Tavis Smiley Blog Contest riles Black Bloggers with its lameness
Categories: African-American, Blogging
Written By: Shawn Williams
The Black Blogosphere has taken issue with Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union 2009 symposium blog contest. The issue was brought to our attention by (who else) our fellow Texan Gina McCauley at What About Our Daughters. In her original post titled Black Bloggers Second Class Citizens Gina is one of the first to make us aware of Tavis’ intent.
Ironically on the day that we announce the second gathering of Black new media content creators in Chicago next June, Tavis Smiley made an announcement of his own. Y’all Tavis is getting with this century and in his own “special” way acknowledging the growing influence of Black bloggers.
Tavis is holding a “contest” to RANDOMLY select the next “Web Star”- His words not mine.
Gina then goes on to detail all that’s wrong with this contest; so does Black Web 2.0, so does Jack and Jill Politics, so does Global Grind. I agree with Jill Tubman who posts “The truth is that Tavis should be begging us to sit on stage with him not the other way around.”
Any one who clicks the link above can see how condescending this contest is to grown folks, but here are a few problems in bullet point form:
- we’re offering the opportunity for ONE special blogger to sit on stage and ask the important questions of panelists in our first and exclusive live Webcast!
What’s up with the “one special blogger stuff”? I mean it sounds like an offer to 8 years olds. And is the blogger special because they are deemed so by this contest?
- Imagine yourself hanging out for the weekend and engaging in dialogue with figures such as Dr. Cornel West or Danny Glover or maybe even Nikki Giovanni and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Imagine what that means for your Web site, your blog… your career!
This might be good for someone who just started a blog or someone who is star struck. But for the serious Web Journalist or online activists that’s not a selling point.
Here’s the kicker for me, contest rule #1.
- 1. Three (3) previously posted/published articles demonstrating legitimate coverage of news items of interest to African Americans
So that means Three (3) posts of interests to African-Americans makes you “one special blogger.” Wow. I would have thought 300 posts as a minimum for such and honor.
Then it really gets weird.
- Sponsor will randomly select the potential Contest winners from all eligible entries received during the Promotion Period, on or around December 5, 2008. The potential winner will be notified by mail, email or phone.
Now “one special blogger” is selected randomly? What’s so special about that?
Tavis Smiley, unbeknown to him, has been a distant mentor to me over the years. After reading his book Doing What’s Right, I began to refer to my work in the community as advocacy and took a number of pointers from Tavis on engaging people.
But somewhere along the way Tavis has lost the pulse of the people. It’s evident in how he reacted to Barack Obama skipping The State of the Black Union last year. That became Smiley’s line in the sand and he threw rocks at Obama’s Presidential Bid the rest of the way.
When listeners of the Tom Joyner Show became upset with Tavis, he picked up his ball and went home.
Tavis loves Black People, but I’m not sure if he understands black people. He understands our problems as a people, and he has his own ideas on how those problems should be solved. But does he really understand black people?
He obviously doesn’t understand Black Bloggers, because the rules and language of this contest is a slap in the face for people who lead the way in the Shaquanda Cotton, Don Imus, and Jena 6 issues of 2007 and made great strides in 2008 during the Presidential Election.
The only thing that makes any of us special is the fact that people choose to visit our sites from time to time. What makes Dallas South special is our readers, not a contest. Who’s to say that appearing on CSPAN at 2 a.m. won’t make somebody’s career. I guess it’s possible. But this brother will wait for another opportunity to become that one special blogger.
note: check out Gina’s post about the response she received from Tavis’ office.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Shawn you are so diplomatic. good post.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:45 am
mmmm now I am beginning to wonder why you gave me the Tavis assignment.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Tavis was just on TV disparaging bloggers and the tendency of people to get their news from these ‘unreliable’ sources. I guess he wants to school us on the right way to report on issues.
