International research and advocacy group Human Rights Watch has come under fire for its most recent report: a 350-page document on the treatment of African-Americans in the United States titled “America officially still doesn’t give a fuck about black people.”
In the aftermath of the police killings of Ferguson resident Michael Brown, Staten Island resident Eric Garner, and countless African-Americans across the United States, the Human Rights Watch’s report says there is a lack of empathy towards black loss of life and an overlying sense of racial discrimination in the country that “seems to only be getting worse.”
However, many organizations and media outlets have condemned the report for its explicit language, saying it crosses a line when it comes to presenting objective research.
“The report to which you’re referring to is rudely titled and, quite frankly, inaccurate,” said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, when asked if he agreed with the urgency suggested in the report’s name. “Besides, last time I checked we have a black president. If the country’s so racist, than how do you explain that?”
The Republican Party has also issued a similar statement of dismissal, referring to the report as “absolute garbage” and “nonsense we should not have to worry about.” American news source Fox News — which has in the past been accused of misrepresenting news stories centred on black people — referred to the report as a “pinko commie Liberal lie that is defamatory against Americans.”
“We elected a Kenyan as President, so we’re clearly the most tolerant nation on the planet,” commented Fox News pundit Shane Flannity. “Too tolerant, if you ask me! Especially of people using the F-word in a report where children might hear or read it.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy Hodges Sr., Chairman of the Human Rights Watch, has defended the organization’s decision to say ‘fuck’ in the middle of a report’s title, arguing that it is in response to “the total lack of care for the plight of African-Americans by the government, media, and general public.
“It has the potential to grab people’s eye and actually make them look at the issue for once instead of simply ignoring it,” continued Hodges. “Honestly I think the overall reaction to the report is a clear indicator of where people’s priorities are [cough] not on the lives of black people [cough].”
Hodges’ response has done little to sway the opinions of the public, with some political opponents going as far to say that Hodges and the organization as a whole are promoting hate speech with their report.
“What the Human Rights Watch is doing is promoting hate speech,” commented Flannity. “Hodges and his cronies are encouraging people to use hateful language, like ‘fuck.’ Therefore, they’re promoting hate speech.”
