Rupert Murdoch is a man who achieved dizzying heights in business and society, and accumulated power beyond the imagination of the average person.
Despite his amazing achievements, or perhaps because of them, he does appear to have lost all perspective, humility and common sense.
He has a habit of interfering in Australian politics, even though he’s not even an Australian citizen anymore, having taken up US citizenship in 1985 for business reasons.
He was a strong supporter of the maligned Howard Coalition government, and the failed Abbott Prime Ministership.
He may be an astute business man, but his political acumen is questionable.
Yesterday, he took his entitlement and petulance to a whole new level, by choosing to question whether President Obama is ‘a real black President.’ Seriously!
New York Magazine thanked him for the shout out, but ‘[h]old on, what? … let’s go back to that bit about Obama not being a “real black president” …’
Watching a rich, old white man offer his views on race, or give advice on race relations, is a remarkable experience and takes ‘whitesplaining’ to a whole new level. But, this is the man who gave the United States Fox News, one of their leading causes of bigotry, ignorance and stupidity.
Ben Carson is an evolution denying, climate change sceptic, retired neurosurgeon, who said Darwin’s theory was inspired by the forces of evil because it doesn’t acknowledge God’s role in the creation of life. He also thinks being gay is a choice, a Muslim should never become president, and kindergarten teachers should be armed and trained in the use of firearms.
One also has to wonder how Ben Carson would ‘properly address the racial divide,’ when he thinks one of the largest, and perhaps most significant, social movements in recent American history, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ is ‘creating strife.’ Ben Carson may just have become the first African-American to ‘whitesplain’ to the African-American community their experiences of racial intolerance, divide and injustice.
This is the man who would make a ‘real black President,’ according to Mr Murdoch. One can only feel for a nation where people such as Ben Carson and Donald Trump can be legitimate contenders for the presidency.
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time Mr Murdoch chose to share his ‘wisdom’ about Ben Carson or President Obama:
And those are not the only opinions he chose to share on his Twitter account over the years:
Mr Murdoch is ought to know his mutterings on Twitter influence editorial directions and policies, and make headlines around the world. His free speech is amplified around the globe and drains out the free speech of millions of common people. That kind of power comes with responsibilities.
Perhaps it’s time for Mr Murdoch to keep his opinions to himself, while the rest of the world hopes the next President of the United Sates of America won’t be a Ben Carson or a Donald Trump-type caricature, but a decent, intelligent and normal human being, because while we don’t all get a vote, the actions of that office will affect us all.
The Vue Post 