#1506: Labelling of Haiti : Madhere comments

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Madhere, Wesley  <Wesley.Madhere@turner.com>

 My call to action has nothing to do with whether or not the phrase is being used in its proper context or whether or not journalists find it their duty to continue enlightening their readers about the financial plight of Haiti.  There have not been no major breaking stories out of Haiti in recent  times, therefore, in my opinion, the purpose of continuing to use  this label is no longer to inform but to denigrate.  And all I am saying is "Enough is Enough".  
A couple of months ago, the American public showed they had enough of a story after Jim Gray, a sportscaster with NBC,  during a pre World Series celebration attempted to badger Pete Rose, the former great baseball player, into admitting guilt about his alledged involvement in gambling activities.  The public reaction was swift.  NBC telephone lines were lit up with phone calls.  The Yankees, the winning team of the game that night, shunned Jim Gray when he attempted to obtain a post game interview.  Subsequently, talks about the incident filled up the airwaves of mainstream media and talk radio everywhere where it was pointed out that the public generally believed that Pete Rose is guilty of the gambling charges but they (the public) have had enough.  Consequently, Pete became the darling of the media, making the rounds on several major television shows and the public reaction even prompted President Clinton just this past week to say that he thought  Pete Rose ought to be in!
!
cluded into baseball Hall of Fame. Something he probably would not have said prior to the public reaction.  I suspect it will be a long time before any reporter will find it necessary to bring up that subject again.  As you can see people can "have enough already" even when the "hard facts" are there.
But Greg is right, my campaign would probably not work because those same people who reacted to the Pete Rose affair would not be sympathetic to our cause.  They will probably view it as another case of "demented political correctness".  After all, Haiti is no great American sports icon.  How dare these Haitians to be telling the press they are tired of the continuous negative characterization of their country?  Are they not aware that that is the reserved domain of the priviledged ones?  They ought to shut up and concentrate on meeting their basic survival needs just like other minority groups.  And so, the elitist press would have ignored our concerns and continue in their quest to enlighten their "educated" readers about the geography and economic conditions of the "poorest nation in the western hemisphere."
Oh silly me.  I dared to dream.

Wesley Madhere