by Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.net
At Your Black World, we had a strong and powerful protest of Fox News and the racist Bill O'Reilly. Shortly after our protest, I started to notice protests by other websites, such as ColorofChange.org, Moveon.org and others. I love the fact that groups are working hard to challenge Fox News for what they are doing to this election.
However, I am concerned that we in the blogosphere are starting to actually believe that getting petitions and having people sign them is going to actually change something. I spoke with the people at Color of Change, whom I respect for their amazing campaigning ability. When I asked what they planned to do with their petitions, I was told that they plan to present the signatures to Fox News when they reach 100,000. Fine idea, but I think that more might be required.
You see, Fox News can be like the devil: The devil enjoys when you pour grease on a grease fire. Fox enjoys the protests, they enjoy the petitions. They will receive the stack of signatures and likely throw them in the garbage. These individuals are intelligent enough to realize that controversy means ratings, and that the more liberals hate them, the more their conservative (sometimes highly racist) base loves them.
When it comes to Bill O'Reilly and others, you have to hit them where it hurts.
Corporate sponsors are a bit different from highly charged, Jerry Springer-like media outlets such as Fox. They are truly CONSERVATIVE (and not in a cutting-edge, insanely racist, Michelle Malkin- Ann Coulter sort of way...more like the "we don't like rocking the boat" kind of way). They don't like the controversy, because it puts their corporate brand at risk. Shaking their foundation makes the board members nervous and they take away their sponsorship of Fox News. That's how you hit em hard. Well, that's at least how you can marginalize them a bit more than they've already marginalized themselves.
Also, good old fashioned protest works as well. I agree with Rev. Jesse Jackson, who explained that bloggers do a lot of writing, but we don't actually get out there and get it done. I recommend forming protests and having people with picket signs, standing in front of Fox News' top 2 or 3 corporate sponsors.
That might be more effective than a list reminding Fox that 100,000 people hate their guts. To be honest, I think they already know that.
2 comments:
Sharpton is right.
As a new school student of the activist game, It is very frustrating to see a spike in armchair activism, while physical activism decreases. (note, I am not speaking of your typical quarterly youth projects done by organizations, but continual presence - honorable mention to those black organizations that have a continual presence i.e. (100 black men, Concerned Black Men, and National Urban League). I even criticize my beloved fraternity, we need an upgrade, clearly an long-term assessment of our projects show that they aren't working. (However, that is another topic)
While it is true, armchair activism/ vlogging has its place to mobilize those willing to read and for information. I cannot DIMINISH the need for independent news sources. However, we must be cognizant to present a BALANCED EQUATION. People tend to forget that information sharing is for the purpose of coordinating, organization, and presenting tangible and realistic action. We have all the tools, we have to use our power of agency.
Dr. Boyce is right that petitions are far from effective. From personal experience, you can get more accomplished by getting five members of the board of directors to make a phone call than a petition of 500,000 people.
However, I don't knock anyone for trying. I am optimistic, there is a whole that is lessining - the gap between the old civil rights vanguard and the new school.
Sometimes a petition is all you can mobilize the people to do. Maybe getting them to sign a petition today may cause them to be more socially conscious for the remainder of the year--sometimes reactionary politics can cause a cultural shift or change--Jena 6 certainly raised the consciousness of the masses --notwithstanding the clumsy coordination.
Petitions have a low success rate. (TRUST ME, I work within the death penalty industry). Fox news wont change until the culture of America changes. That's like asking rappers not to talk about the hood. The question is not whether there is legitimacy in their references to the hood or if they are being truthful. Rather, the question is where is there a market that supports the music.
If conditions of the black community doesn't get better, some rap music will continually tell that story which is so crucial to hip hop.
Similarly, Fox news will continue pandering to the xenophobic right extremist. Part of me feels like protesting fox is lending them credibility. I don't care what fox says about blacks...(although I agree there is a threshold; for instance, referring to Michelle Obama being lynched crosses said threshold. In these instances, we should act).
Although we can learn a lot from other minority groups, I think it is time to stop using the"WWJCD" - What would the Jewish Community Do - as our reference group. If we are to say "The Jewish Community wouldn't tolerate this," then we cannot the divorce the Jewish Liberation Theories aligned (albeit very good theories...e.g. self-reliance)(note- black liberation theory is controversial for a reason).
I agree with Boyce's stance that "America is more capitalist than it is anything else." Now the trick is to find a way to replace the affirmative action generational uncle toms from the board rooms with us...
Good stuff Boyce,
Your boy E from N-B-LSA.
"If we are truly to move on, we have to start thinking rich instead of thinking poor." - M. Augustine
You write very well.
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