In Defense of Race Relations in America Part 1

If race relations must improve in this country, the Cable News Network CNN, a division of the Turner Broadcasting Systems might need to change its attitude towards other nations and their peoples.  The documentary, “How To Rob A Bank” which the CNN aired again in the afternoon of Saturday, November 15, 2008 was very much in bad taste to say the least.  The documentary was first aired in May 2006 and several times thereafter, and yesterday in 2008. 

What the CNN wants people to believe it is doing, is exposing “Identity theft” and working to stop the age old crime in America.  But the CNN knows that its real intention and focus, is not about exposing or stopping “identity theft” but at will, to damage Nigeria’s image and turn Americans against the whole of Nigerians in this country out of racism and victimization.  How fair is this slave-master-mentality attitude towards Nigeria and Nigerians in this 21^st century when considering the history and origins of Identity Theft” in America; and considering the few bad eggs of Nigerians as against the multitude of decent Nigerians contributing to the great advancement of learning and civilization in this country; how fair is CNN airing again “How To Rob A Bank?

 The name, “Nigeria” and the behaviours of some very few Nigerians has been the focus of this documentary and the CNN.  By this act and many other attitudes of the CNN medium towards the Nigerian nation in particular, and Africa in general, the CNN is antagonizing well meaning and decent Nigerians and Africans against America and its many benevolent citizens.  It is very fair and correct to say that not many Americans believe in racism and victimizations of other nationals in this country.  The jubilations of most Americans at the result of the recent Presidential election in this country are a testimony to this assertion.  By opening up old racial wounds that hurt at this time, the CNN is not accepting the verdict of the majority of Americans by continuing to making it look as if every American is a racist when such is not the position.

The many uninformed minds may take some of the insults that some of the CNN news casters and reporters met out to some people always as something important and worth doing.  For an example when Wolf Blitzer of the CNN “Situation Room” interviews people who do not look like him, he does not ask his questions with respect; he does not allow such a guest or client to finish his or her explanation or answers before rudely or disrespectfully interrupts such a person or personality.  The only time I saw on TV that Wolf has ever apologized for such disrespectful interruption of a guest was when he interviewed one of the former Israeli Prime Ministers or high ranking Israeli government officials. Many of his other interviews including that of Collin Powell, some celebrities and some African heads of states and officials that I have watched, irrespective of the rank or social status of the guests; as long as they are not of his kind, Wolf, many a time subjects such an interviewee to rude behavior undeserved. Such behaviors, including unwarranted insults and blatant disinformation and misinformation with negative ulterior motives that come to the public from the CNN are unfair.  Especially when acts are meant to damage the reputation of innocent people, CNN offends the minds of many intellectuals who wish for good relations that should be allowed to exist between peoples and nations in our time. 

The airing of “How To Rob A Bank” again in 2008 for the fourth or fifth time is a grave miscalculation on the part of the CNN.  Nigeria as a sovereign nation is a worthy member of the comity of nations.  It deserves the respect and honor that some representatives of some sections of the American media are not unselfishly willing to give to Nigeria and Nigerians.  Many Nigerian academics and intellectuals populate the numerous institutions of higher learning and are teaching the millions of Americans the envied knowledge they possess.  These Nigerians are not scammers nor have they been caught stealing people’s identities.  Many of the same Nigerians are engaged in several multinational corporations in the United States doing great work for America and the world.  There are many others in genuine businesses, and all these Nigerians are paying their taxes and contributing to the American economy, and not only that they are also Americans who cherish the dream and hospitality.  These Nigerians out their love for America and the people, dexterity and drive, studied and worked acidulously to acquire the citizenship of this country.  They and their point of origin, Nigeria should be respected.  Many of these Nigerians probably know as much if not more about America than some Americans.

There are many Americans working and enjoying their lives in Nigeria.  Many of them do not pay their taxes but bribe their way out instead.  It is not in doubt that Europeans and westerners introduced bribery to Africa and Nigeria in particular, and Nigerians and Nigeria are not broadcasting this aloud to the world.  Gangsterism and other modern vices that some Nigerians are involved are traceable to American movies coming from the Hollywood.  The Nigerian culture was a disciplinarian and had tamed many Nigerians to be decent citizens in their communities before the Yankee and European ways of doing things came and messed up the minds of some Nigerians.  Oil bunkering in Nigeria is suspected to have originated with the Americans in the Oil business in Nigeria and they dealt a serious blow to the Nigerian economy.  The Press in Nigeria has not gone out its way to brand the whole of America as thieves who is suspected to be stealing the Nigerian Light Sweet Crude Oil always.

It is equally important for the CNN to have told the world that “identity theft” is an American problem before now.  According to informed sources, “The term originated in the USA in the 1990s,” and “The first known record appears in The Boston Globe, May 1991.” It is equally also recorded that identity theft in America date back to 1960 when  an Ohio newspaper, The Athens Messenger published a story of someone who stole the identity of another with the motive to use it to enlist in the US army.  These American sources being referred here state that nowadays identity theft is even less dangerous than earlier history recorded because much earlier, identity theft usually involved the killing of the person whose identity was sought for.  There seems not to be a Nigerian trace in this history of identity theft!  If anything, this history point to the fact that if Nigerians are now involved in this dastard act, it was taught to them, therefore it is not enough to rob it on all Nigerians and the Nigeria nation through these blackmail and slandering of the CNN.

