Culture/Society
Source: Shameless Ripoff of GLAAD website
Published: 12/26/01 Author: ArGee
Posted on 12/26/01 12:42 PM Pacific by ArGee
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO BRAAD
Imagine a time when the words "bigot" and "redneck" were taboo in the media- a time when your newspaper had blatantly bigophobic stories on the front page and the entertainment industry didn't give a second thought to negatively portraying bigots and rednecks on television or in motion pictures- a time when rednecks and bigots were otherwise invisible in the media. This was all occurring less than one year ago, before the formation of the Bigot & Redneck Alliance Against Defamation (BRAAD).
BRAAD's intends to have an impact on the media that is far-reaching. Not only will BRAAD change the way that bigots and rednecks are portrayed on the screen and in the news, BRAAD will also become a major source of information for decision makers in both the entertainment and news media. We expect BRAAD to become one of Hollywood's most powerful entities, eventually becoming one of the most successful organizations lobbying the media for inclusion. BRAAD will not only reache industry insiders, but will also impacted millions through newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, television and visibility campaigns.
Because of BRAAD's work, we will one day read about bigot and redneck lives in cover stories of national publications and see bigot behavior on network television. Negative and imbalanced portrayals of the community will decreased while bigots and rednecks will be increasingly incorporated in every type of media portrayal-- from soap operas to cartoon strips. We will see prominent redneck people come out of the closet, elected officials appoint bigots and rednecks to high level government positions, and laws passed to protect bigots and rednecks from discrimination. Because of BRAAD's work, more rednecks and bigots can be proud of who they are.
BRAAD was formed on-line in 2001 and began by protesting blatantly offensive and sensationalized stories about intolerant people. Its mission is to improve the public's attitudes toward bigotry and put an end to violence and discrimination against rednecks and bigots. The Free Republic chapter was formed in 2001, and early on began to educate Hollywood's entertainment industry on the importance of more accurate and realistic portrayals on the screen. Subsequent chapters will be formed in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, San Francisco and National Captial Area.
BRAAD's Mission Statement
The Bigot & Redneck Alliance Against Defamation (BRAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating bigophobia and discrimination based on free association and personal preferences.
In pursuit of its mission, BRAAD focuses on five main strategies
To organize the bigot and redneck community to respond to negative and positive portrayals of our community in media through the Monitoring and Mobilization program
To work directly with media professionals to improve their understanding of the bigot and redneck community by providing accurate information and offering seminars as part of the Outreach to Media Professionals program
To work with bigot and redneck organizations and individuals to refine and expand their understanding of the media and skills needed to work with them by offering training interventions and technical assistance through the Community Skills Building and Outreach program
To promote bigot and redneck Visibility by designing and implementing public education campaigns with positive bigot and redneck images.
To study and articulate cultural and media-specific trends, issues, and controversies to inform the work of BRAAD and other organizations through its Research and Analysis program.