Lowe's low bow to bigotry and what can be done about it

A promotional graphic from TLC's 'All-American Muslim' show.

Lowe's low bow to bigotry was among the topics of conversation at two Plainfield holiday events last night. If you haven't followed the uproar, here's the skinny and what you can do about it.

Plainfield has a sizable number of Muslims -- both residents and business people -- with mosques and Islamic study centers, evidence of the diversity of our community which we celebrate.

'All-American Muslim' is a reality-type cable show following the daily lives of several very ordinary American families in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn who happen to be Muslim (see the website here). Part of the interest is in how the participants accommodate both their religion and their American-ness (for instance, handling football practice during Ramadan).

Lowe's pulled their ads after a campaign launched by the Florida Family Association (see the organization's website here), and defended its decision in an Associated Press story circulated Tuesday (which ran in the Courier, see here).

The reaction was immediate and visceral.

John Stewart charges the ultra-conservative FFA is displeased because the five families the show tracks aren't stereotypical enough (one is a high school football coach, one a deputy sheriff), as reported on The Wrap (see here) and Huffington Post (see here).

The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting (FCIR) reports the real story is FFA's brand of 'Florida intolerance' (see here), and Think Progress portrays the FFA as a 'faux outrage generation factory' (see here).

Meanwhile, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is buying up ad time and demanding Lowe's apologize and reinstate its ads to avoid a boycott (see here), and CNN reports that ads are sold out for this Sunday's show (see here).

In today's editions, the Detroit News reports that the fracas has increased interest in the show and that its promoter says advertisers are rallying (see here).

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

There are several options for folks to register their disapproval with Lowe's and to show support for the program --

PETITIONS

• There are online petitions at "Change.org" and "Sign-on" demanding that Lowe's reinstate its ads.

BOYCOTT

• Global Grind reported Tuesday that 20,000 had signed up to BOYCOTT Lowe's (see here), and US News & World Report staffer Leslie Marshall calls for a BOYCOTT on her USNews blog (see here).

PICKET

• As reported Tuesday in the Bergen Record, Paterson's Muslim leaders joined with Rep. Bill Pascrell in decrying the Lowe's decision and announced a PICKET of the Paterson Lowe's store on Friday afternoon (tomorrow) -- see story here.

---

• TLC:  "All-American Muslim" -- Sundays, 10 PM.
• Website:  "Florida Family Association"
• AP:  "Lowe's defends pulling commercials from show"
• John Stewart Weighs In:  "The Wrap" | "Huffington Post"
• FCIR:  "The newest reality show: Florida intolerance"
• Think Progress:  "FFA a 'faux outrage generation factory'"
  
• Daily Mail:  "Russell Simmons demands apology, ad reinstatement"
• CNN:  "Show's ads sell out, despite Lowe's withdrawal"
  
• Detroit News:  "Lowe's fracas ups interest in show"
• Petitions to reinstate ads: "Change.org" | "Sign-on"
  
• Boycott:  "Global Grind" | "Leslie Marshall/US News"
  
• Picket:  "Record: Paterson Muslims to picket Lowe's for pulling ads"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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