Fox News host Bill O’Reilly and Kirsten Powers, a liberal columnist and contributor at the network, debated racism in America on Tuesday evening, and the segment quickly dissolved into a screaming match.
Bill O’Reilly argued that racism is not an “epidemic” in America.
“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,” O’Reilly told Powers during the segment.
After O’Reilly turned to another guest on his show, he accused Powers of “snorting” while the guest was making a point. Powers balked at the accusation, and the two quickly began debating racism again.
While arguing over whether everyone in the U.S. acknowledges the legacy of slavery in the U.S., Powers told O’Reilly, “There are actually a lot of people in this country who are racist.”
The debate then took a turn for the worse.
“I have to wonder about why you can’t see what’s happening, because most Americans are not racist,” O’Reilly said. “They’re not!”
“Really? So how many black friends do you have?” Powers asked. “How many black friends do you have?”
O’Reilly did not appear to be pleased with Powers’ question and said, “If you think most Americans are racist, I’m ashamed of you.”
“I’m asking you a serious question,” Powers responded. “I didn’t say most Americans were racist.”
Watch the clip via Fox News:
Damn! The writer meant that figuratively.
Well, murderer Dylann Storm Roof had several black friends on his Facebook account, yet that didn’t stop him from cold blood murdering 9 black people. I guess going forward, according to Powers, if one doesn’t have at least one black friend then he/she is automatically a racist.
America is today far removed from it’s racist past, no doubts about that, but expecting to have a completely racists free society is like believing in flying unicorns and fairy dust. Just because a few among us are racists bigots it doesn’t make the whole American people racist as well. There are thousand of neo-nazi out there, that doesn’t mean Americans are nazi as well.
Idiots HATE IT when their stupidity is revealed to them.
Bill’O knows he is losing the argument, so he resorts to “pounding on the table” and shouting down his own guests.
This is the Conservative mind: If you are losing, BECOME VIOLENT and beat your opponent into submission. The ONLY thing that matters is WINNING. Being “correct” is for losers, women, “elites”, “eggheads”, and minorities.
WINNERS are NEVER WRONG.
USA! USA! USA!
“Really? So how many black friends do you have?” Powers asked. “How many black friends do you have?”
To be fair to O’Reilly, it’s hard to imagine him having friends of any color.
Every single time I have ever seen Mr. O’Reilly continually yell–nearly scream in this case–over his guests is when he knows he’s on the wrong side of an issue. This issue as it pertains to America is so multi-layered and has such a long history that there are many angles on which to debate both sides. I’m a left/progressive person and I can honestly say that in my nearly fifty years on this planet I’ve met only a handful of left fringe people like that described by the other guest, Monica Crowley. Have I met folks who are very passionate in their beliefs? – Yes, but I swear their goals have never been to “tear America down from the inside.” Fuck, I don’t believe 99.9% of those to the right of me want that! To say that is to admit you either have lost the real debate or admit you have nothing of substance to add to the debate.
As a white person who doesn’t have many close black friends in my life, I do not grade anyone by that sort of standard and declare them racist, etc. If Mr. O’Reilly had actually allowed Ms. Powers to finish her thoughts from the beginning instead of loudly interrupting her every few seconds–which is the lowest of debate tactics, but he uses that one a lot–he would have discovered she was not implying he is a racist but perhaps pointing out a much more nuanced observation.
O’Reilly is the worst place to ever make your argument. I sincerely do not know why ANYONE of any integrity ever goes on his show, much less FOX Entertainment. Yes, I mean you, too, Jon Stewart. Bill O’Reilly is not a good soul – and you know it.