Frank Rich, liberal editor-at-large of New York magazine, took a shot at Al Sharpton over the activist and MSNBC host’s role in Ferguson, Mo.
Rich’s barb came during an interview with comedian Chris Rock, as the subject turned to American race relations and the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
“Before Obama arrived, you were saying that there’d been Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and then black leaders in America became like substitute teachers,” Rich says to Rock in the interview.
“I mean, you got to realize, there’s not a need for it [black leadership] the way there was,” Rock replies. “Back then, we needed that guy for our day-to-day existence. Now you only feel the need in special cases. So, okay, Ferguson goes down. You’re like, ‘Oh, it’d be great if we had a guy.’ ”
In the follow-up, Rich says, “When Al Sharpton goes down to Ferguson, it feels like a media ritual rather than an actual civil-rights action.”
Rock replies, “It’s a revival, where[as] King was doing an original play. It’s a good part. The lead is open.”
Sharpton, who was recently the subject of a critical New York Times story that chronicled his history of tax problems, has long been seen as a walking conflict of interest, fulfilling dual roles as both an activist and host of a cable news show.
And his controversial appearances in places like Ferguson, or in Florida when 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed, has raised concern among some media watchers who question his motives and whether his rhetoric heightens anxiety within black communities.
