'Real Housewives Of Miami' Renewed
'Talk' Host Guests On 'Young And The Restless'
Glenn Beck of Fox News is under major fire for calling President Barack Obama a racist. As a result of his words, ColorofChange.org did exactly what any intelligent organization should do: they hit Beck in the wallet. Their efforts have worked. Since Beck's attacks against the president, 33 advertisers have run from his show, leading to massive revenue losses for Fox.
When I worked last year to get corporations to stop advertising on The O'Reilly Factor, I was taking notes from the work being done by ColorofChange.org. We did a good job of angering O'Reilly, leading him to spend several days calling for me to be fired from Syracuse University. But the impact of the recent campaign against Beck has really set a prime example of outstanding online activism. Here are the reasons that this attack makes perfect sense. It starts with Finance 101.
Corporations don't like risk. That means that they are not necessarily going to care one way or the other if Beck or Obama are racist. They just don't want to be caught in the middle of someone else's mess. So, the fact that there are millions of Americans who refuse to buy a company's products because they are advertising on a controversial show means that it's always safest to simply find a show that isn't controversial. So, rather than giving their money to Glenn Beck, many companies would rather sponsor a show like "American Idol." (But that's on Fox too, so perhaps it goes into the same pot)
When I worked with Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton to go after Don Imus for his infamous "Nappy Headed Hoes" comment, my entire argument centered around the fact that Imus wasn't a network favorite simply because he is a white man. He was a network favorite because HE-MADE-MONEY. If you take away his ability to make money, then you take away his mojo. So, two days later, when I saw that major advertisers were walking away from Imus, I knew he was going to be off the air in a few days. Corporations don't care about black or white - they only care about green.
By engaging in this form of activism so effectively, ColorofChange.org has opened the door to an entire generation of social and technological empowerment. They were also a huge reason that the Jena 6 case hit the light of day, and have conducted many other online campaigns that have been quite successful. If I were teaching classes on community organizing, I would have my students study the effective manner by which ColorofChange puts together letters and makes them viral. When you see their email, you can't help but to read it, sign it and forward it to your friends. So, not only have they learned to go after the right targets, they've learned to strike with an effectiveness unlike any other. They will always have my respect.
Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and Fox have been taught some valuable lessons. African Americans are learning the game of Financial Activism. We are learning how capitalism works. We are making the decision to become free of persecution and we are using technology to fight for our rights. I am proud to see such progress.
Follow BV on Money on Twitter!
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of "Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good." To have Dr. Boyce commentary sent directly to your email, please click here.
Comments: (21)
Add a comment
By: blackbear72 on 8/24/2009 7:37PM
I think whites should boycott pro football and basketball. Hit them where it hurts, get rid of all the criminals in these sports and make it something we can bring our kid to. Would these sports be able to make a profit without white fans? No way. Only problem is that jackasses like this Boyce guy would claim racism. Blacks can boycott whites and its ok, but for whites to do the same, racism. The jena 6 committed a crime, why would anyone defend them? This guy only stirs up racism nothing more.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: mzsunshyne on 8/25/2009 2:54PM
I wish that whites would boycott pro basketball and football.Ticket prices would go down and everyone else could afford to attend.As far as stirring up trouble beck made that bed when he called the president a racist with absolutely no ground to stand on.I guess it must have been his comment about the cops .Well I believe they acted stupidly too.What do you mean whites can't boycott blacks without fear of racism? That is so not true!!
Report This
By: Brownie on 8/28/2009 1:02PM
Well your idea of whites boycotting the NFL and NBA is genius. Then all the white owners would have you to thank for their loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. Also all the white players that make big bucks (the Manning brothers, Brady, Big Ben) would all be broke and out of work as well. Whites will not boycott, because then who would where body and face paint to the games?
Yes, the Jena 6 did commit a crime. It's just that the crime was battery and not attempted murder. So what is your point?
