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Kings
Rating: 
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2003 - 11:53 am: | 
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Sent: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 10:59:35 -0500
Subject: Boycott on Author Terry Woods
Hi Everyone,
Let me tell you how disappointed I became yesterday, while listening to the Jonesy in the AM show in Philadelphia. Accaimed Author Terry Woods was a guest on the show. I missed part of the interview but did recall her making some valid points about black peoples powerlessness in this society. A predicament brought on in part by the fact that large numbers of us have been incarcerated (for non violent crimes even) and can know longer vote or get decent jobs when we return to society. She went on to talk about how society supresses us through a variety of different ways.
Her solution to the problem was what I have a serious issue with. She was boasting about how she salutes brothers who hustle (sell drugs)to get where they need to be in society. She went on to say that it is beneath us to work minimun wage jobs, while our white counterparts get everything handed to them on a silver platter. Saying things like "why should we have to work extra hard?" A local author, Brenda L. Thomas
(Threesome) called to give her opinion of what Terry was saying and how ignorant she sounded. Brenda interjected that the problem with black people is that they want instant success and money. We know longer strive for a good job but instead we only want the "bling bling." She gave examples of prominent African Americans who have made it by starting at the bottom (i.e, Bob Johnson of BET, Oprah Winfrey, Ben Carson). Terry then started trying to belittle her. Saying that in order for a black man to be successful he had to have hustled somewhere along the line. She went on to say that she has seen the riches of the hustling lifestyle by brothers and sisters who live in places like Detriot and Chicago and thinks that way of life is the most successful.
Well, I have tried to recount it as accurately as I could -- so here is my take on it. Her ignorant thinking is what perpetuates our subclass level in society. The hustling is what gets us imprisoned and further promotes our powerlessness as a people. It promotes a lifestyle of self hatrid. She honed in on the fact that black people dont get things handed to them but that is by no way justification for pumping poison in our communities, breaking up families, killing our selves. We have to rise about the thinking that we will get rich or die trying, allowing one person to make it big selling drugs while 50% of us have been affected by drug abuse.
As a public figure, she should not have thought much less proclaimed such ignorance on the radio. I wanted to make a very personal request for everyone out there that loves reading. DONT BUY TERRY WOODS BOOKS! In her words "she doesnt represent for us" anyway. She represents her people in the street and in the struggle. PASS THE MESSAGE ON TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS. Maybe that way she will see that the very hard working people she was talking about are those who have supported her in her career thus far.
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Chris Hayden
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2003 - 01:00 pm: |
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I suppose that this is defeating the purpose, but who is Terry Woods? I couldn't find anything that she had written. |
Yvette
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2003 - 02:11 pm: |
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Could that be "Teri" Woods the author of True to the Game? |
Chris Hayden
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 14, 2003 - 02:29 pm: |
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Got it. This boycott campaign will backfire. I now want to read the book to see what she be talkin about. Is this a real boycott or PR?
Let's see. If I wanted to get some free publicity. . . |
Troy
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 09, 2003 - 08:48 pm: |
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While I would not support a Terri Woods boycott (it would be a fruitless effort). I'm also inclined to view this an attempt for publicity as Chris implied: "Let's see. If I wanted to get some free publicity..." This would not be the first time we've seen this strategy.
That said, this does raise a broader question. When should an artist or entertainer be boycotted? Do we as African Americans have the fortitude, clout, discipline, cohesiveness to launch such a campaign against someone who is objectively viewed as harmful to the community?
Is there anyone that really needs boycotting?
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Morris J. Peavey, Jr.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2003 - 04:51 am: |
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Dear People:
I tried to reach troy in my latest note to this board. I happend to just stumble up on this board when checking my PR and on the net and was sent to booksunderreview.com and found that one of my books was at 39 on that list and a link sent me here. I did not try to pump my work for free but I believe that since I am here and saying a word or a few it would be criminal not to discuss the topic. If that is books then books and I guess Troy has answered part of my question--talk raises the issues and maybe peak the curiosity hence taps the sales.
