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People are mad at Charlamagne The God and Trevor Noah for fraternizing with Tomi Lahren over the weekend.

Both men appeared to be strongly opposed to the 25-year-old conservative pundits’ trollish views when they invited her onto their shows last week. Noah even drew wide acclaim from around the Internet after successfully cornering Lahren on her faulty logic about racism in America.

But after photos of Noah and Lahren having drinks in her hotel lobby surfaced on social media over the weekend, people started asking questions. And things got worse when footage of Charlamagne and Lahren hanging out in the streets of New York surfaced online.

Charlamagne also joked for TMZ that he wants to know if “Black Penises Matter” to Lahren, but some people want serious answers as to why these presumably wise grown men are so comfortable hanging out and engaging in serious dialogue with this silly young lady?

Lahren’s hateful Facebook videos condemning #BlackLivesMatter, Beyoncé and Colin Kaepernick helped make her a social media star over the past year. And with the age of Trump quickly approaching, people are more fascinated than ever with the mentality of conservative White citizens in America’s “fly-over” states.

Lahren is from South Dakota. And she is pretty, articulate and savvy enough to consistently grab attention on millions of Facebook feeds and Twitter timelines every week. But many, like Hot 97 personality Peter Rosenberg, argue that giving Lahren a platform like “The Daily Show” or “The Breakfast Club,” only further legitimizes her foolishness. And even worse, it spreads her message of hate and ignorance farther than we care to consider.

Rosenberg went on to call Charlamange “the Devil,” because of his choice to pal around with Lahren and suggested he isn’t “good for the culture.” We can talk about the appropriateness of a White Jewish man kicking a Black man out of Hip Hop culture another time, but for now, here’s Rosenberg’s full Twitter rant included these statements:

“It’s amazing that people are blind enough to think this dude is good for the culture, said Rosenberg. “PLEASE WAKE UP!… The devil doesn’t always wear horns and a shirt that says devil guys…sometimes he wears promo t-shirts and light foundation… If one more person says its important that we hear the views of a 24 year old ignorant troll again I’m gonna lose it… Do we need discourse with those that liken BLM to the KKK?? Thanks but no thanks …If she was an ugly man, they’re not talking to her. We DO NOT NEED DIALOGUE w a 24 year old who knows nothing but directly attempts to divide people racially.” – Peter Rosenberg

 

Noah got love from across the Internet last week for schooling Lahren on the ignorance of some of her statements, including her firm stance that #BlackLivesMatter is comparable to the KKK. And Charlamagne went on the same educational mission earlier this year when he appeared on Lahren’s show to explain why the Black Panthers are not comparable to White Supremacist hate groups. But at some point they must have taken to liking her.

Lahren’s gimmick is as easy to see through as Ann Coulter’s was during the Bush years. But as annoying as their shrill voices and willful ignorance can be, we can’t ignore them. These are the women that get politicians like Trump elected. Ignoring them is what has empowered their ignorance and allowed it to spread. So we have to invite them to the table and talk to them. That doesn’t mean we can’t roast them while we have them there. But we can’t turn our backs on anyone.

Rosenberg, Ebro and everyone else who want Noah and Charlamagne to box Lahren out of “the culture” like an absolute enemy are sadly mistaken. She has the potential to be an ally. Even if she doesn’t know it, she can be used. Whether it’s as an intellectual punching bag or as a tool to indirectly reprogram her base, addressing her ignorance directly will neutralize it. But ignoring her will only make her a greater enemy.

Jay Z used Lahren’s wicked words about him to justify yet another verse about his days selling crack on “Drug Dealers Anonymous.” And Noah was masterful in his use of Lahren as an intellectual punching bag, calmly driving home points that many of us want to scream at the Trump supporters on our Facebook feeds. Her shameless pandering can be of benefit if we’re not afraid to use it.

But how effective are these statements on Lahren and her followers?

As Angela Yee told her co-host Charlamagne on the Breakfast Club’s discussion on the topic, it’s not like Lahren changes her mind after debating him or Noah on air. She is clearly playing the media with the same skill as Trump: sparking fires and fanning flames to keep the attention on her, but never stopping to examine the aftermath and ruin of her words.

So why even talk to a girl like Tomi Lahren? Because ignoring her is what got us Trump. And letting her continue to spew ignorance unchecked will only bring greater ruin.

Hate it or love it, Lahren is the voice of a real segment of the American population. The hatred and negativity that she deals in are real emotions bubbling in small towns across the country. And even in your liberal suburb or office building.

Tomi Lahren doesn’t need Charlamagne, Trevor Noah or even Fox News to legitimize her. She’s already on a Nancy Grace-meets-Soulja-Boy-level of run through the media. She’s booked for the next four years straight playing the pretty blonde all-American girl in the age of President Trump.

You don’t have to get drinks with her. But you are gonna have to get used to her. She’s not going anywhere for the next four years.

@CoupCoup40Cal