Bill O’Reilly was outraged Monday night that a poster saying “unborn lives matter” was denied approval by Catholic DePaul University for display on campus because it was disrespectful to Black Lives Matter. But the discussion that followed suggested that black fetuses matter more than black people to the conservatives advocating for the poster.
Apparently, DePaul’s decision not to allow the poster was based on a conclusion that it somehow denigrated the Black Lives Matter movement. Personally, I would not have thought so. I would have allowed the poster because I think the “Lives Matter” phrase has become generalized in our nation’s lexicon.
But listening to this discussion, I suspect DePaul was correct in its assessment about the intent in this case.
Although both of the two white guys who were O’Reilly’s guests, as well as O’Reilly, himself, insisted that the poster meant no offense to African Americans, the conversation suggested otherwise. Not one of them offered a respectful nod to Black Lives Matter. Instead, there was the suggestion that black fetuses are more important.
Guest Jorin Burkhart said the poster pertains to “a different group of people that we recognize as marginalized.” Putting aside the use of the word “people” when he meant “fetuses,” Burkhart’s implication was that actual living, breathing blacks are not marginalized.
O’Reilly chimed in: “Marginalized? They’re endangered in some cases!” This is quite a contrast to O’Reilly’s attacks on the living, breathing folks in Black Lives Matter who feel their lives are threatened by violence against them.
The other guest, John Minster, said:
“28% of abortions in this country are African American children, despite the fact that African Americans make up just 13% of the population. If you want to talk about black lives matter, if you want to talk about not hearing people, I think standing up for those black, unborn children is an important way to start.”
While cloaked in language of concern about African Americans, Minster was really criticizing the black women who have abortions as well as insinuating that he cares more about black lives than they do.
O’Reilly either missed or didn’t mind the subtext. He called it “shocking” that the country’s largest Catholic university would make such a decision. And he instructed:
"You guys should continue to speak out on campus, write articles about it, bring it to the attention of the administration and maybe they’ll wise up. Because this is really, really out there."
Watch it above, from the October 31, 2016 The O’Reilly Factor.
Crossposted at News Hounds.
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