Detractors of online activism have been proven wrong again. For the past few weeks or so, there was an uproar on the internet about a planned boxing match involving George Zimmerman and DMX. Saturday afternoon, it began to circulate that this event was canceled.
The pressure brought on the promoter Damon Feldman via online petitions and commentary had to have played some role in this reversal. For the better part of last week, predominantly Black spaces on the internet were inundated with comments on the matter.
There are many out there who still don’t see the point of online activism, but cases like this shows that is does work. No, online activism and petitioning can’t take the place of local, on the ground community organizing, but in particular circumstances when it serves a role to bring public pressure on private entities, it is useful. In this case, there was enough momentum and intensity for this to matter. Amilcar Cabral once said claim no easy victories, but in this case I believe this is one worth claiming.
E-activism can’t do everything but it can do somethings. Denying a child murderer the chance to make money playing into the anger of Black America is something I would call a win. As much as many people want to see George Zimmerman get punched in the face, it was more important to show that we can hit him harder- in the wallet.
What are your thoughts? Please feel free to share them in the comments section.
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I’ll comment full at a later date, I’ma gather my full thoughts on this later as to Zimmerman, online activism an, right or wrong.
Excellent article. Well written and on point. There is power in the pen. Now watch to see how quickly Zimmerman’s promoter gets in the wind–just like his two lying attorneys got in the wind. The best things about this so far? George got dinged with a two million dollar legal fee, his gf is having his baby, he sold a [fake] painting for 100g’s which won’t sustain him and now he’s lost a shot at making enough money to pay for his baby’s birth. No word yet on what his ex-wife may be demanding from him or the civil suit or DOJ action he may still face. In short? George’s life is in the toilet and that is precisely where it belongs.
Thank you Lee. Yes, there is power in the written word. Anything that stops that man from turning a profit on his infamy, is a good thing.