All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.
William Shakespeare
Sometime, in the face of all that is wrong, we do not see the path which bears things that are right. Well, I remembered a story as a result of reading another diary today about the double standards in our political and social world.
This story is about an ad executive who stood up and decided to stand for change.
During the North Carolina Primary the Republicans in North Carolina produced an attack ad featuring the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. However, several broadcasters declined to air the ad.
The Republicans did not take the broadcasters decision lightly.
Republican Chairwoman Linda Daves of Charlotte, at the center of the controversy, said pulling the ad "has never been a consideration." She said the reaction received by the party is running 10-to-1 in favor of the ad. Republican Party spokesman Brent Woodcox said he was disappointed by the decisions of WSOC and WRAL not to air the ad.
The Republicans tried to make a legal issue out of it, saying that free speech and political debate would be curtailed by not airing the ad.
"You're going down a very dark path that could end up saying, `These are the kinds of things you can say in a political debate, and these are the kinds of things you can't,' " he said. "Those aren't the principles this country was founded on."
But, the prize in this story is that someone stood up, and said no.
WSOC-TV decided not to put the ad on television because of its implications of racism. WSOC-TV believes it is inappropriate to air. It questions Barack Obama's patriotism and judgment.
I just don't think it's appropriate to be on our air," said Joe Pomilla, general manager for WSOC-TV. "I think it's offensive, and I'm not real comfortable with the implications around race."
Joe Pomilla, General Manager along with others stood up and refused the ad. WSOC-TV on its website stated that the ad had racist implications. And, Barack Obama went on to win Mecklenburg County 70% to 29%, the area where the ad would have been aired. There are so many invisible people who, in measurable but small ways, contribute to eradicating racial and social injustice. And, these invisible people need to be made visible by our voices. It takes small measures to make a big change.
These types of political attacks ads will be aired on local channels that have offices in our local communities. We can use stories like the one in North Carolina to write and explain to media executives that they have a public responsibility to use good judgment and discretion in media buys. Our collective voices will make invisible people who have the power to say no, visible. And, my hope is that others like Joe Pomilla will stand up for change. I did a quick research and found Mr. Pomilla’s e-mail address if anyone would like to write him. joe.pomilla@wsoc-tv.com
The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; ...But what we know -- what we have seen - is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope - the audacity to hope - for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
Barack Obama