A white radio host of nearly 40 years and a Black columnist of nearly 50 years engaged in an uncomfortable, yet somewhat incredible conversation of race last week.
What began as a discussion about the NBA players protesting for racial equality, morphed into SiriusXM’s Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo asking former New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden “Bill, do you think I’m a racist?”
Rhoden started to say “yea,” before giving an uncomfortable chuckle and avoiding a clear answer. Instead, he pointed the question back at Russo, who answered “I don’t think I understand the Black community as well as I should, but do I think I’m a racist? No.”
Russo was likely shocked to hear that someone such as Rhoden, who he’s known for decades, might believe he’s racist, but the term ‘racist’ has become more complex than it was years ago. No longer is it just about a blatant act of racism, but it’s about contributing to something that a person of another race believes to be mean or unfair.
Rhoden did say he believes Russo is feeding into a white supremacist ideology by believing the riots in Portland, OR and other areas of the country are caused by the protesters.
“How dare you, you’re calling me a white supremacist…I’ve been on-air for 40 years,” Russo fired back. “That’s not right, I don’t say that about you! You don’t say that.”
It’s fair for Russo to defend himself from being called a white supremacist. He expressed outrage over the recent occurrences of police brutality in MN, WI and KY, but he questioned the response of rioting. Russo’s argument of being in talk radio for 40 years was odd though. I’m not sure having a long career in radio excludes you from potentially pushing white supremist narratives.
This isn’t the first time Russo has been questioned over a racial issue. In 2014, he claimed the lack of diversity on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio channel was because there might not be Black hosts worthy of a national show and if there were, they haven’t applied.
But by the end of this interview, both Russo and Rhoden closed the conversation very amicably, acknowledging disagreements are OK, while offering respect for each of their long careers.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
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