TC: The revolution will not be televised. But the revolution will be liked, shared, and commented on. I know that boomers like to complain that my generation is always on their phones, but that's how you reach us -- by actively engaging with us on social media platforms. There's always direct action and culturejamming as well, but which I mean taking creative, bold steps to address the corruption of corporate media. If you find yourself in the gym or at the bar, and there's a TV on with corporate news, ask the manager to change the channel to literally anything else. If it has to be news, change it to PBS -- at least that's publicly funded.
The media's grip on information may seem daunting, and it won't loosen overnight, but the key is to sustain an active boycott and divestment campaign in the war for control over our political discourse. Martin Luther King was famous for saying, "If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." So keep sharing, liking, commenting, and culturejamming. We'll win in the long run.
Martin Luther King press conference 01269u edit
(Image by (Not Known) Wikipedia (commons.wikimedia.org), Author: Author Not Given) Details Source DMCA
JB: Hooray for your optimism; You're a breath of fresh air. Before I let you go, what about us alte kachers (Baby Boomers and older) for whom social media may not be our comfort zone? Any last words for us? We're also deeply committed to turning this country around but may lack some of the tools to do so. Are we cut out of the mix?
TC: Face-to-face communication is always the best way to get a message across. Don't shy away from political conversations with coworkers, fellow churchgoers, the waiter/ress, the bartender, the cashier, the teller, and anyone else you find yourself interacting with on a face-to-face level every day. Chances are, they probably feel the same way you do, but are lost in apathy. Encourage all of them to inform themselves through alternative means, like listening to public/community radio, or free alternative papers/magazines found in your respective city. Personally, as a resident of the Portland metro area, I prefer the Portland Mercury and the Portland Phoenix to the Oregonian.
Another example -- I recently spent time in Jackson, Mississippi, and discovered the Jackson Free Press -- an alt weekly available at newspaper stations across town that's actually incredibly popular and has a penchant for hard-hitting local reporting that asks tough questions. It's a much better alternative than the Clarion-Ledger, which is owned by Gannett Corporation (USA Today). While in New Hampshire covering the primary, I discovered some incredibly informative public access cable news shows that deserve more viewership, like the Chris Herbert show, which is hosted by a progressive state representative. I'm sure the same is true across the country. Discover local independent media, and if you don't have it, create it.
JB: Great ideas, and thanks so much for talking with me, Tom. This is dynamite! I hope your story goes viral. Keep up the good work!
TC: Thanks for reaching out, Joan. It's been a pleasure.
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Postscript: After this interview was completed, Tom posted: Thousands of Bernie Sanders Supporters Are Suing the DNC in a Massive Class Action Lawsuit, 6.23.2016
Quote from above article by Jared Beck, partner, of Beck & Lee, about their lawsuit:
"You have people who say they're homeless or unemployed, and they gave whatever was in their pockets to Bernie, and you have doctors and lawyers who have given thousands of dollars.... We're civil litigators, and usually our cases can be reduced to dollars and cents, but I don't know if any amount of money could compensate for American democracy, which is priceless to me. I think anything short of a fundamental change in the way the DNC conducts itself is not acceptable" This isn't a case that's about money, this is a case about the fairness about the Democratic process."
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See Wikileaks Hillary Clinton Email Archive: searchable database with 30,322 emails, comprising 50,547 pages of documents. These were made available by the State Department in response to a FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] request.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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