Now regarding boycott--it has been one of the most effective tools in a world where money counts and people count money. Whether the artist who offends should be boycotted that is a no brainer. Its done all the times so its a no brainer. But I didn't hear the interview but my work covers the economics of the ghetto. Ghettonomics is more about the structure of economics in the Ghetto. It is about the basis or powerlessness and self-hatred. I don't suppose a person who hates himself [less suppose this Terri hates herself] I don't suppose she can be held responsible for that do you? If some of the youth see Biggy Smalls as a prophet I don't suppose they are completely responsible for that do you. And the person who gets mugged on the corner well I could go on and on about victims who are blamed and turn on one another. She attacks her self and kills herself and what are we in the end who are we in the end. How are we defined and who are the leaders of this burgerking bickering while the slaves are still being sold by the George Washingtons and Thomas Jeffersons and the women are hoping to be and the men excluded from view are those who slave from 9 to 5 or work some scheme to sell some books which is ligit--in a world where the almight dollar rules. It is not as simple as one would think. The Ghetto rules because it is a cloven where we can be told that a slave owner is actually a freedom fighter and believe it and our family never taught us any different and our churches never taught us any different and when we use affirmative action and welfare and any kind of food stamp subsidy all of a sudden it time for reform. You know Bakke upward mobile reform, prison reform, and welfare reform. Food Stamps or Dollar bills. We often forget that the pictures are the same on each of these currencys and that we will sell a religion to sell a hamburger and little difference is made.
Truely the ravishes of drugs, disease, and violence are any community enemies and the american citizen is under attack and the Ghetto is the first line of experiment. But shame on us if we do not understand our true power, our true gifts, our true being. We are from the begining
and we must be determined to look within our selves, our communities, our very souls--- the answers are there right in the Ghetto. Can we find our true selves is the most critical question that comes to me.
Now I realize that cost is a part of doing business and I guess this is what it is all about.
I think think Kings takes queen pawn is a move but it exposes a lots and often risk the end game but if we are all playing----no big deal but if its real we are losing for different reasons--think outside the box!!!!
Stay safe and love and unity is key
Love yourself first |
Cynique
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2003 - 02:36 pm: |
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Troy,
I'm inclined to agree with you. Boycotting the work of an artist in any field can come dangerously close to promoting censorship. There has to be aesthetic freedom.
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Troy
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2003 - 10:01 pm: |
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Hi Cynique yes I think boycotting an artist is a form of censorship. However don't you sometimes feel some artists should just be boycotted and censored? Again I don't think it is is posible to launch an effective boycott of an artist.
Hi Morris. Sorry I missed your post. Can you give me an example of a boycott by African Americans of an artist in the last century that had a meaningful impact on the target? |
Cynique
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 11:57 am: |
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I do think that boycotts are a good tool in the political arena, Troy, but are less effective in the book world because the results are so unpredictable. |
Chris Hayden
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 01:06 pm: |
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All:
I think it might be possible to boycott an artist--but I think in this case a boycott might just result in more sales. People might get her books because they want to read the controversial statements she makes. |
Morris J. Peavey, JR
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 12:10 am: |
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Hi Troy:
Boycott has proven one of the most effective tools in the struggle of civil rights and human rights in the past fifty years. This can be seen in the American civil rights movement which was powerful because of its bus boycotts and sit-in strikes. The US Justice department was more concerned about violations of the international commerce clauses than the heads that were being bruised in the south.
As for the name of a book in the last hundred years which was successifuly boycotted by African Americans the best example is the Holy Qur'an. It has been available to African Americans openly for at least 100 years in America but preachers, families, politics of the day have combined against the book to create policies of noninter-course and established a refrain by concerted actions. This has also been done against various works of African American Authors. Especially the earlier writtings of Richard Wright, McKay and some of the Negritude Writers or in more modern times the Mohammad Speaks News Papers in the early sixties.
