Skip to main content

Who is Writing the History? Baltimore Protest & Freddy Gray

For those who have a stake in the idea that young black men are being gunned down on a regular basis, the world (finally) has video, lots of videos, to prove the injustice.
But what happens when peaceful protests cross the line into violence & property destruction? THAT is what gets people's attention (i.e. front page headlines on the Baltimore Sun).  This article questions who got the report right, and yet it seems like the newspapers and the prevailing stereotypes are the ones who will be writing history.
Using the word "riot" to describe a few isolated incidents is a cue for those who know about the "Race Riots" of 1967, especially those in Detroit.  Note that when sports fans cause destruction, it is only called a "riot" as a joke.

Note how this narrative develops.  It is easier for the headlines to pick up on the stereotypes, and not the groundbreaking events.  2 opposing gangs unite at the protests?  Wha??

Just when the story of #blacklivesmatter seems to reach a tipping point, it gets shoved back into the category of violence.  Just because it makes for a better SHORT TERM story/headline, doesn't mean it is the TRUTH.

Think of the Path of Least Resistance, the editors hew to a "riot" story because it sells more papers.  Sometimes the HARD story, the nuanced story, the TRUE story, is just too hard to tell in a soundbyte.

For those of us working in UX, or concerned about making Social Media a true democracy that gets into the history books, how can it better fight the established media?  Does Twitter need a TV channel?  Do we have to wait for the generation to die off, of those who ONLY watch TV & read papers?  How can we meet in the middle?  How can we create a meritocracy for truth, vs the way the news & histories get told today?

Who determines the truth?

The ones who have the biggest audience? (in what demographic?) Or the ones with the longest staying power? (in paper or in "journalistic integrity"?)

==

Full links here:
http://mic.com/articles/116524/outrage-over-baltimore-riots-completely-misses-the-point

http://www.blackpast.org/aah/detroit-race-riot-1967

http://www.alternet.org/11-stupid-reasons-white-people-have-rioted





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where is the Real Difference among Film/TV/Online and Theater?

Other than the distribution channels, what are the REAL distinctions between Film, TV and on line media?  Other than economics, prestige and tradition, there is no difference. For instance, if you are a writer with a brilliant script, you want to maximize the exposure and influence of your work.  If you are approached by producers of various media, you’d hope to get to the “top of the food chain”. Naturally, you’d choose a Film contract-assuming that the budget would be high, as it always is-each film requiring a unique production crew, sets, even a unique accountant.  Plus, you’d hope, that each scene would have intense focus and blood, sweat and tears poured into each shot for ultimately 90 minutes of story. TV has scales of efficiencies, presumably a production company already in place, cranking out “Made for TV Movies”, or better yet-they’d allow your idea to grow and breathe, beyond the scope of 90 minutes. Maybe a miniseries? Online media (i.e. Youtube, or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Casual Spelling

So I have a friend who is constantly posting very cynical things to Facebook.  I've decided that of all the crazies, his stuff is usually the most outlandish, so I haven't deleted him from my feed. When I saw this picture he posted, (weeks after the incident!) my eyes teared up slightly.   His comment: "Incredible that a school sign uses spellings like 'luv' and 'u'--kids will never know the true spellings of these words if this is the constant." He is of the Baby Boomer generation and I am closer to the Gen Y/Millennials.  What he doesn't get is the subtlety, and the reason the picture touched me.  I am trained in Linguistics, and he greatly underestimates the younger generations.  The very words he is complaining about are examples of casual spelling, which suggest a more personal connection to the children than the words spelled out fully. Children have been exposed to plenty examples of both kinds and it is a matter ...
Post a Comment
Read more

UX Review: Kobobooks.com Fails on Recommendations

As a User Experience Strategist, I am amazed at how some websites don't invest in their greatest assets.  If you are an ebook marketer, why not expose your repeat customers to your wide selection of titles?  Kobo, please give me a reason to give you my money!! Full Customer Profile & Experience: I love being surrounded by the books I have purchased.  Not that I have read all of those I own, not by any stretch.  And frankly I create a whole new pile of books TO READ everytime I tidy up and rearrange them.  That is what it means to have a physical artifact. When I am on my computer, I vary my time between work, surfing reading and allow my mind to go wherever it wants (as long as I'm not under deadline).   If I purchase an ebook, I can only read it on my laptop or my iPhone.  I refuse to purchase yet another device, when I should just read one of these paper artifacts. While doing research, there was a book that was only available on kobobook...
Post a Comment
Read more