If you’re not going to say it, I will
Thoughts on watching Sean Spicer
In the White House Press Room, Sean Spicer functions as the bully-in-chief, chastising reporters who challenge his version of the truth. He leans hard into the lies of his boss, performing verbal gymnastics to maintain the illusion du jour, whether it’s about the size of an inauguration crowd, or the existence of millions of illegal voters. Recent miscues around the location of the Carl Vinson strike group (referred to as an “armada” by the president) provide even more proof that this administration cannot admit to making mistakes:
As if amplifying the “alternative facts” of the current administration isn’t challenging enough, Spicer also functions as justifier-in-chief. Through ridicule, critique and anger, he pushes against any and all comers who would dare to suggest that the work of this administration is anything less than perfection. A recent effort to cast the administration’s decision to bomb Syria in the most favorable light led Mr. Spicer to reach inexplicably for Hitler as an example of a more benevolent tyrant. Even Mr. Spicer described this decision as “reprehensible.”
In support of his effort to control the daily White House narrative, Mr. Spicer routinely treats reporters with disdain and disrespect. This pattern clearly reflects the administration’s belief that the news media are, in the words of Steve Bannon “the opposition party.” Disrespect may also be at the root of Sean Spicer’s careless handling of the names of world leaders. But names aren’t the only words Mr. Spicer struggles to articulate:
It’s time to ask some hard questions about the performance of the @PressSec.
Could an African American male repeat Sean Spicer’s verbal bungling and still remain in the position of @PressSec? What might be said of any African American, male or female, who couldn’t stop fumbling when it came to communicating clearly? How about a member of the Latinx community? What might be said of a woman, of any ethnicity, matching Sean Spicer’s level of consistent inaccuracy?
Hard questions. But there are more:
Could April Ryan, a black female reporter, stand elevated above everyone else in the briefing room and scold anyone for asking a question she didn’t like? Would she be granted permission to be as aggressive and condescending as Sean Spicer? Horrendous stories are told of women who dare to speak boldly at all, even when they speak clearly and eloquently. Sean Spicer’s verbal beat downs are far from eloquent. He engages a White House Press briefing as if it’s a pay-per-view, verbal wrestling match. If the tables were turned and April Ryan were @PressSec, could she enter the Press briefing ring the way Mr. Spicer does and still keep her job?
Too many questions, really.
Could a Muslim speak insensitively of the Holocaust and still expect to return to work the next day?
Which racial or ethnic minority could stand at that podium, day after day, inarticulately and defiantly spinning a web of distorted truths and still expect to remain the mouthpiece of the White House, even for an administration as challenged as this one?
Some us know the answer to these hard questions deep in our bones. We’ve worked twice as hard, endured multiple obstacles, only to gain half as much space and power in mainstream culture. Sean Spicer is mediocre at best in this position. This isn’t surprising. He reflects his leader’s limitations. But there are lots of Sean Spicers out there, who occupy powerful spaces while flaunting their mediocrity as a birthright. What will it take to create more room at the table for those of us whose birthright requires excellence for even a small chance at opportunity? This, indeed, is the hardest question to answer.
Follow me. It’s going to be a long journey. Let’s make it together.
https://leeannshawyounger.com/
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