Relentlessly Real. If it weren't for physics and law enforcement, I'd be unstoppable.
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June 12, 2008
Let Us Draw A Line In The Sand Now
This is a deliberate, intentional show of contempt and disrespect. This demeaning slur of Michelle Obama was developed, approved and put on the air by the staff of Fox News. No one questioned it, no one said this is not appropriate, no one said "we should not do this".
Its a demonstration that Fox News and its advertisers hold African Americans in contempt. That Fox News and its advertisers consider us unworthy of respect. Michelle Obama is an Ivy League graduate, a mother and wife and an accomplished professional woman in her own right. To use the pejorative and demeaning "baby mama" label to describe her is an obvious racist slur and Fox News knows it.
A vigorous campaign of financial protest against Fox News and the brands of the advertisers who support it is clearly warranted and required. It is now amply and abundantly clear that if we do not begin taking concerted, sustained action to make clear that this kind of blatant racial insult cannot be delivered with impunity, we will be subjected to this over and over again.
If this is how some of the the best and the brightest among us will be casually demeaned, what can we, the average African American expect?
What About Our Daughters, Black Women Vote and Electronic Village among others have successfully led accountability campaigns. Jack & Jill paved the way for the necessary tactics with the Clinton Attacks Obama Wiki. I believe a similar archive that records the offense, the program and the advertisers associated with it is needed. We need to connect that archive to a mechanism for coordinated dissemination to the black community via the black blogging community, the black newspaper community and black radio of information about the brands that supported the offensive material so that our community can express its opinion to those brands, those brands can be exposed to the majority community and those brands can be held accountable.
If we are to have respect in the media, it is abundantly clear that we must build and maintain the capability to inflict severe and lasting damage to the brand of any corporation or advertiser which knowingly supports media programming that intentionally and knowingly insults African Americans. We have practiced this type of accountability already. We have the tools. We have the technology.
Let us draw the line in the sand now. Because this shit has got to be stopped.
You are aware that "my baby's daddy" is how Michelle has introduced Barack at several events, right? It certainly wasn't developed at Fox News and then picked up by her, was it?
ReplyDeleteI'm very slow to attribute disrespect to "deliberate, intentional" motives. People say stupid things all the time, black and white. I don't think they should have done it because I think it was unprofessional, but I don't think it was offensive.
A dissenting opinion. Thank God. Thanks for stopping in Phelps and giving your take. Vigorous and spirited debate is the point around here and we don't get enough. So thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe term "baby mama" is clearly recognized among blacks and whites alike as a pejorative term with a very negative connotation, denoting a woman who is loose, irresponsible and ignorant. The producers of the show certainly are aware of that. None of those characteristics can be ascribed to Michelle Obama.
I don't care what kind of terminology Michelle may or may not have used in introducing Barack. Thats irrelevant. The issue here is that Fox News' audience includes a large segment of black viewers who don't appreciate blatantly disrespectful labeling like this. We deserve respect like anybody else. Do you think Fox News would use some nasty pejorative like that on Cindy McCain? I don't. Their producer knew the terminology was offensive and would be controversial when they put it up in that Chryon. This is a business and Fox in part sells itself as a network by being edgy, right wing and politically incorrect. They knew exactly what they were doing. They expected some people to be mad, but that they would get away with pushing it to the edge. Not this time. Don't be an apologist for the behavior.
Give Fox News credit for cultural and political intelligence and don't let them off the hook by asserting that they were so stupid, they didn't get this.
A bright line has to be established, because if black americans let this go, we'll be subjected to insults of this type directed at Michelle Obama, a black woman with two Ivy League degrees, a wife and mother and professional repeatedly. Its demeaning to her and demeaning to other black people to watch her be subjected to that kind of disrespect.
I guess the other thing I would say here is that just because you don't think its offensive doesn't dispose of the issue. I mean, what kind of disrespectful terminology do they have to use before you think Michelle or black americans in general have a basis to be offended? I mean, can we only get upset if they just call her nigger bitch or something?
If you know some black americans personally, ask them if they think this is acceptable or respectful of her or black americans as a member of the consumer audience.
We're not asking much here. Just that an educated, classy professional, a wife and mother and potential first lady be treated with some goddamn respect in the media. I repeat my earlier question, do you think something as disparaging as that could be said by Fox News about Cindy McCain and get a pass?