A View With An Edge

When I elected to major in Journalism at the University of Michigan I did so because I believed journalists had to be the smartest people on the planet. Every assignment gave them the opportunity to learn something new. All they needed were an opened mind and an objective point of view then the ways of the world would be revealed to them. Journalism, I opined would be the only major to quench my insatiable curiosity.

Boy, the Jayson Blair affair sure proved just how wrong I was. These folks are not as bright as one would have hoped.

The New York Times first completely mismanaged the talented but very troubled Blair. Then they lynched him on the front page above the fold Mother's day, in a 14,000 word 'investigative' missive. Now conservatives are willing to flay diversity programs because of one man's misdeeds. And American journalists have condemned Blair as if doing so adds stripes to their professional epaulets.

A few years ago a close buddy of mine, a published writer with two books under his belt, had a nervous breakdown. For a short time this guy could carry on a conversation with the brightest. Only after a time did it become apparent that this friend lived on bird seed in an apartment cluttered waist high in debris. He was not sane nor able to take care of himself.

It is clear from the interviews he's done that Jayson Blair is also a very sick individual. But his words are upsetting a lot of should be intelligent folk. They're concerned about his calling Times editors idiots, his desire to "kill the journalist" within or commit suicide, his proposed deal for a book entitled "Burning Down My Master's House." What?

Why would these people waste copy on the words of a madman? Even without a clinical diagnosis, accounts of his abuse of alcohol and cocaine addiction would lead me to discount every word that comes out of his month as pure nonsense. The judgment of folks who feel otherwise should also be questioned. It was no secret around the New York Times that Blair was a cokehead. Wait a minute, please: Cocaine? Why was he allowed to even show up for work at all? And at the New York Times! Hmmm.

I’ve been working professionally for over twenty-seven years and not once, not even close has anyone given me a break because I am a black man. I’ve never seen it done for any black man though I'm sure it has been somewhere. Objectively speaking, I have seen a countless number of whites get jobs, promotions and opportunities solely because they were white and not based on merit. (Well, to be honest, I've seen merit propel a career. But it was not with the type of skills they teach in schools, if you get my drift) Cronyism and white patronage are the reasons racial preference programs exist. They didn’t just fall out of the sky for no reason.

Now that I know black men can just show up with unverified credentials, sloppy work habits and appearance, reeking of drugs and alcohol, blatantly disregarding the laws of the land and get coveted positions at esteemed institutions maybe it is a good time for a career change. It seems the playing field has finally been leveled.

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