Sunday, August 5, 2012

This is what it sounds like, when Gay Activists Cry

One of my final posts on Chick-Fil-A is in Bilerico Project. In that post, I said that we got lost in the messaging, therefore losing control over the whole Chick-Fil-A affair.

There were mixed responses, some agreed and disagreed with me. And that's fine, but one response kind a rubbed me the wrong way.

Some activist said:
However, I simply feel that people with access to popular blogs should maybe think twice before they disparage the actions of others in the community. Offer your OPINION, of course (and state it as such), but please do not dismiss the work of others from your keyboard. Do you have any ideas? TELL US, but blatantly criticizing the work of activists is incredibly dispiriting to those of us on the streets.
I was nice in my response on BP, but on my own blog I'm going to give real talk. If she thought I was harsh and disparaging, then I have to question her activism. What I said was minor compared to what other bloggers said about the CFA debacle.

I pointed out how we got lost, but at the same time celebrated our success in bringing attention to CFA's messy actions. But that was too much or in her words, incredibly dispiriting to those of us on the streets.

Child please, if I broke your spirit, then you're not ready. My feedback and criticism was meant for us to think closely about our actions. Where did she get this hook-ripping review I supposedly wrote? The funny thing is, this isn't the first time certain activists get all weak and whiny. I've seen many times how some activists complain about others' views of them. Well, I have this to say... Get over it.

This is a battle and if you can't handle criticism, feedback or real talk, then get out of the way and let the real bitches walk the floor. The haters will always attack us with everything they got. We have to be tougher, but also wiser; and when we get feedback or real talk... F**king listen to it! Don't hate on it or come down on it. Just listen, who knows it could be helpful.

My goodness, sometimes I truly worry about our movement. But I guess that's what keep things interesting, right?

1 comment:

Roger Poladopoulos said...

I agree with your point, my blogger brother. None of us are perfect, either friend or foe. We all make mistakes and sometimes our strategies aren't the best. However, we need to be thick-skinned and self-assess our misdirected actions. In reviewing our actions, we learn from our errors. This is the value of criticism.

We all knew the CFA protest wasn't going to be an effective tool overall. The company is too steeped in the Bible Belt for any serious economic impact. However, we did get the company to admit that it will steer clear of politics in the future.

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Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.