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https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/19/tech/north-face-facebook-ads/index.html:
Outdoor apparel brand The North Face has become the best-known company yet to commit to an advertising boycott of Facebook in light of the social media platform's handling of misinformation and hate speech — a move that could open the door for other brands to do the same.
The brand's decision responds to a pressure campaign by top civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League, known as #StopHateForProfit, which on Wednesday began calling for advertisers to suspend their marketing on Facebook in the month of July.
"We're in," The North Face tweeted. "We're out @Facebook #StopHateForProfit."
Hours later, outdoor equipment retailer REI said it will join the boycott.
[...] The activists demanding change face an enormously ambitious task. Facebook is the second-largest player in US digital marketing after Google, and last year generated $69.7 billion from advertising worldwide.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday June 23 2020, @10:36AM (5 children)
"When I use a word," said Humpty Dumpty, "it means exactly what I intend it to."
But when you use a word, or a symbol, or a flag, outside of its well-known meaning, you risk being misunderstood.
-- hendrik
(Score: 1, Troll) by khallow on Tuesday June 23 2020, @01:24PM (4 children)
Keep in mind that the "well-known meaning" is a attempt to define the Confederate flag in a certain way. A lot of words and symbols have multiple meanings and even when they don't, people often will misinterpret stuff for irrational reasons. Just because your symbol is misunderstood doesn't mean it's your responsibility to do anything about it. And the most common way to protect or change the "well-known meaning" of a symbol is to use it the way you want it to be recognized.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23 2020, @02:45PM (1 child)
I dunno, man. Shouldn't it be the duty of any person who wants the rebel flag to mean Southern Pride to punch racists and attempt to improve the image of their own symbol? I'm sure Antifa would love the backup.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23 2020, @06:02PM
There is no duty to commit crimes against alleged racists.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23 2020, @09:13PM (1 child)
The rebel flag was used both by the KKK and the Dixiecrats, both of whom were quite racist. Given the history of the flag, how would it be irrational to view the rebel flag as a symbol of racism?
Although it's true that a noose could be displayed in some settings as a joke, it's also true that nooses were used to lynch black people. Given the current context of racial issues, how would it be irrational to interpret a noose as an intimidation tactic?
Please clarify your positions because they don't appear to make a lot of sense.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday June 24 2020, @12:50AM
Hammers were used by Vikings to kill people and were a religious symbol of Thor, one of their numerous Gods of war. So should we view hammers as symbols of Viking oppression? Just because someone in the past used a symbol in a particular way doesn't mean that we should forever after associate that symbol with those people. That even includes things like the Swastika.
Here, the KKK and the Dixiecrats haven't been a serious thing in 50 years.