters Admin., and Husseins Admin., right down to Saul Alinsky
Did CBS happen to mention that ACORN was operating illegally in Maryland?
If the KKK had put in motion a plan to keep the African American "in their place", no plan or execution of that plan would have worked any more perfect than the influence of Liberalism in their culture. The African Americans have been in the complete influence and womb of Liberal influence for the past 40 years. The Conservative/Libertarian movement has had zero, zip , nada influence in the African American culture and we see the fruits of Liberalism…the keeping of the slave on the plantation…restricting education, convincing them there can be no advancement, and certainly no self reliance.
Any KKK Grand Dragon would be proud of the Liberals success.
Frank James is Black. Calling him racist is kind of dumb.
JL,
Thanks for the link, however, I won't be clicking it because I'm fed up and sickened by the left's clear strategy to shut us up. I get the sense it's not going to work this time. Damn the Torpedoes. Full Steam Ahead.
Give the poor a chance: Get rid of the white plantation owners–The Rathke Brothers and Andy Stern for starters.
[...] Conor Friedersdorf: Hurrah for Alternative Media Maura Flynn: Media coverage would be good, but media outrage would be better Comments [...]
Will we be able to buy vinegar anymore?
Interesting that NPR found it easier to attribute ACORN's disgusting behavior as one of that… certain element that works there (at only the lowest level of course) – and those pathetic, nose-hold-worthy neighborhoods they camp out in. They cannot fathom that ACORN is rotten to the core. A bad seed thru and thru.
This latest installment just makes me sick. SICK!
Liberalism is all about cultivating and then pandering to the low expectations/standards of the masses.
That's a basic Marxist concept and it is sickening.
"Embrace Marxism? YES! WE! CAN!" at http://firebreathingchristian.wordpress.com/2009/... fleshes out some of the Obamaism/Marxism concepts.
Keep fighting the good fight!
in the Great Depression everyone was poor, parents still taught there kids right from wrong, so dont blame it on being poor.
Another thing – I saw that Charles Gibson tried to pretend he knew nothing of this scandal and then when he heard that the story involved various bits of bloody nastiness he said that those sorts of things are better left to the cable stations.
That putz seemed rather in love with nightly reporting of the Catholic church scandal.
Outrage indeed Maura! Adios MSM freaks.
Goverment can not give any one pride, one must earn it.
And once again when in doubt use the I'm a poor person who comes from a poor community and I don't know any better?….. If you don't know this type of behavior is wrong then guess what your part of the problem. And we need to spray some chlorine on that gene pool. And…. there are alot of poor people that come from the low income areas that focus and apply themselves and do very very well. So well in fact, that when they get to collage they discover they have an advantage because they are from these areas our government will buy there education. So does where your from give you an automatic excuse and say well I'm from the "ghetto" and don't know any better? Hell no it all comes down to right and wrong and Maura your wrong!!!! Get a grip know I and my fellow Americans loath you.
And, where are all those poor neighbor hoods and lousy schools located? In blue cities and states, controlled by Liberal Democrats.
Spot on!!!
Ms. Flynn, these are terrific sentiments, well expressed. Thank you for the excellent write-up!
Pretty soon the only one left will be PETA – until we have time to deal with them. Because unlike them, we put people first, not animals. (Just had to throw them under the bus like N.O.W. – sorry)
Like Hugo Chavez too – OOPS! That makes me racist against Latinos.
I personally have been boycotting CITGO in my area because it gets it's gas/oil from Chavez.
Of course not. They only pulled the stuff they could USE off biggov't website.
SEEMS? SEEMS? I really don't mean to sound rude but…where have you been for the last 10-20 years?
Nancy27C: You raise and excellent question where is N.O.W.???
And last night I had to note that my NY senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, did NOT vote to cut off funding to ACORN. From this I have concluded that Gillibrand, who now labels herself as a Progressive, supports fraud, tax evasion and child prostitution.
Kirsten take a good hard look in the mirror and really think about the kind of future you are creating for your young children. In my eyes, for failing to scream with outrage at these issues, you have branded yourself to be a pathetic human being. Or maybe less than human.