Report This
By: BRENDA K GREENE on 8/24/2009 8:34PM
GLEN BECK YOU FINALLY GOT WHAT YOU DESERIVE, I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE YOUR AZZZS GONE, I HOPE YOU GET THE EGG OFF OF YOUR FACE, YOU LOOK REALLY REALLY REALLY DUM, LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL,I KNEW ONE DAY YOU WOULD LET YOUR MOUTH OVER LOAD YOU BODY, IAM SO HAPPY FOR YOU, AND DONT LET HANNITY, BILLO GET YOU IN THIS MESS AGAIN, REMEMBER SOME PEOPLE ARE SMARTER WITH THEIR MOUTH CLOSED.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: blackbear72 on 8/24/2009 9:48PM
go to Glen Beck.com and look under reasonable questions ....... Dont you want answer's to these questions? This is what he is about. Why boycott him for asking good questions? Before you make a judgment on him first find out about him.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Scott in NH on 8/30/2009 11:02PM
Blackbear, I looked at Glen Beck's "reasonable questions" as you asked me to. Here is one "We are in so much debt, why spend more borrowed money on cap-and-trade and healthcare programs before we stop the flow of red-ink?"
If you don’t mind, I answer this with my own questions to you: A 6 year old boy whose father was laid off from work, or works as an unskilled laborer, gets Leukemia. In Italy, Japan, Denmark, England, Israel, etc. that boy will get medical treatment.
In the United States the boy will most likely not get treatment and will die.
Should a 6 year old boy lose his chance at life and his parents have to watch their child die just because that boy is an American citizen? Are Italian, Japanese and British boys worth more?
As for cap-and-trade. Global warming is 100% real, there is no scientific debate over this. The end result is likely to cause the starvation of hundreds of millions, and significantly reduce the ability of the Earth to sustain human life. Does that sound like something we ought to put on hold? It is the largest threat the human race has ever faced.
Report This
By: rick on 8/25/2009 7:06PM
Blackbear you have a answer for everything, It's people like you that scare me. you try and hide your true feelings under self rightoues and actually is as wrong as can be. I've seen those supposeable glenn beck questions, Why haven't any other president had to answer some of those questions? Glenn Beck crawled all over the networks saying they were to slow putting the word out about the lady in md. that was assaulted at a atm by a black man and cut a big O on her cheek. Come to find out this was just another joke as you guys called it, He never said I'm sorry or I was wrong he just went on to the next issue. Speaking of the lady at the atm, they say she was just crazy and needed help. I beg the differ, You guys remember the town that use to be called rosewood,fla. and how all that crap got started? Blackbear you are also wrong about not being able to stop reverse discrimination, because that's done daily by the courts to. As a matter of fact you are just about wrong on everything you say. Why do you have to go to glenn beck's website for questions? don't you have any questions of your own or you haven't though that for ahead? You have a mind use it. don't be as weak as you appear
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: peggy bussie on 8/26/2009 5:07PM
this is for the whole fox network commentors it going to catch up with you not if but when ask beck your mouth is going to run up a bill your asses can't pay for and i can't wait i'll be happy when the whole racist station is NO MORE
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Sammy on 8/26/2009 9:41PM
In spite of all the racist hate speech coming from Beck, O'Reilly, Hannity, Bortz and Fox against the President and black people, this has not stopped the black so-called scholars and intellectuals, or the self-promoting race pimp Travis, from falling all over eachother to get teevee face time on these shows.
What they get out of it, I can't imagine.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: JayJay the Japanese Jet Pilot on 8/27/2009 8:16PM
Poor DOCTOR Watkins. Though Color of change may have left the FOX News Network, Glenn Beck DID NOT lose ad revenue. You're being disengenuous when you say that money was lost....Sure, THAT particular ad revenue was lost but soooo many are waiting in the wings to advertise on these programs that Fox continues to outpace ALL networks in revenue growth. You, Dr. Watkinson are like so many of your other publicity whore bretheren.....you hate whitey and you just want the PRESS. Everyone needs a villan to HATE. If it weren't for 'DA MAN you would likely be in the poor house.
Reply to this Comment | Report This