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THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE MADISON TIMES WEEKLY NEWSPAPER |
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OPINION |
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Blackonomics / James Clingman Whoopi’s bank account loses weight Whoopi Goldberg may have lost some weight by using Slim-Fast, but so did her pocketbook. A press release from Slim-Fast stated, “We are disappointed by the manner in which Ms. Goldberg chose to express herself and sincerely regret that her recent remarks offended some of our consumers. Ads featuring Ms. Goldberg will no longer be on the air.” Some conservative groups and GOP supporters had threatened to boycott Slim-Fast products if it did not take action. Well, well, well, what do you know? Another “threatened” boycott by folks who didn’t like what someone said or did. We saw it with Danny Glover and MCI, with Ludacris and Pepsi Cola, with Bill Cosby and Jell-o, and with Kobe Bryant and McDonald’s. We even saw it with France and its wine, when that country did not go along with the war in Iraq. Must be something to this boycott thing, huh? It never ceases to amaze me that when White folks get ticked off at someone for saying or doing something they don’t agree with, they immediately call for a boycott or sanctions of some kind against the culprit. They truly understand the power of the dollar. On the other hand, when Black people get ticked off at something and call for sanctions against the transgressor, the movement sputters and stumbles, is resisted and spoken against even by some Black folks. It is looked upon by some Whites as “terrorism;” such was the case with the mayor of Cincinnati when a boycott against his city was called (By the way, Whoopi supported the Cincinnati boycott by canceling her appearance here). The other guilt-trip put forth by boycotted companies is the “innocent party” defense: “We didn’t do anything against you. Why are you boycotting us?” There are all kinds of excuses when Black consumers call for boycotts, but when White folks get their dander up, their first response is, “Boycott!” And you know what? They get results. They get folks fired, they get contracts cancelled, and they win concessions. Past experience in the boycott business by Black people, for the most part, has resulted in personal acclaim and financial gain by individuals. MCI fired Danny Glover not because of what he said about Bush and Castro, but because White conservatives did not like it. Pepsi fired Ludacris not because of his lyrics but because White conservatives were repulsed. Slim-Fast fired Whoopi not because of her remarks about Bush, but because White conservatives felt her words were over- the-top. Do you think Slim-Fast would reverse its decision if Black people threaten to boycott their products or anything else they make? Do you think we could get Dennis Miller, Bush’s flame-throwing comedian, off the air for his remarks about John Kerry, or get some of his advertisers to drop him? Not likely. Here’s the deal. When Whites are offended they go directly for the jugular. They don’t care who disagrees or who thinks it’s unfair. They do what they know will get results. They boycott. Now even though that’s a function of ownership and control of the majority of business and consumption in this country, corporations — and cities — cannot afford to pooh-pooh the $700 billion consumer segment known as African Americans. Still, when Blacks are offended and call for boycotts — some legitimate and some not so legitimate — we get called on the carpet by Whites, and much of the resistance to the economic sanctions we call comes from other Black people. How silly is that? The lessons of economic power are taught everyday. They have been taught to us for hundreds of years, yet we refuse, as it says in my new book, “Black-o-Knowledge,” to accept them. Because we have rejected knowledge, we have been rejected. Because we have rejected knowledge, we have been ignored and treated as an afterthought, despite our billions in annual consumption spending. The situation with Whoopi Goldberg is another in a long line of lessons for Black people when it comes to economic empowerment. When you want something done in this country the first solution you look for is an economic solution. You know what they say about money talking. Black folks should — and must — let our money do some talking, especially when it involves unfairness, disparity, and discrimination against our people. Think about it. Who can we get fired from commercials? Who can we cause to be to taken off the air because we are unhappy with their message? What impact can we have on a company that speaks contrary to our political beliefs? Did we have the juice to change MCI’s mind about Danny Glover? Did we capitulate to Pepsi Cola in the Ludacris case? Are we going to do anything about what Slim-Fast did to Whoopi? The answers: “No,” “Yes,” and “No,” respectively. Until Black people understand and begin using the same instruments of punishment that Whites use when they have a problem, we will always be the victims of their ire, and some of our people will always be made to feel guilty for using that same tactic. The Slim-Fast folks did not equivocate in their strong condemnation of Whoopi’s remarks. That can only be for one of two reasons — or maybe for both of the following reasons: The GOP and its conservative base are really the rulers of this country, and/or those “conservative groups and GOP supporters” comprise a huge group of overweight consumers, thereby scaring the pants off Slim-Fast. I’d go with both scenarios. James E. Clingman, an adjunct professor in the University of Cincinnati's African American Studies Department, is former editor of the Cincinnati Herald Newspaper and founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce. He hosts the radio program ''Blackonomics'' and has written several books, including “Economic Empowerment or Economic Enslavement — We Have a Choice”; “Blackonomics”; and his soon-to-be-released, “Black-O-Knowledge: Stuff We Need to Know.” Contact him at www.blackonomics.com or 513-489-4132.
END OF OPINION SECTION |
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