How can something be naïve if it's 100% true. She said what we all know just don't understand the point of why she said it
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OT.. Wendy Bell
- Thread starter Pitt-Chains
- Start date
Yeah, how dare minority groups that have traditionally been targets for hate and violence not want to face that anymore. The nerve of them!
Ski, you kind of proved my point. You cannot even say anything, even true, even not trying to be defamatory. I just mentioned that for Public Figures, any comments on those two groups is career suicide, where real crimes, assault, DUI, etc....people are more willing to forgive and forget. But negative or perceived negative comments against those two groups is essentially a scarlet letter.
Look, I didn't defend Bell for saying it, and to be honest, the initial comments I didn't feel was that much out of line. Basically intimating a broken home system among African Americans has led to another in a long line of senseless killings and you know the killers fit this profile. But the comments on the "good black", now that is where it got really condescending and prejudice.
We go through this on message boards every day. No one wants to hear facts or the truth.
Yeah, I just read the story and I agree with this.
Obviously, what she wrote was completely ridiculous. However, they didn't scream RACIST to me as much as they did WHITE PRIVILEGED and STUPIDITY.
Personally, I think it reads like the dumb thoughts of very self absorbed person who has been told that she is special and caring for too long and she now believes it. It wasn't about the Wilkinsburg murders but rather how what happened there made her feel.
I sincerely believe that when she hit the send button it never occurred to her that she would be seen as a monster. She probably thought she would be seen as someone who "gets it" and who cares more than the average person about all people.
I will bet you that she also thought that not only was it her right to voice her dumb opinions on Facebook, as a public figure it was her responsibility to weigh in.
She was wrong on all counts – dreadfully, dreadfully wrong.
Personally, I think the worst part was where she somehow compared the murderers to some poor busboy with whom she was impressed.
Why on earth would you do that?
I think this is dinner party racism by a well-meaning but ultimately stupid person. There was not a hint of malice to her post. However, it equally bereft of any intelligence from toe to tip.
I think WTAE should've suspended her for a couple weeks and then had her come on the air and read an apology for her idiocy. Then, I think everyone should have moved on. Firing her for this is an overreaction and will only polarize people and embolden the lunatics on the other side of the debate.
She will sit on the sidelines for a year or two and then KDKA or WPXI will scoop her up and nobody will bat an eyelash. This penalty is way too severe, IMO.
the ironic part about offensive statements and truth is, if it had no truth to it, no one would care.. But the truth behind statements is what makes it offensive.. If someone accused you of something completely incorrect or with zero truth, you wouldn't care. But if someone insulted you based on something that has truth behind it, that is when you are pissed off..
If a stranger went up to you and your wife on the street and said "Damn your wife is ugly." Well if you were dating a super model, you'd laugh it off. If your wife was tough on the eyes, you'd be offended..
Media outlets do encourage their personalities to be engaging on social media but that's pretty much where it stops. I suspect that few of them have policies or training but cushion themselves nicely with contract language that allow them to cut loose anyone that screws up.
People get fired for being stupid every single day.
People get fired for being stupid every single day.
That is exactly correct. So if you feel that way, do something to change it. I know people will blast me for saying that but if you knew my life you might probably understand. I had multiple mothers and fathers and came from dirt. I did not have "white privilege." I was seen as that kid born out of wedlock that nobody wanted. I was seen as the trash from which I came. I was excluded from things all the other kids were doing because of who I was and where I came from. I didn't like it and
I did everything I could to change it.
I couldn't change my past and where I came from, but I could change myself so I would not be like that. I could change things so my own children would never have experience that. And I could change how I viewed my past so I would not be offended when someone talked about or made fun of it.
Two things that do bother me. People who are offended, but do not try to make the changes. And people who offend but do not try to or want to understand.
To make changes is NOT easy. It is A LOT of work. You have to look at things about yourself that can really hurt. But if you don't like the truth about yourself you can either accept it or make a change. If you accept it, then you better work on not being offended when someone talks about it.
I did everything I could to change it.
I couldn't change my past and where I came from, but I could change myself so I would not be like that. I could change things so my own children would never have experience that. And I could change how I viewed my past so I would not be offended when someone talked about or made fun of it.
Two things that do bother me. People who are offended, but do not try to make the changes. And people who offend but do not try to or want to understand.