A young clean shaven brother had a hard time getting his point across because the African American public knew that the work was tabu not because we had read what was in the print but the collective conscience was created against the work. I am not trying to galvanize a boycott aganinst any one. If their statements are open to the public and so popular then it should open dynamic dialogue for the opposing view. I said boycott was a no brainer because I grew up in the age of boycott. And our community have been easily influnced by non-association when they belived in the messenger [preacher].
The selective promotion of titles and the college push toward capturing the minds of the African American intellectuals who have often been told that the real black poets --Angelou,Johnson,ect are the only ones worth reading is a form of effective boycott. I realize I may be streching it a bit but the non-intergation is the primary goal of effective boycott and the various tools used to come to this exist in every community. Books are another product and effective boycott can also target them as easily as a suggested boycott of Tommy Hilfinger designer shirts.
Take the release of Nelson Mandela after 28 year by S. Africa the boycott was a major factor. Ask the African Kugerand* and Shell Oil Company. Just the throught of boycott against the company which carry a title cause many bookstores to pull them and distributors will make them scarce. Again I would hope writers like yourselves believe in your talents and skills to be able to provide that opposing view if a statement warrants comment. If you feel strongly about something someone says--mount your steed and set the charge in a verse or line as crystal clear as Al Sharpton among the Democratic contenders. Your voice will become a breath of fresh air if it rings true and someone will be looking to boycott you in more ways than I can explain or time and space you have to endure. Smile Stay safe love and unity is the key
Be strong think outside the box! |
Troy
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 01:19 pm: |
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Hi Morris:
If it is true the Holy Qur'an was boycotted there does not seem to have been much of a detrimental impact.
Yeah I agree the "selective promotion of titles" would be a stretch by equating it to a boycott.
Bottom line a boycott would be a very diffcult thing to organize and sustain today. People are just not willing to sacrifice long enough to make a boycott effective. It is a tool of the past; whose effect, even then, was limited.
Sure a Tavis Smiley or Jessie Jackson can scare a few private companies into doing the right thing by threating to tarnish their publich image by making it appear they don't care about Black folks, or poor people.
Can you image getting people together to boycott Walmart in order to get them to pay their "undocumented" employees overtime? As long a Walmart has the lowest prices no one is going to boycott them -- not in today's world. I bet Walmart could lynch a few of us and we would still have trouble preventing folks from patronizing the stores.
What or who can we boycott to get better public schools or lower taxes. What problem can we solve, today, with a boycott?
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Chris Hayden
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 02:17 pm: |
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Troy:
I notice that whenever we have a discussion and someone brings up some tactics from the old civil rights era, you dismiss it out of hand. I notice certain words, like "boycott" get a knee jerk reaction from you.
I think you have taken it a little too far. I am willing to concede that a boycott may be a difficult thing to do with a book--but i think a boycott can be most effective in dealing with some problems--for instance here in St. Louis there were problems with the Adam's Mark and black guests. Just the threat of a boycott got them quickly agreeing to change their policies. What about with Dennys? The threat of a boycott got them on the case about providing better service to black customers.
I know you are kidding about Walmarts. Do you think Jews would go in there if it was discovered that members of the Board of Directors or owners were funding Neo Nazi groups? When a group you are seeking to influence is in business the best way to influence their behavior is to hit them in the pocketbook.
People are starting to do just what you are saying, suggesting boycotting and picketing Walmarts to change their employees overtime. You can bet Walmarts is getting nervous, wondering if it will gather up steam maybe enough so that there is a picket line in front of their stores--which can discourage business and hit them in that old bottom line.
You can't solve every problem with a boycott, but you can damn sure affect the behavior of some businessman or business with even the threat of one.
Query: you have a neighborhood store. Whenever you go in, the owner, whose prices are low whose service is good, whose store is clean, decides that you are going to come into his store no matter what. So when you come in he is rude, speaks to you how he wants, leers at your wife and makes crude remarks.
