Don Lemon strikes again.
If you’re familiar with the CNN anchor, then you already know how he’s made many Americans angry with his ideas on respectability politics, such as wearing your pants up to prevent you from getting shot by racists. There’s also this video of rapper-activistTalib Kweli visibly upset with Lemon during an interview while on the ground in Ferguson, MO for the Michael Brown shooting protests. Kweli accuses Lemon of not treating him with respect, and Lemon rebuts in a nice-nasty way.
Now, we have this–Don Lemon interviewed Joan Tarshis for CNN. Tarshis, a woman who accuses Bill Cosby of raping her when she was 19, tells her story to Lemon, as she has been doing with several other outlets. I don’t know what Lemon was thinking, but he had the audacity to say this:
“You know, there are ways not to perform oral sex if you didn’t want to do it.”
SIGH.
After Tarshis says, “I was kind of stoned at the time and, quite honestly, that didn’t even enter my mind,” Lemon continues his train of thought by saying, “Right. Meaning the using of the teeth, right?”
This is in NO WAY the proper manner when interviewing a person about a delicate subject, especially something as delicate as rape trauma. This is why people say they don’t trust today’s journalism. Lemon’s comments also smack of the rape culture we live in, in which we blame the victim for the crime that was committed, not the actual perpetrator.
Of course, Twitter came to the rescue and took Lemon to task for his heinous remarks. Enter the return of the popular hashtag, #DonLemonReporting. Here are just some of the many gems out there.
RT @dopegirlfresh: what do you mean they gave indigenous ppl smallpox blankets? why didn’t they make their own blankets? #donlemonreporting
— Crunk Feminists (@crunkfeminists) November 19, 2014
When Germany invaded Poland, what was Poland wearing? Was it drunk? Was it begging for it? #DonLemonReporting — JRehling (@JRehling) November 19, 2014
If blacks would have never gotten on those ships, this could have all been avoided. #DonLemonReporting pic.twitter.com/2ws7UuCfut
— Wilkine Brutus (@wilkinebrutus) November 19, 2014
If Sean Bell had decided to have his bachelor party at home, police wouldn’t have had to shoot him 50 times. #DonLemonReporting — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) November 19, 2014
If Amadou Diallo had worn his wallet around his neck like a necklace, he’d still be alive today. #DonLemonReporting
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) November 19, 2014
‘Like – if you’re poor…why don’t you just make more money?’ #DonLemonReporting — not a white man™ (@NotAllBhas) November 19, 2014
Ladies, you know you don’t have to be paid less than your male counterparts right? You can…quit…take a stand. #DonLemonReporting
— Elon James White (@elonjames) November 19, 2014
The people on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight only had buy a one way ticket #DonLemonReporting — Black Dynamite (@BlackDynamite) November 19, 2014
At least Bill Cosby didn’t get them pregnant #DonLemonReporting pic.twitter.com/pCFd1qiSQW
— Black Dynamite (@BlackDynamite) November 19, 2014
So even with all of those Jews you all still couldn’t make a run for it out of that camp? #DonLemonReporting — Elon James White (@elonjames) November 19, 2014
If Africans didn’t want to be stolen and sold into slavery, they shouldn’t have been in Africa that day. #DonLemonReporting
— L. Brothers Media (@LBrothersMedia) November 19, 2014
So, Jesus, why didn’t you just take the nails away from that Roman guy? Or grab his hammer? #DonLemonReporting — S.A. Barton Writes (@Tao23) November 19, 2014
@owillis “So what you’re asking us to believe is the plane was crashing & you didn’t even think to bring a parachute?” #DonLemonReporting
— Mr Obvious Guy (@MrObviousGuy) November 19, 2014
“Let’s talk about what were you wearing the night you chose not to avoid being raped.” #DonLemonReporting — Eric Haywood (@Eric_Haywood) November 19, 2014
Everyone knows that attending plays shortly after the Civil War is a bad idea. #DonLemonReporting
— Brendan Schneider (@BSchneider30) November 19, 2014
But did the towers make any attempt to avoid the planes? #DonLemonReporting — Christian Lipski (@ChristianLipski) November 19, 2014
Why didn’t you dinosaurs just avoid the asteroid? #DonLemonReporting
— Thot Provoker (@ALBDamn) November 19, 2014
@owillis “Look, it wouldn’t have had to happen had Rodney King stopped resisting…” #DonLemonReporting — Mr Obvious Guy (@MrObviousGuy) November 19, 2014
“It is sort of Jack and Rose’s fault that the ship hit the iceberg tho” #DonLemonReporting
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) November 19, 2014
“Its possible President Kennedy maneuvered his head into the bullet’s pathway, isn’t it?” #DonLemonReporting — Oliver Willis (@owillis) November 19, 2014
You know, there are ways not to be beheaded by ISIS if you didn’t want to be. Like ducking? I had to ask. #DonLemonReporting
— julie. (@jwalkmpls) November 19, 2014
That Malaysian airliner should’ve deployed flares. There’s ways NOT to get shot down, you know. #DonLemonReporting — Cory Showtime (@CoryShowtime) November 19, 2014
If you’re starving to death, maybe you should eat a sammich #DonLemonReporting
— L.M.Brown (@Duchwela2) November 19, 2014
If Carrie would have just stayed home from the prom like she should have all of those kids wouldn’t have died. #DonLemonReporting — (re)becca ツ (@bexology_) November 19, 2014
Don to Fannie Lou Hamer, “Well if you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired just take a nap.” #DonLemonReporting pic.twitter.com/dNHQy1skbx
— Jessica Ann Mitchell (@TweetingJam) November 19, 2014
Which are your favorites? What do you make of the Don Lemon fiasco? Write about it below the post!
UPDATE: Don Lemon has released an apology, stating that he doesn’t ever intend on making it seem like a victim of rape could have prevented their attack. Lemon himself is a victim of sexual abuse, something he’s written about in his book. Here’s his apology for his remarks to Tarshis:
“As a victim myself, I would never want to suggest that any victim could have prevented a rape. If my question struck anyone as insensitive, I’m sorry as that was not my intention.”