November 24th, 2008 at 12:05 am
This is amazing! Did you have to all brainstorm over this like three people trying to screw in a lightbulb? How is it that one persons tries to do something to better others lives gets a kick in the face.
They say black people are like Crabs. I see that maybe other cultures are not to far from the truth. Where is the Unity? Instead of commending his efforts & patting him on the back you all slap him in the face. I am not a blogger but I think that you all need to reevaluate yourselves. What have you done for someone lately?
Oh yeah, I forgot you spend all your precious time video taping & placing it on Youtube for ALL TO SEE. I am sure all of your works are note worthy. Oops! Sorry didn’t see any of you on the News lately.
I guess only the very important people get on the news!? So instead of dogging our Brother regarding the content of his language for the Contest why not just quietly send an email to him via PBS or Twitter & make him aware that the language being offensive.
Oh yeah I forgot SOME Blacks are like Crabs they can’t stand to see others succeed because they aren’t doing much of anything. So they want everyone like them. Do nothings!
November 24th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Tomascia,
Your message sounds like the one that I wrote BET when Tavis was let go from doing the News there. This isn’t a kneejerk post. It’s one I almost wrote two weeks before about a whole different subject regarding Mr. Smiley but I waited.
I stand by the point. There’s a disconnect between Tavis and the community right now, hence his departure from TJMS. It’s not impossible to repair. But thanks for being the first person -that I can remember- to make a crab reference in the 2+ year history of this site. You should be proud of yourself.
November 24th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
@Tomascia
No one is disparaging Tavis. Pointing out a person’s faults does not mean that you are exhibiting Crab in a barrel mentality. Tavis lately has become more involved with self interest versus the interests of the Black community. Tavis is part of an old guard similar to Reverends’ Jackson and Sharpton, he has failed to evolve and keep up with the changes that are happening in the Black community. Calling him out on this is simply an exercise in keeping it real.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I want to enter the contest, but I don’t want the negative association that comes with it. I’m with Tomascia. I’m not staying in poverty so that I can please the group. Plus, I feel that the opportunity will help me challenge those panelists IN PERSON rather than just talking trash about them on my blog.
I even plan to share with the Tavis’s people that I’ve trashtalked about him before. Part of the reason is because I don’t like how he handled President Obama’s decline to attend last year’s conference. But overall, I applaud that he’s trying to do something.
I completely understand where you, Gina, and all the other bloggers are trying to say. It’s just that you all are (as the old folks used to say) “cutting off your nose to spite your face”.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Zack,
I feel you, I really do. But I again go back to the Barack Obama example that you mentioned. Mr. Smiley is positioning himself above us when I believe we are all in this together. I believe that Mr. Obama’s appeal is that it seems like is in it with us and on our level. Like he’s never forgotten where he came from and what it’s like to be us. I don’t get that feel from Tavis or this contest. But I will celebrate you when you are up there asking the tough questions.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:43 am
This whole Tavis issue I believe started when he was removed from BET, I used to enjoy watching his shows and getting information from he and Jacque Reed (News).
Does he have an ax to grind with black folks because we didn’t jump and protest his departure? Since his departure he has been on a “let me make a fool of myself tour” if he wasn’t self absorbed then why did he leave TJMS? It is a shame because he could do so much for people but chooses to act like a crab…… SMH
May 18th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Tavis reached out to the LA Bloggers yesterday to screen his new movie. Check out the story and the photos at Leimert Park Beat.com.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I’ve followed Tavis for years, most recently on PBS late at night. He’s easy to like but hard to love. Sorta like a pre-mix margarita or boxed wine.
An overview:
1) He’s smart but not exceptional and not great at doing homework before an interview. GRADE: B-/C+
2) Listening to him, he’s like reading the rings on a sliced tree trunk: Easy to ‘date’ . Bottom line: About as cutting age as ‘party curl’ hair weaves and about as modern as canned veggies. GRADE: C-
3) He’s a media lightweight in a medium overweight body. GRADE: About 264 lbs.