Features » February 17, 2010
Beyond Pale, Male and Stale
Why ‘legacy’ progressive media must reinvent themselves to remain relevant.By Jessica Clark and Tracy Van Slyke
To reach out to and sustain relationships with so-called “minority users,” progressive media makers need to move beyond their core white audiences (pale), reach out to women and queer communities (male), and stop being so serious all the time (that is, wonkish, humorless, and stale).
These are not matters of political correctness—they are matters of political clout, democratic representation, and sustainability. Between 2004 and 2008, online political media designed to inform and mobilize these communities has largely been produced by interlinked groups of networked outlets: the black blogosphere, with an active subset known as the “Afrospear”; the brown blogosphere, comprised of a varied group of contributors concerned with issues of immigration and prejudice; and the feminist blogosphere, which provides more accessible outlets for a younger generation of women. A number of sites and projects also target progressive youth and less traditional progressive activists via humor, culture, and art.
Second-wave feminists have had their print mainstays, most notably Ms. magazine, launched in 1971, and Off Our Backs, published since 1970, supplemented by an evolving and often shortlived selection of movement newspapers, magazines, and ’zines.
In more recent years, edgier feminist magazines have emerged, ranging from Bitch magazine, which takes on pop culture from a feminist point of view, to Bust magazine, which incorporates pop culture such as fashion layouts and celebrity interviews, to Hip Mama, which addresses motherhood with a political and humorous edge. A similar range of publications—from radical and scrappy to commercial and glossy—address politics, lifestyle, culture, art, and trends related to the concerns of GLBTQQ audiences and others challenging traditional gender roles. .........(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/5583/beyond_pale_male_and_stale
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