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On Monday night, Billy O’Reilly gave one of the most impassioned monologues of his career. Almost 48 hours later, it seems everyone can’t stop talking about it.
In short, during his “Talking Points Memo” segment, O’Reilly lambasted leaders in the black community who would rather talk about the Zimmerman verdict than address some of the dire issues plaguing blacks in America.
“You want a better situation for blacks? Give them a chance to revive their neighborhoods and culture,” a fired-up O’Reilly said. “Work with the good people to stop the bad people. […] You can’t legislate good parenting or responsible entertainment. But you can fight against the madness with discipline, a firm message and little tolerance for excuse making. It is now time for the African American leadership, including President Obama, to stop the nonsense. Walk away from the world of victimization and grievance and lead the way out of this mess.”
He wasn’t done:
The reason there is so much violence and chaos in the black precincts is the disintegration of the African American family. […] When was the last time you saw a public service ad telling young black girls to avoid becoming pregnant? […] White people don’t force black people to have babies out of wedlock.
Since then, reaction has been extensive.
National Urban League President Marc Morial disagreed with O’Reilly in a heated segment on Tuesday.
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes called it a “super-racist rant” that “gives a cheap, crack-like high to the old fearful white audience that watches Bill O’Reilly.”
Media Matters predictably blasted it.
Greta Van Sustern asked her viewers what they thought — and they loved it: