Thread by @KanekoaTheGreat

#1 Between 2011 and 2019, the New York Times and the Washington Post increased their usage of the words "racist," "racists," and "racism" by over 700% and nearly 1,000%, respectively.

tabletmag.com/sections/news/…

#2 In 2011, just 35% of white liberals thought racism in the United States was “a big problem,” according to national polling.

By 2015, this figure had ballooned to 61% and further still to 77% in 2017.

#3 In 2006, 45% of white Democrats and 41% of white Republicans knew someone they considered racist.

By 2015, this increased to 64% for white Democrats but remained 41% for white Republicans.

Notably, the % decreased among black & hispanic Democrats during the same period.

#4 Between 2013 and 2019, the New York Times and the Washington Post increased their usage of the terms "systemic racism," "structural racism," and "institutional racism" by roughly 1,000%.

#5 Between 2013 and 2019, the New York Times and the Washington Post increased their usage of "white privilege" and "racial privilege" by 1,200% and nearly 1,500%, respectively.

#6 "What the data presented here suggests is that editorial decisions made over the past decade at some of the most powerful media outlets in the world about what kind of language to use and what kind of stories merited coverage when it came to race—whatever the intention and level of forethought behind such decisions—has stoked a revival of racial consciousness among their readers.

Intentionally or not, by introducing and then constantly repeating a set of keywords and concepts, publications like The New York Times have helped normalize among their readership the belief that “color” is the defining attribute of other human beings.

For those who adopt this singular focus on race, a racialized view of the world becomes a baseline test of political loyalty...

The same media institutions that have promoted revanchist identitarianism and the radical transformation of American society along racial lines could instead have focused their attention and influence on improving the quality of life for all.

Working to ensure that Americans of any background aren’t unjustly victimized by the police and have access to quality health care, schools, and affordable housing doesn’t require the promotion of a “race-consciousness” that divides society into “oppressed” and “privileged” color categories.

To the contrary, it requires that we de-emphasize these categories and unite in pursuit of common interests.

This may not suit the media’s prerogatives, and it may not appeal to activists whose desire for cultural “recognition” trumps their devotion to material progress, but it does offer the potential benefit of improving the lives of ordinary Americans."

by @ZachG932