Racism: Not Journalists' Fault

     After Gabby Douglas won the women's gymnastics Olympic gold medal this summer, NBC aired a commercial that brought accusations of racism against the network. The commercial, which was an advertisement for NBC's new show "Animal Practice," showed a monkey on gymnastics rings. People found the commercial racist because, in the past, blacks have been referred to as monkeys in a derogatory manner. NBC later released a comment stating that the commercial wasn't meant to be offensive, it was just one of a series of Olympic-themed commercials that had been strategically placed to ensure exposure to viewers. Regardless, Twitter blew up almost immediately after the commercial aired with accusations of racism against NBC, which I think raises an interesting point. 

     Why is it that when a major news network happens to air a monkey commercial right after announcing a black Olympic champion, people immediately jump to accusing the network of racism? Major hip hop artists release songs every day filled with racial slurs and other derogatory terms, but nobody complains about that. It seems a little twisted that it's deemed okay for music artists to use terms like the "n-word" every day when journalists can get accused of racism for coincidental things like commercial placement. The media is constantly accused of publishing stories with racist tones, and, as a result, journalists are being blamed for pushing racism on society. What people need to do is step back and compare journalism with the entertainment industry, and reassess where to launch their attacks. Just listen to the song linked below, and consider what's worse: a coincidental monkey commercial or a child listening to this music and thinking it's okay to use the derogatory terms in the lyrics?