During Wednesday afternoon’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Jason McIntyre asked Cowherd for the top 5 cities where he would live right now.
After Cowherd started with “Chicago,” McIntyre exploded. And what came out of his mouth next was both frustrating and dangerous.
“Chicago?! It’s like a war zone right now. It’s like Afghanistan!” exclaimed McIntyre.
Cowherd quickly shot him down by defending the city, after which McIntyre retreated and continued on with the news.
But what started as an innocent discussion on cities quickly morphed into ammunition for those who love to attack and demean major cities through specific talking points and false narratives.
And by major cities, we, of course, are referring to Black communities.
Lies, false narratives and fear are, as President Andrew Shepard (played by Michael Douglas) stated in the film “The American President,” used by Republicans in elections.
“Making you afraid of it and telling you who’s to blame for it. That ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.”
That strategy has been employed for decades.
Want to rally your base? Instill fear and anger by harping on crime in New York, Chicago, Detroit and LA.
Mind you, where have mass shootings been happening? But I digress.
The South Side of Chicago is an easy scapegoat because of its large Black population, yet many in the media refrain from celebrating it for its rich history of music, literature, entertainment and sports. Instead, a single gunshot becomes national news and the false narrative about the city is perpetuated.
Why? Because scaring people is effortless, especially people who don’t live in the city and understand what the reality is.
“It’s easier to say ‘What about Chicago? What about Chiraq?’ than it is to visit the city and talk to the people about what’s really going on in neighborhoods,” said journalist and Chicago native, Evan F. Moore. “Right-wing and conservative outlets paint the city the way they want through these talking points.”
It’s a common practice across the country.
We witnessed it last month when House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan rolled into New York City with a ridiculous popup show called âVictims of Violent Crime in Manhattanâ that targeted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in retribution for his case against Trump.
It was meant to humiliate and punish the DA, and it was held under the guise of crime in the city rising under Bragg, basically painting it as the wild, violent and criminal-infested city in the 1981 cult classic film “Escape from New York.”
Yet crime is down in New York City, but that didn’t stop Republicans from hosting their fake, fear-infused hearing.
While Jason McIntyre isn’t running for office, he’s on a national sports show so his voice carries weight. And that weight just became fodder for those who love to stoke the political flames of fear.
That’s irresponsible and dangerous and that’s why he must be called out.
McIntyre has the right to free speech and can say what he wants. But that freedom also means that you must be prepared for what comes next. In this case, “next” is the ridicule and anger from voices in those big cities across the country that are tired of the false, lazy narratives and stereotypes plaguing their cities and neighborhoods.
“Chicago is the home to house music and we made our imprint on every genre of music, so what not focus on that instead of violence,” stated Moore.
So stick to sports news Jason and leave the ignorant hot takes and false narratives alone.
Better yet, take a trip to Chicago and Afghanistan to see what’s really happening for yourself.
