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IBEW Adds Its Voice to Hillbillies Protest May 29, 2003 As "reality" shows continue to be hot item, the television networks are scrounging for new ideas for such programs. One scheme, however, has drawn a firestorm of protest from many voices, including the IBEW. CBS, which is owned by Viacom, announced earlier this year that it was planning a new reality series called "The Real Beverly Hillbillies." The network would take a (in their words) "lower middle class" family from rural America and put them in a Hollywood mansion, then film them as they adjust to the lavish surroundings. The situation was take-off of the popular television comedy from the 1960s, "The Beverly Hillbillies." But the network wasnt counting on several things, including the pride of rural Americans, the disgust that many people feel at attempts to rub the gap between the wealthy and working families in their faces, and the change in social consciousness over the past 40 years. One of the first major voices raised against the planned program was that of Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) in an eloquent speech on the Senate floor, followed by an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal. The Center for Rural Strategies, a communications organization that seeks to increase public understanding about the importance and value of rural communities, has focused public attention on the issue. And the labor movement joined in the fight. The United Mine Workers have taken a major role in protesting the show, including picketing the Viacom shareholders meeting in New York City on May 21. The AFL-CIO and other unions, including the IBEW, have also written to the top executives at Viacom to urge them to drop plans for the program. To date, CBS has made no public announcement on whether or not it will proceed with "The Real Beverly Hillbillies." IBEW International President Ed Hill in a May 21 letter to Viacom said: "This nation has gone through decades of social trauma based on past injustices, including the mockery, and thus marginalization, of vulnerable groups in society. It was wrong when done to racial, ethnic and religious minorities. It was wrong when done to women. And it is wrong when done to struggling rural families." The Center for Rural Strategies took out an ad that appeared in many newspapers in which they put the issue in perspective: "There are a lot of things CBS could show us about rural America. Some things like the reality of poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation, are painful to talk about, challenging to hear. Others because of the grit, courage and faith of rural families and communities, might actually teach a thing or two to privileged entertainment executives." President Hill concluded his letter to Viacom by stating, "Our union has a 112-year history of fighting for justice for working men and women. You will find IBEW members at work everywhere from major urban centers, including the studios of Hollywood, to sparsely populated country areas. But the bond that unites them is a strong resistance to attacks on the dignity of any group of Americans trying to make a living under difficult circumstances."
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Full text of President Hill’s letter to ViacomCenter for Rural StrategiesUnited Mine WorkersU.S. Senator Zell MillerSen. Miller's Wall St. Journal article... |