To make changes is NOT easy. It is A LOT of work. You have to look at things about yourself that can really hurt. But if you don't like the truth about yourself you can either accept it or make a change. If you accept it, then you better work on not being offended when someone talks about it.
working in the business world, dealing with a lot of customers, managers (both internal and external), I've learned a very good strategy with sending out emotional emails. Wait 1 day before sending it out. Many times something angers us and we want to reply back asap. Amazing how sometimes, when you sleep on it, these emails you send out make you cringe the next day.. People need to take this strategy with their Social media postings..
Of course on this board, with anonomous names, we have the luxury of posting emotional thoughts with very little repercussions. That adds to and sometimes detracts from this board. Hell, look at how we felt about Stallings a few days ago. I literally posted how I want to punch him in the face.. Ridiculous, never met the guy, why would I say that? Best to wait 24 hours to communicate your thoughts, except on this board, I say let it fly..
Of course on this board, with anonomous names, we have the luxury of posting emotional thoughts with very little repercussions. That adds to and sometimes detracts from this board. Hell, look at how we felt about Stallings a few days ago. I literally posted how I want to punch him in the face.. Ridiculous, never met the guy, why would I say that? Best to wait 24 hours to communicate your thoughts, except on this board, I say let it fly..
Definitely easy on the eyes, but she's no Sonni Abatta. I got to meet Sonni at a professional engagement, and she left quite an impression on everyone - both in looks and style/personality.
Bell also had 60,000 followers on the face book page. That is huge for a local media person. At some point Bell becomes bigger than she really is. She becomes bolder. She feels way more important than she really is.
She is evidently a good reporter and a good person. I never watch WTAE so I have no agenda her. She should have stuck to being a news deliverer. Some of the blame falls in management. Maybe months ago someone should have counseled her about her opinions on face book. Perhaps this would have never happened.
She is evidently a good reporter and a good person. I never watch WTAE so I have no agenda her. She should have stuck to being a news deliverer. Some of the blame falls in management. Maybe months ago someone should have counseled her about her opinions on face book. Perhaps this would have never happened.
Here's whats wrong with Wendy Bell's opinion on the Wilkinsburg murders.
As you can see, the race of a victim and the person who committed the crime are overwhelmingly the same. The vast majority of violent crime occurs to whites, and the perpetrator is white!
Has Wendy Bell offered such a critique on the social circumstances of the many white on white murders she has covered in her career? I don't think so. That is what makes her comments inappropriate and condescending and offensive. She is a news reader, not a social psychologist or detective or even a pastor. She's entitled to her opinion, but when she expresses it on the company bulletin board, her employer is entitled to take action if they are at odds with it.
As you can see, the race of a victim and the person who committed the crime are overwhelmingly the same. The vast majority of violent crime occurs to whites, and the perpetrator is white!
Has Wendy Bell offered such a critique on the social circumstances of the many white on white murders she has covered in her career? I don't think so. That is what makes her comments inappropriate and condescending and offensive. She is a news reader, not a social psychologist or detective or even a pastor. She's entitled to her opinion, but when she expresses it on the company bulletin board, her employer is entitled to take action if they are at odds with it.
Depending on how long her contract and non compete clause was, she is going to have a nice paid vacation
Wendy had a reputation for speaking first and thinking sometime later. As a news gathering organization WTAE had only one option to deal with her actions. She is at fault for her lack of professionalism not the station.
where/what exactly are those stats? Pittsburgh related?Here's whats wrong with Wendy Bell's opinion on the Wilkinsburg murders.
As you can see, the race of a victim and the person who committed the crime are overwhelmingly the same. The vast majority of violent crime occurs to whites, and the perpetrator is white!
Has Wendy Bell offered such a critique on the social circumstances of the many white on white murders she has covered in her career? I don't think so. That is what makes her comments inappropriate and condescending and offensive. She is a news reader, not a social psychologist or detective or even a pastor. She's entitled to her opinion, but when she expresses it on the company bulletin board, her employer is entitled to take action if they are at odds with it.
This is from a homicide study of 2010-2014, as i am hesitant to put a bar fight over a single mom in Trafford in the same group as murders. The numbers are staggering.
There were 176 offenders whose race was identified. Of those, 82 percent were African American and 15 percent were white.
