ABC’s The View kicked off Black History Month by asserting, without evidence, that most Americans were racist. Co-host Sunny Hostin snapped at “conservative” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin after she rightfully said that the “vast majority” of Americans were not racist. Hostin also tried to shut down debate by asserting that no one was allowed to question her “lived experience” on the topic. But here at NewsBusters, we will absolutely question her because she has lied in the past about what she’s experienced.
Farah Griffin’s supposedly controversial comments included her admitting that America indeed had “a history of racism” but “I don't think the American people are racist.”
“And there are plenty of racist people in this country,” co-host Joy Behar pushed back. “And there are absolutely racist people in this country. It is not the vast majority of people in this country,” Farah Griffin responded.
Stating that fact absolutely triggered Hostin. “Well, the FBI director said white supremacy is the biggest threat to our country today,” she snapped at Farah Griffin as if Director Wray was a trustworthy source.
Last year, Wray told Congress that the FBI was not trying to spy on Catholic churches. But according to documents uncovered during a House Judicial Committee investigation, that was a lie.
Farah Griffin rightfully pointed out that Wray’s assessment “still doesn't mean that's the vast majority of people.”
“I just don’t believe that, in my day-to-day life, that the people you're encountering harbor racist viewpoints,” Farah Griffin reasonably argued. “If you looked like me you would believe differently,” Hostin shot back, playing the race card.
When Farah Griffin tried to nail Hostin down on whether or not she was asserting that “the vast majority are racist,” Hostin tried to shut down the debate by calling it her “lived experience” which meant no one could question her:
FARAH GRIFFIN: So, just to understand are we saying – do we think the vast majority of Americans are racist? That’s what I’m trying to – Help me understand.
HOSTIN: I think there is a significant portion that are racist and you can't dismiss my lived experience!
[Applause]
FARAH GRIFFIN: I never would, Sunny. I would never dismiss your lived experience.
Hostin also claimed, without evidence, that she “just experienced” her son “being called the N-word several times” while walking on the beach “in Florida.”
Whatever Hostin claimed was her “lived experience” could not be trusted. She has repeatedly claimed that Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan had “terrorized” her during a congressional hearing. A NewsBusters investigation found her claim to be a lie. At no point during the hearing did Jordan ever address Hostin.
If Hostin’s “lived experience” was that most Americans were racist, it’s likely because she’s staunchly racist and anti-Semitic herself and maintained that kind of social circle.
And she certainly did not represent the vast majority of Americans in that regard.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
February 1, 2024
11:21:56 a.m. Eastern(…)
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I don't think the American people are racist. I think there’s a history of racism. Or Vice President Harris saying, “no, I don't believe America is racist but there is a history and we’re still living with racism we have to deal with.
JOY BEHAR: And there are plenty of racist people in this country.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: That’s right.
FARAH GRIFFIN: And there are absolutely racist people in this country. It is not the vast majority of people in this country. And I feel like --
BEHAR: We don't know that. We don’t know that.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Well, the FBI director said white supremacy is the biggest threat to our country today!
FARAH GRIFFIN: That still doesn't mean that's the vast majority of people. I just don’t believe that, in my day-to-day life, that the people you're encountering harbor racist viewpoints. I do think that this division that we’re creating --
HOSTIN: If you looked like me you would believe differently.
[Applause]
BEHAR: Alyssa. The woman – The woman –
FARAH GRIFFIN: So, just to understand are we saying – do we think the vast majority of Americans are racist? That’s what I’m trying to – Help me understand.
HOSTIN: I think there is a significant portion that are racist and you can't dismiss my lived experience!
[Applause]
FARAH GRIFFIN: I never would, Sunny. I would never dismiss your lived experience.
HOSTIN: When I say that there are a lot of racists in this country, I just experienced my son walking down the beach being called the N-word several times in Florida. So don't -- you can't say, “I believe that the vast majority of people aren't racist.” We don’t know that. In my lived experience—
FARAH GRIFFIN: That's fair. There are 300 million people in the country. I would never minimize your lived experience any more than I would mine as an Arab woman.
(…)
