Hey White People, #Ferguson Kids are in your face when it comes to race in the United States.
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This video of #Ferguson kids is making the rounds. It’s been viewed over 90,000 times on YouTube, and if you haven’t seen it on your Facebook feed, you probably haven’t checked Facebook. It draws attention to an ugly fact. Racism isn’t over. #Ferguson kids are blunt and sarcastic to really get the message across to The USA. Racism is far from over, and the social injustice of racism must come to an end. We can’t ignore race, we can’t diminish race. The only thing we can do is face race and work for comprehensive racial justice.
Sporting charity benefit T-shirts that read “Racism Is Not Over. But I’m Over Racism.” these kids from #Ferguson are helping raise funds for five different anti-racism causes. For every tee or hoodie sold at
http://FCKH8.com $5 is donated to make a difference (details @ http://FCKH8.com) with the bold tees that make a statement starting at $13.
Join the cause @ http://FCKH8.com
But while the video’s message is right on target, its origins are a bit problematic. It’s not clear who the kids are, or if they’re really from Ferguson. An article on colorlines.com raises some questions, not only about the actors but also about the company that created the video and is selling the t-shirts. First, there are the kids.
Even if the children are from Ferguson, it’s unclear if or how they’ve been compensated. Either way, the idea that these kids are from Ferguson is paraded for consumption.
Then there’s the company selling the t-shirts, FCKH8.com, and its new corporate parent, Synergy Media. While you can’t say that a firm’s clients equate to its values, you might wonder about the following:
According to its website, FCKH8.com “recently became owned and managed by Synergy Media,” a corporate branding firm whose clients include Magnum bodybuilding vitamin supplements and pretty offensive “Buckeye Boob T’s” (the latter despite the fact that FCKH8.com says it’s anti-sexist).
Viral videos can be tricky. Everyone is in such a hurry to share something exciting that no one bothers to check where it came from or even if it’s true. If the kids in the video are indeed being exploited, that’s wrong. But we don’t know whether that was the intent of the people behind the video. We do know that racism is wrong and must be attacked on every level, and that the video’s message is resonating.
When bad news is delivered, the saying goes, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” It’s no different with good news or a valuable message. Synergy Media may have some objectionable clients, but they’ve created a catchy meme that has the potential to change people’s attitude on racism. If you were an environmentalist and a pacifist, would you refuse to buy the best energy efficient light bulbs from GE because they also sell those light bulbs, and a lot of other stuff, too, to the Pentagon? That may not be a perfect example, but you catch the drift. We can focus on the video’s flawed pedigree, or we can get over the creator’s client list and hope it catches on and makes a difference.