(VitalNews.org) – The popular morning talk show The View has long taken jibes at conservative politicians and celebrities, but black Republican presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott has had enough.
But instead of taking jabs on social media, Scott joined the hosts on the show on June 5th to air his grievances. Scott said claims by the hosts that “systemic racism” is to blame for all the problems that beset black people are not accurate. He said the show’s continual messages about him being a personal exception to the oppression of alleged systemic racism sent an “offensive, disgusting message” to young blacks.
View co-host Sunny Hostin, who is black, asked Scott whether he believed in what she called systemic racism, and again characterized him as an “exception” who rose above the prejudice that affects most other black people.
Scott said he came onto The View to push back against the message that black people can’t succeed. He said he didn’t believe in the claim that a young black kid has to be “an exception and not the rule” in order to succeed. That’s a dangerous idea to give to young people, he claimed.
Sunny Hostin argued back, saying that it is true that systemic racism is holding back black people and that she’s right that the only way to succeed is to be a rare exception. It is not clear whether Hostin considers herself to be the same kind of exception as Tim Scott.
Scott said this claim did not make sense. Pointing to the 15% unemployment rate for black people in 1975, Scott said that now “for the first time in the country, it’s under 5%.” We have had a black president, a black vice president, and two black secretaries of state, Scott said. In his state of South Carolina, he said, the head of the highway patrol is black, and his hometown has a serving black mayor.
Scott’s June 5th appearance on the show featured a sharp debate with the other co-hosts on the same issues.
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