Fox News host and resident blowhard Bill O’Reilly is fond of denying that racism exists in America,?of insisting?that white privilege is a figment of people’s imaginations, and of declaring that blacks in the United States have the same opportunities as whites.
But when a guest on his show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” directly asked O’Reilly how many black friends he has, the host lost his composure and began berating the guest, Democratic strategist Kirsten Powers. O’Reilly began by accusing Powers and liberals of attempting to paint the country as racist. O’Reilly remarked:
?I have to wonder why you can’t see what’s happening, because most Americans are not racist.”
Powers then asked a very fair question, but it only set O’Reilly off. Powers queried:
?So how many black friends do you have? How many black friends do you have??
O’Reilly didn’t answer the question, he only got angrier and said:
?If you think most Americans are racist, I’m ashamed of you. I’m ashamed of you.?
To which Powers retorted:
?I’m asking you a serious question. I didn’t say most Americans were racist.?
But the host was already too flustered to realize exactly what Powers had said, and could only manage:
?You just said it.”
No, she didn’t. What Powers actually said was:
?There are actually a lot of people in this country who are racist.?
Yes, there most certainly are. I know because I live in Georgia and encounter these people on an almost daily basis.
O’Reilly then accused Powers of “living in a hut somewhere with no electricity” and added:
“You don’t get it.”
Powers, cool as cucumber, secure in the knowledge that she had just spoken the truth to O’Reilly, replied:
?I’m living in the real world where you can actually defend America and people don’t attack you. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. You’re saying that you can’t defend America without people attacking you??
As he always does, O’Reilly insisted on having the last word, saying:
?I’m saying that the world is being told by anti-American haters that we are a rank racist society, and that is a lie.”
Bill, Bill, Bill. I’m not sure what country you live in, nor am I sure what color the sky is in your sheltered little world of privilege, but racism does still exist in America, and until we admit it, deal with it, and seek to change it, our job of creating the most equal society in the world will not be complete.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Bill.
Watch Bill O’Reilly Lose His Cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cq0J_LSoIo
