Chicago-based attorney and talk show host Warren Ballentine is leading an effort to initiate federal legislation for hate crimes through a National BlackOut this Friday. Ballentine and others, including Radio One talk show hosts Michael Baisden and Al Sharpton, want Americans to show their economic power by refusing to spend money all day. Ballentine’s premise is that Americans should show solidarity against present inequities against black youth and adults by the American justice system, notably against Georgia’s Genarlow Wilson, the Jena 6 and West Virginia rape and assault victim Megan Williams.
More can be read at http://thetruthfighters.blogspot.com/
Is this the first you've heard of this movement? Do you plan to participate by not spending on Friday? Have you participated in other movements like wearing all black on Sept. 20 or traveling to Jena, Louisiana?
Economically speaking, will America feel a pinch due to a 24-hour stoppage in spending? Are people conditioned to not spend money for that period of time? And are we REALLY supposed to wait until Saturday to see the new Denzel movie?
Feel free to answer one or all of these questions, or present your own as AULYP joins the blogosphere.
Monday, October 29, 2007
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I need to hear more about the economics behind the BlackOut before I commit to participating. There just doesn't seem to be enough information out there beyond "let's do it because it sounds right." I'll be looking out for more in the next few days.
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ReplyDeleteI've already screwed the pooch. I went to McDonald's for breakfast. Damn! That clown gets me every time...
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think it's really cool that we can achieve this kind of unity, and I think that - while there are some perspectives on these various issues that are not well understood - this is as good a cause as any to bring us together in one mind. I think it's powerful - and it's what we need! We can stop waiting for Dr. King to come back now...
I'm not convinced that this concept was fully baked or that it's gained much traction in people's minds. I think it's received more media attention than the "dressing in black" Jena 6 exercise, but the effort doesn't have much credibility with me.
ReplyDeleteI feel that instead of a BlackOut, Mr. Ballentine should have supported a SpeakOut(have black folk email,call or mail a letter their congressman and senator about this topic). Just think of the impact that would have.
ReplyDeleteIn general, this nationwide blackout is modeled after boycotts that were effective during the civil rights movement. However, the boycotts from the civil rights movement differed on two main fronts from the national blackout. 1) They were targetted directly towards businesses that promoted injustice/inequality 2) they were of a much smaller scale and could be carried out over a longer period of time.
ReplyDeleteThe success of the boycotts of the civil rights movements could easily be measured. So how this leads me into my next few questions...
How do you measure the success of this blackout? and....
Why choose a boycott, which has an economic effect, when this movement seems to relate to governmental/systematic dispairages?
We need to hoan in on those perpetuating inequalities. For example, the media often times presents whites as victims and presents blacks as predators. if this is the case...we should stop watching these networks. Stop patronizing the advertisers that pay for airtime during the news. Write to the advertisers and ask that they add conditions to their contracts when it comes to media coverage (ie for every story about a missing white girl, show a Megan Williams type story).
Either way, I did spend money on Nov. 2. I don't see how cutting spending will help anything. Either everyone spent all their money on Nov. 1 or will spend it all on Nov. 3. Either way, the money will still get spent.
ReplyDeleteSince the spending of money is inevitable, I don't see the point of Blackout Day to begin with. It's nice when we can unite for a cause and make a difference. But if we spend no money on Nov. 2 and don't see the results expected (which I am sure will be the case), we will all see the pointlessness of Blackout Day.
This is no different from those who wore black shirts in support of the Jena 6 a few weeks back. It showed support, I guess, but what did it actually accomplish???
Instead of encouraging us to stop spending altogether, I think a better solution would be to increase spending at black owned businesses. We spend so much money with major retailers and Asian-owned beauty stores and the list goes on. A more tangible outcome is possible if we spend our money with our people.