African-American residents were at a much higher risk of being victims of homicide than white residents. Although African Americans comprised only 26 percent of the City of Pittsburgh’s population, an average of more than 85 percent of homicide victims over the five-year period were African American (80 percent in 2013 to 89 percent in 2011). From 2010 through 2014, African Americans living in Pittsburgh experienced an average homicide victimization rate that was 15 times greater than the rate for white residents.
She reports the news, part of me wants to say she get a skewed view of reality and easy to say very stereotypical things. Its like the cop out in the field, sees crime every day then you start to think everyone is a perpetrator of something....to a hammer everything is a nail mentality... that said, she should not have said what she said on a company FB feed since it does not represent the views of the company or staff, however most of us think it when we don't have any filters in our head. Sorry if i'm rambling...someone can articulate my thoughts a little better I'm sure.
National stats from the DOJ. The article is linked below.
Is the victim in the bar fight in Trafford less dead?
http://www.amren.com/news/2015/07/new-doj-statistics-on-race-and-violent-crime/
Those stats are non-murder, 'violent crime'. So yes, everything on that list is 'less dead.
When talking about murders in Pittsburgh, just my opinion but a study on oh..i don't know...murders in pittsburgh is more relative that a study on fistfights and domestic disputes everywhere from boca raton florida to walla walla washington.
Wendy Bell should have just joined the Pantherlair and used a nickname. She'd be able to communicate her point of view and still be employed..
Here are National Stats on murder from the FBI. Shows same trend. Majority of white homicies commited by white perpetrators, Majority of black homicides commited by black perpetrators.
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/u...f_vicitm_by_race_and_sex_of_offender_2013.xls
Not exactly sure what your point is. Not trying to be smart here, I'm really trying to understand what you are getting at.
That across the country african americans commit a vastly disproportional amount of the murders? Or that its even way worse than that in Pittsburgh? True on both counts.
Your OP started out saying 'on the Wilkinsburg murders' and then posted a link to totally unrelated non-murder crime across the country..
Then said "As you can see, the race of a victim and the person who committed the crime are overwhelmingly the same. " and posted a link that shows (other than whites) this to be totally false.
From your own link
WTAE didn't care at first. A lady said on facebook that she called the station to complain and nobody there cared. Others called as well and same reaction.
It was not until it picked up a lot of steam on social media and got covered nationally to a degree that WTAE made that statement and suspended her. Then the pressure from the different minority groups did her in for good.
It was telling though of the station's initial reaction, they could have cared less.
It was not until it picked up a lot of steam on social media and got covered nationally to a degree that WTAE made that statement and suspended her. Then the pressure from the different minority groups did her in for good.
It was telling though of the station's initial reaction, they could have cared less.
Telling what though? That they really didn't want to bow to political correctness?
Don't get me wrong; I think that her words were over-the-top, too. But I wouldn't have fired her over it. A brief suspension would've sufficed, IMO.
Telling in the sense that the station manager didn't do anything. That it took a blow up on social media and nationally for a remark from the GM eventually.
The point I was making is there is a lot of white on white murder also in the PIttsburgh area that Wendy Bell reported on.
I've never heard of her needing to editorialize or profile the background of the perpetrators of those crimes.
I've never heard of her needing to editorialize or profile the background of the perpetrators of those crimes.
One reason is black people are roughy 13% of the population and commit 54% of US crime.
White people are roughly 80% of the population and commit around 44% of US crime.
Breakdown of the black family unit is one of the main causes of crime in the black community and that's what she pointed out! In addition to black on black crime is record levels.
She shouldn't have posted it on Facebook or wherever she posted it but she was on the money and shouldn't have been fired. I doubt this one is over!
"They are young black men, likely teens or in their early 20s," Bell wrote. "They have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their mothers work multiple jobs. These boys have been in the system before. They've grown up there. They know the police. They've been arrested. They've made the circuit and nothing has scared them enough. Now they are lost. Once you kill a neighbor's three children, two nieces and her unborn grandson, there's no coming back. There's nothing nice to say about that."
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If you say so. Interesting that no one has been arrested in this case, but Wendy knows all the details about them. That's one smart newsreader there!
Do you want to make a friendly wager when the person is arrested? I'll take black guy under 30, you can have everyone else. I'll give u even money.
Scratch that Freeport, Young people dying is Nothing to bet on or to use to push an agenda. Disregard my wager offer. Pisses me off when we devalue human life and that is what I was doing. Apologies to all and condolences to the family and friends of these victims
