surrealestate: (White Privilege)
surrealestate ([personal profile] surrealestate) wrote2011-12-14 07:53 pm

All-American Jihad

In case you haven't heard, Lowes recently decided to pull their advertising from the reality show "All-American Muslim" in response to a campaign by a group of bigots calling themselves the Florida Family Association. I just wrote to Lowes (via their web site) to let them know that for kowtowing to and thus endorsing that sort of ugliness, they will not be getting any more of my business.

You can write to them here if you'd like.

Here's one article about it, but you can find plenty more.

[identity profile] browngirl.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
*sighs*
*makes a note* Sheesh, Lowes.

[identity profile] lilhlfpint.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
(i was surprised when i first heard this. ::sigh::)

[identity profile] kimberlogic.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
thanks for sharing this
also, i love your icon

[identity profile] lbmango.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
I liked Kayak's response, which was basically "We handled this badly. We aren't continuing to support the show because it's not a good show, but we support the concept, and Muslim Americans ..." etc.

[personal profile] ron_newman 2011-12-15 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
Can you link to wherever you found that? Thanks.

[identity profile] clevernonsense.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 01:08 pm (UTC)(link)
That's kinda the opposite from what I've taken from them. I believe this link is a capture of one of their first responses:

http://www.nerve.com/files/Kayak1.jpg

When a company says "we understand concerns about specific content" as a primary reason, it sounds to me like they caved into bigotry. Everything that comes later seems like backpedaling.

[identity profile] lbmango.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah. Err, ok, I only saw the backpedaling. I retract my approval. ick.

I heartily approve of the concept of removing funding from lousy programming. But when that is used retroactively as an excuse for caving to idiots, then I'm doubly annoyed.

I guess I so wanted a company to 1) admit to doing a somewhat reasonable thing, but going about it badly (which happens a lot, but not in this case evidently) and 2) Use quality of programming as a factor, that I just believed it...

*sigh*

[identity profile] clevernonsense.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course, now they can say their social media intern wrote that tweet and it's all a misunderstanding :)

[identity profile] surrealestate.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 02:15 pm (UTC)(link)
That is clearly bull. Caving to bigotry and then trying to turn it into a joke is arguably even worse than just caving.

The idea that whether or not a show is "good" is a factor in advertising decisions is simply absurd. If that were the case, 90+% of commercial TV would be ad-free and Arrested Development would get a lot more air time.

I guess I should write to Kayak to. Bleah.
ext_36698: Red-haired woman with flare, fantasy-art style, labeled "Ayelle" (Default)

[identity profile] ayelle.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
Sent. Gross, Lowe's.

Petition

[identity profile] vibrantabyss.livejournal.com 2011-12-16 11:05 am (UTC)(link)
There is also at least one petition floating around on the internet. Will post link when I get the one other folks I know have already signed.
Edited 2011-12-16 11:06 (UTC)