Things are not aways what they appear to be. This is a precautionary idiom to prevent us from over thinking ambiguous matters and assuming the worst.
But sometimes things are just what they appear to be. We are conditioned to take it in stride, brush it off, accept the narratives.
There has been a quiet, but evolving, assault on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) since 2016. It metastasized to state legislatures. Bills were submitted and policies were crafted to limit DEI initiatives.
DEI programs are now prohibited by Executive Order from the President. It is bad for the country, it divides us.
We have allowed the narrative on DEI policies, programs, and initiatives to be framed as racial preference. It was never about that. It was always about equity and inclusion; it is about the starting line, the level playing field for all qualified applicants.
The assaults have targeted colleges, universities, and the labor force. With executive order prohibiting any nod to DEI, the full throttle push has moved into the media, and network programming, for on camera personalities and support staff.
CNN and MSNBC cable news networks, recently shuffled program schedules and axed some primetime shows. The programs canceled were primarily hosted by people of color (POC).
Joy Reid, the voice behind ReidOut, and perhaps the most notable and outspoken, was canceled. Ayman Mohyeldin, Jonathan Capehart, Katie Phang, and Alex Wagner all were felled by the purging axe.
Leadership changes and declining ratings justify the changes. It’s plausible.
Changes at the top often signal a shift in network priorities. Rebecca Kutler is the new president of MSNBC. Some of the canceled programs had ratings challenges, however, some lower-performing shows with White hosts were retained.
The decline in viewership, i.e., ratings, is typical post-election disengagement. The progressive social and political left-leaning programs experienced a 46% decline in viewers compared to the first 10 months of 2024.
Ratings began to rebound after the inauguration. There was an 86% increase in primetime viewership.
Things are not always what they appear to be. Although the shakeup walks like a duck, let’s try to interpret what appears to be from multiple perspectives.
MSNBC leadership may have overreacted to temporary ratings declines. Their impulsive decision to cancel POC hosted programs failed to understand the cyclical nature of political news audiences.
Perhaps the network prioritized the refresh. It introduced a fresh lineup for the renewed audience engagement. Network leadership assessed that the underperforming shows were misaligned with their evolving brand. Restructuring was a calculated move to strengthen primetime programming.
But we cannot ignore that all the canceled programs were POC hosted. Is the network deliberately reducing its diversity footprint? News media is protected by the First Amendment.
We have entered a regressive milieu wherein the duck arrogantly walks. It’s acceptable to boast of being racist with peremptory disregard.
There is another social idiom that comes to mind and may be applicable to the audacity of our times. It was in the lyrics of a popular R&B song of the late 1960s. It was affirming as we mused about our times, and space, and the circumstances of our lives experienced within the social construct of America.
And we mused about it, whether on the dance floors of our favorite escapes, or in the pews of our places of worship. We wanted to believe that the rejection, the oppression, the devaluation of our contributions to the greatness of America, were waning.
Things are never as bad as they seem, it’s just thinking about it that makes it so mean, the song rhythmically chimed.
But we need to think about this!
You tell em Rev.
This is a man that thinks out loud.
Come on y’all let’s watch out