I’m not politically correct at all, but let’s be honest—anytime you compare black people to primates, you’re going to get into a lot of trouble, especially if this is said on live television. There’s just no way around it. This is the titanic spotting the iceberg. You know nothing good is going to come from making such a comparison and rightfully so—it’s terrible. Alex Housden, an anchor for KOCO 5, had to apologize for saying that a gorilla resembled her co-anchor who is black. It was emotional. Her co-worker accepted the apology and then went on a bit about how words matter. In 99 percent of cases, it’s political correctness nonsense, but in this case, it was necessary. This isn’t a new thing either. Housden should’ve known better. Again, who doesn’t know that comparing blacks to apes is wrong (via The Hill):
An Oklahoma City anchor apologized in an emotional live TV segment Tuesday after she compared her black co-anchor to a gorilla last week.
“I said something yesterday that was inconsiderate, it was inappropriate, and I hurt people,” KOCO morning anchor Alex Housden said, audibly getting choked up while sitting next to colleague James Hackett. “I love our community, and I want you all to know, from the bottom of my heart, I apologize for what I said. I know it was wrong.”
Hackett said he accepted Housden’s apology, adding that the comment “cut deep” for him and members of the community.
“I want this to be a teachable moment, and the lesson here is that words matter,” he said. “What we need to do is use those words not to hurt and not to divide, but to build a more perfect union.”
Of course, there was a backlash. Of course, people called for Housden to be terminated from her position with the news station. Yes, this is a fireable offense. It is what it is. In May, Lee Cruse of WLEX 18 in Kentucky was fired for a joke he made about the royal baby. Cruse was commenting about fired BBC radio host Danny Baker who tweeted a photo of a chimpanzee to represent baby Archie, the son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
“This is my new favorite disc jockey,” quipped Cruse. Cruse did not see the photo that was aired when he made the remark but still offered a sincere apology over the incident. The damage was done. He was let go.
These are actual racially insensitive incidents, ones that should get attention for those who proclaim themselves the racism police. Instead, they decided to buoy and elevate total hoaxes like Jussie Smollett.
