The phrase "man up" has been the source of some controversy of late, given the pervading "wokeness" of our modern age. Nevertheless, the English language does not yet posses a better combination of words to describe the heroic actions of 2019 Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year Blossom C. Brown, the Hollywood actor who staged one of the most courageous protests against mainstream media bias in recent memory.
Brown hijacked the audience question-and-answer portion of failed candidate Beto O'Rourke's interview with CNN host Don Lemon during the network's equality town hall event in October. The actor used a tactic commonly referred to as "manhandling" to commandeer the microphone from a fellow audience member before lashing out at CNN for its unfathomably biased programming. "Baby, your actions have to speak louder than words," Brown boomed into the mic. "Show me!"
Both Lemon and O'Rourke were forced to stand awkwardly on stage during Brown's protest. At one point, the CNN host took back the microphone and attempted to assuage Brown and placate network executives with an empty platitude. "Blossom, let me tell you something," Lemon said, condescendingly. "The reason that we're here is to validate people like you."
CNN's bias wasn't the only media injustice brought to light by Brown's epic display of civil disobedience. Much of the reporting and commentary on the incident incorrectly referred to Brown as an "actress," a flagrantly gendered term that many of the leading experts in the field of inclusivity have deemed problematic.
.@BlossomCBrown PREACH! My sister Blossom Brown did the right thing at the #EqualityTownHall "Not one black trans woman, not one black trans man has taken the mic tonight." This was erasure IMHO. I stand with Blossom and all #TWOC @CNN @HRC @donlemon 🙌🏾🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/1ZKXQqsi1n
— Meghan Stabler (@MeghanStabler) October 11, 2019
Thank you for your willingness to man up this year, Blossom Brown, you're a Free Beacon Man of the Year.