Very logical, well crafted argument structured for broad appeal: well done! I'm relieved that this organization's criminal behavior has been exposed. Now, pressure must be increased so that observers can follow the puppet strings all the way to the head of the organization, where the criminality originates.
Mr. James that is the most pathetic excuse for lack of reasoning that I have ever read. Show me one DAMN comment that a Conservative made about the ACORN employees? Honestly, how fucking stupid are you? Do you really think that this about "whitey" conservatives coming down on alledgedly uneducated ACORN employees? Everything I saw from those videos showed employees with a grand knowledge of the tax code! As a matter of fact the only racist comments I have seen made were from liberals trying to spin this story. This story is about YOUR tax dollars being wasted as well as MINE, and the moral depravity that was being propagated. And to take your argument, ACORN are the morally depraved that are serving the poor and spreading their filth to the poor. Use your head goofball, and then when you do, grow a pair!
My apologies all for the language.
This is nonsense:
“It’s also important to keep in mind that ACORN’s workers are coming from the same low-income neighborhoods the organization serves, with all that entails — poor schools, high crime and the sorts of social problems that have been documented for decades.”
Liberal Democrats have been in control of most big city governments and school in this country, not Republicans. Liberal policies have been responsible for keeping people on welfare — look where the opposition to welfare reform came from.
Hey – she's my senator too – of course not by vote – by a carpetbagger (Hillary) appointing her. IDK – but her office is getting flooded. I personally have a lot of phone calls to make tomorrow between her and Michael Arcuri. Schumer is just trying to save his political ass.
BooHoo, Mr. James. I'm all out of give-a-$#!%.
Let me translate Mr. James' Liberal BlameSpeak for you: "ACORN hires crooks and thieves because that is the business they are in.".
ACORN people are using there playbook, is it posted somewhere on this site?
It's amazing to me how someone like "Carter" (Just heard his comments) about racism and Obama). The comment about racist in the south was typical of him and very in appropriate. Speaking as someone from the South he has no right to speak for ALL people from the south.
If someone in government, even if it is the president, and he doesn't run the office any better than a failed corporation, then he needs to be out of office and quick. I wouldn't vote for a person because of their color but rather for the job he SAID he was going to do. It's unfortunate that the color of the man in office because I believe he has set his race back well over 100 yrs.
What he is doing is bad for any race. That isn't being a raciest. People need to go back and look up the meaning of the word and apply it correctly.
They want to fine talk radio 100% of their operating costs if they aren't diverse enough and give it to NPR.
Its a wonderful life aint it ?
We need to stop the cycle of these predators who prey on the most vulnerable in society. Especially when they use government funding to do it, which really means that I am funding it!
If you haven't already seen this site, it is really good and states how horrible ACORN treats it employees. It includes information about how they wouldn't allow their workers to unionize, but expect the rest of the private sector to unionize.
http://www.rottenacorn.com/downloads/060728_badSe...
The people of the USA are not trying to stop Obama. They are trying to stop the liberal ruinous policies that he is selling. Liberals ALWAYS resort to name-calling and looking for excuses and taking things personally rather than looking at the reality…LIBERAL/SOCIALIST PROGRAMS DO NOT WORK! This is proven over and over all around the world.
I know – but it doesn't make sense. Although, that would open it up to charging those same fees to the MSM, wouldn't it? By my count, that would be fair.
The remark that Hannah made about her prior pimp abusing her is a hint that Hannah knew that Tresa might spill on her own abusive husband that she killed. This is a remarkable bit of intelligence that the interviewers must have been informed about perhaps by an internal source. A wild idea I have is that the FBI was the source of this intelligence, and they passed it on to Breitbart to publicize, since it might be easier to fight this fight on television using Fox rather than being hamstrung by the Attorney General and Obama. The next three videos will prolly nail Obumma directly.
No apologies needed!
I've been wanting to type that language all day long. And I've been saying a lot of it since this story broke!
Good on Ya!
How can the MSM report on this when they are all still in ALASKA
Is it racist to be opposed to child prostitution?
Of course. thats because this website kicks A.
cant tell you how nice it is to have this site up. love it.
Of course they used the info on biggov't. thats because this website kicks A.
cant tell you how nice it is to have this site up. love it.
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