Are you going to go in there any more? Are you going to recommend him to your friends?
Let me get a little closer to home. Whatever outfit provides website services treats you with contempt, charges you more than it does its white customers, sends insulting letters and calls you at home when your payments are late--do you do business with it?
Sometimes, buddy, you got to punch somebody in the nose to get them to act right. You cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs. Sometimes you got to say the hell with what people think, I'm mad, I ain't gonna take it, and I'm gonna do what I gotta do.
Maybe if you had lived through some of those times before the boycotts that brought about some of these changes you would not be so quick with your dismissals. |
Troy
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 05:53 pm: |
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Hi Chris:
There was a time a sling shot was an effective tool in battle, but like everthing else things change over time.
It seems the threat of a boycott rather than the actual boycott itself is what is effective. The difference is not subtle.
Are you saying the Adams Mark had policies in place which called for providing Blacks poorer service and that these polices wree changed because of a potential boycott? What were the policies.
As a franchise, Denny's was more guily of providing poor service in general than to black people in particular. All Denny's has done is give the impression there care about serving Black people fairly. All along their real problem was slow service. Has Denny's service gotten any better?
I was not joking about Walmart. No I don't think Jewish people would continue to partronize the store -- but I was not talking about Jews. Walmart probably grosses more than all other retail outlets combined (at least the vast majority of them) and they continue to grow. Of course they may put on a face of contrition and as with Denny's that will satisfy the protestors. In the final analysis most people don't mind if others are not paid overtime if that means they can get goods at a lower price.
Dude your query is too simplistic. There are many things which determine whether I, or anyone else for that matter partonizes a store.
However most of the factors can be summed up in to either quality of the good or service, cost and whether an alternative exists.
Not I would not tolerate bad service in a neighborhood store -- simply because the are many alternatives and switching is virtually free.
I would not tolerative a bad web host simply because there are also many alternatives. Now there is a cost associated with switching in terms of time, money, and risk. So I might tolerate a little more grief from my web host than I would from my local store (b.t.w. I've switched web hosts three times in 5 years)
I don't believe in punching "somebody in the nose to get them to act right"; not when there is an alternative. If enough people refuse to be treated poorly the business will no longer remain viable. Therefore violence or a boycott become unecessary.
What I've tried to suggest is that in situations where a boycott could be used, which are rare, you will not find enough people to particpate; either because they are not sufficently displeased with the service/situation/conidtion to give it up.
Chris in your opinion is there anything today that should be boycotted? Or rather, what problem, issue, service, product, business or social ill do you think can be corrected with a boycott (not a threat an actual boycott), right now -- today?
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ABM
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 07:21 pm: |
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Boycotting in certain situations can be an effective strategy to combat certain unjust organizations and institutions. Because even if the boycott does not directly injure a company's finances/operations, negative PR might eventually cause enuff embarrassment to owners, directors & management to force them to make the necessary changes.
But I would insanely defend the authoring/publishing of any book, no matter how bizarre and repulsive its subject matter. Because history has proven that the best tool for to combating "bad" ideas is earnestly asserting "good" ideas.
Hiding and destroying books only cause what the books entails to secretly fester and grow until problems become unmanageable.
Yes, some discretion should be given to precluding minors from being exposured to particularly harsh and adult subject matter. But once someone reaches his majority, she or he should be permitted to write, buy and sell any book that publishers and readers are willing to support.
And if you examine at many of the instances of wars, tyranny and genocide over the last few hundred years, many of them were preceded and/or accompanied by some form of book banning. |
ME
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 07:38 pm: |
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Troy and ABM,
You both are so damn SEXY to me!!!!
Troy, I've been looking at pictures of you on this site.
You look like a real sweet teddy bear in pictures, but you're really a combat boot wearing Daddy Master with a big black whoop'n belt....aren't you?
I love men who love books. They turn me on.
This is so sexy hearing you guys talk about boycotting black women authors and how you wouldn't go for it.
Ouh, Yummmy, daddies.
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