Diamond And Silk Attack ABC, Call Out Establishment Media's Double Standard
As many in the liberal media use the racist joke posted on Twitter by Roseanne Barr as “proof” of how it reflects the racist attitude of supporters of President Donald Trump, black conservative vloggers Diamond & Silk — whose real names are Lynette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson — are fighting back against those stereotypes.
The duo is also calling out ABC and others for what they perceive as a double standard in how Barr was treated.
In appearances on multiple Fox News programs Wednesday and Thursday, the sisters called Barr’s tweet — which suggested former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett is the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes — a “mistake” that reflected “bad judgment” on the part of the comedian.
But they said a bad attempt at humor should not result in someone being branded as a racist.
“Roseanne, she is not a racist. She made bad judgment. She apologized for it,” Diamond pointed out.
“One tweet don’t make you a racist,” added Silk.
Barr herself tweeted her appreciation for the women’s comments.
@DiamondandSilk thank u guys for knowing me & supporting me. Love 2 u-
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 31, 2018
Diamond and Silk were also upset by a tweet from MSNBC host Chris Hayes, who claimed Barr’s controversial comment was representative of the attitude of many Trump supporters.
Roseanne’s problem turned out to be that she far too authentically represented the actual worldview of a significant chunk of the Trump base.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 30, 2018
“That’s not the representation of the Trump base,” Diamond said. “We’re loving, caring people. We’re not racists. We love God, we love this country, so how dare he say that.”
Diamond and Silk also claim there’s a double standard in effect, noting that former MSNBC host and current ESPN commentator Keith Olbermann often uses profanity in his tweets criticizing Trump and his supporters.
“We had to block Keith Olbermann on Twitter because he’s so nasty,” Diamond said.
They also noted how ABC tolerates personalities like Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Jimmy Kimmel making insulting remarks about Trump and his supporters on a daily basis.
“Look at all the other shows on ABC that make these derogatory racist remarks toward the president of the United States, toward his supporters,” Diamond said. “They’re still on air every single day.”
.@DiamondandSilk: The left has tried to assassinate President Trump’s character, and there’s been no apology pic.twitter.com/cXICw0V0Gl
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) May 31, 2018
The sisters also criticized the black community for calling out whites for racist remarks, but tolerating racism from their own side.
“If this is a teachable moment, open it up. If we’re going to talk about racism, let’s talk about it on both sides,” Diamond said. “We’re called monkeys, we’re called coons and all kind of derogatory names every day. Everybody want to be mad at Roseanne who happens to be a white woman, and you want to call her a racist. What about the racism on the other side? We have black brothers and sisters calling other black brothers and sisters all kinds of derogatory names.
“If we’re going to have a conversation (about racism), let’s tell the truth … and not just be one sided.”
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