Nigeria needs to be fair to the US just as the US needs to recognize Nigeria as equal partners.  Americans need to fairly scrutinize Nigerians who desire to come to the US and Nigerians who are in the US just as Nigerians ought to ensure that some foreigners are checked to ensure their compliance to Nigeria law and way of life.  Those who have genuine reason to come to the US are denied visas to come because they are Nigerians.  I know a mother in-law whose daughter had invited her to come to the US to assist in taking care of her new baby and another sibling, but the visa was denied.  Many young Nigerian-Americans have gone home to marry only to get their life turned upside down because the US Consul will not grant visa to the newly wed to join their husband. Inhuman policies and regulations are given to Nigerians who have genuine desire to come to America, but such are not placed or given to other Eastern and European nationals who have the same desire to come to America.  What is the meaning of the political relations between Nigeria and America if Nigerians and Nigeria are being subjected to such harassment and ridicules and their image damaged in America?    

Should CNN continue to broadcast the ill-conceived documentary, “How To Rob A Bank” when it has failed to tell the world that Identity theft actually originated in America?  Actually the documentary “how to rob a bank” began with the story of “Identity theft: The new way to rob a bank” by Jared Throne and Andy Segal of CNN. The story began in Houston, Texas when Bank One notified Mike Janney that he owed the bank $85,000 on his line of credit, and Mike has not even used the account according to the story told the CNN by Janney.  In the story, Mike Janney became a victim of identity theft or fraud when a bank employee of the Bank One sold Janney’s personal information to an identity theft ring.  But who was the Bank One employee?  CNN did not tell his viewers who the employee was.  Was the employee a Nigerian?  I am sure it could not have been otherwise, the CNN would have brought him or her out.  Now it is only Nigeria and Nigerians we are hearing from the CNN’s mega phone.  I believe that the honest Nigerians like me who are in this country are here for a good cause and we do not deserve the scandal that CNN is putting us through each time CNN reporters feel like doing so for some sinister purpose. 

Many have thought that with the recent election of Senator Barack Obama as the President of the United States that Africans and African descents from now on will begin to move freely without any racial hindrance or victimization.  Before the campaigns, within and after the elections and its pleasant results, the atmosphere and the environment have been calm and free of human racial pollution.  With the resurgence of the CNN’s “How To Rob A Bank” documentary, if anything, it is a sign that all is yet to be well with how some Americans see Africans and other nationals in America.   According to the President-elect, Barack Obama, “enough;” CNN and some of it reporters and some other section of the American media who appear as racial bigots need to stay out of the progress of the world and that of humanity.  The main responsibility of any responsible media is that of information, education and entertainment.  The era of yellow journalism is history.  The greatest task of modern Journalism is the building of the human spirit, capacity, and his environment for conducive and meaningful development.  Good Journalism is possessed of men and women of high moral caliber.  The CNN with its men and women with journalistic skills should ensure that those skills are deployed for productive use; productive use in the interest of building one humanity.  There is one human race and not two.  When former President William Jefferson Clinton said that “Africa is mankind’s first home,” and that “We all came out of Africa,” the implication is that we are the same – one humanity and one race, and not races.     

It is a natural law that when you see the good of others, your own good will be preserved.  It is not fair only to magnify the bad things that others may be doing without saying anything nice of the good things they are also doing.  Let CNN broadcast the good things that Nigeria and Nigerians are doing not only in this country but in Africa as well.  CNN should stop slandering, blacking and damaging other people’s image.  I can still remember that in 1999, a British Archeologist, Patrick Darling and some Nigerian scientists discovered what they described as a rediscovery of the possible site and the grave of legendary Mystic Lady, Queen of Sheba, in Nigeria.  The Eredo site, a Kingdom as was announced by Darling, ranked with the world monuments as the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt and the Stonehenge in the UK.  The Archeologist then appealed to the western media to give wider publicity to the find because “we are beginning to out the tremendous political and cultural achievements of Black Africa,” said Patrick Darling.  Characteristic of the CNN, the discovery or rediscovery was not reported in time, and when it was, the report was badly slanted at about 1.30 a.m. EST when most people are far away sleeping; only on the West coast people may have catch a glimpse of a bad and ugly story of the Nigerian civil war which took place in the late sixties.  What was CNN to be reporting upon: “The discovery of Eredo Site and the Grave of the Queen of Sheba?”  The name of the Queen of Sheba, the core and essence of the discovery and the report was not mentioned.  CNN, be fair to Nigeria and Nigerians.  At least Nigerians allow CNN to open up and operate in Lagos irrespective of the damage and destruction that such an operation is causing to the people’s way of life in Nigeria.  CNN let us live together and tolerate each other, it is the civilize way in these day and age.