I promise that I actually have a function on Medium other than disagreeing with Marley K., but this is one of those moments when I’m going to have to employ the “disagreeing with Marley K.” option.
Full disclosure. I am a black political activist who encourages other blacks not only to vote, but also to vote for Democrats. Why? While I’m not under the illusion that white people in general are our friends, I’m also not under the disillusion that all are our enemies. For those who say we have no choices in politics, then I’m going to argue that sitting by and letting Republicans win the House and Senate is equivalent to a Death Wish. Given the choice (which you have, by the bye) would you let Republicans prevail and treat us the way they generally treat us? I hope not.
1. Why would a black dating app target black voters? I’ll tell you why; because black dating apps are where the potential black voters are! Would you look for them on a Jewish dating site? I suppose you could, but that wouldn’t be the best use of resources, now would it?
2. I dug deeply into at least a dozen sites (seriously) and I could not confirm that Affinity Apps, LLC, is in a foreign country. It is, as Marley K. states, both registered and located in Texas. There are times when I have wished Texas to be a foreign country, but, alas, it is not.
3. Marley K. states: “This means the people behind this company are not located in the United States. Black people need to ask why does a foreign company have an interest in Black folks voting.”
That is not so. The people behind this company ARE located in the U.S. Rather than ask why a foreign country has an interest in black people voting, we should ask why a foreign country has an interest in black people NOT voting, which both China and Russia did in 2016 via racist ads targeted to discourage black people from voting. It worked, and you should recall now how life worked out for us between January 2017 and January 2021.
4. Marley K. is also correct in stating that most of the names associated with Affinity Aps/ Match.com/BLK are not black. While that is a fact, it is not necessarily a bad thing. It is common for internet and tech corporations well known in the US to be headed by non-natives, usually East Asians. Most of them finished their undergraduate and graduate degrees in the US and they live here now.
Right now, without looking it up, how many heads of major internet companies can you name? What nationalities are they?
Do you watch BET? Who owns it? Are they black? If not, then why does someone who is not black care what you watch? Just for your information, BET is owned by Viacom, which, until his death, was run by Sumner Redstone, who was white, Jewish, and, while no paragon of virtue, a Democrat.
5. Marley K. states that “I’ll just say the majority of these folks aren’t Black. Some of the same people are connected to the same organizations. Again, quite suspicious. Google some of the names.” Yes. Many of the same people are connected to the same organizations. If you enlarge the “tangled web” of Affinity Apps companies, then take the time to trace the thin blue lines, you will find that the names associated with Affinity Apps generally link to… Match.com. because Affinity Apps is dedicated to matching sites. That’s not suspicious. If you wish to go through iterations of at least a dozen websites to match names and companies, then you will be tired, and you may know more than you want to know about people you don’t know, but you will not find anything “suspicious.” Just because one person labels something as suspicious does not necessarily mean that it is.
6. “First, let’s attempt to follow the money. Black folks need to learn to do this so they won’t succumb to propaganda and tomfoolery.”
Agreed. Black folks need to learn to follow the money. They also need to follow where the information comes from so they won’t succumb to propaganda and tomfoolery. I am not telling you to distrust Marley K. I am telling you to follow the info even when it comes from a source you think you should trust. Do your own homework, especially if the person who writes it is discouraging you to participate in voting. If you don’t vote, then you don’t get to complain later.
7. I’m not in love with the ad, but the 18-34 black voting bloc needs to be reached, and they don’t want to listen to me, a senior citizen in a flannel nightgown. They want ideas, images, and music that will hold their attention, just as they did for being encouraged to get the COVID vaccine. Is that a bad thing?
As for the message, I’m going to bet that as a well-educated person, Marley K. knows this next bit of info as well. The idea of withholding sex as a strategy to make a political statement did not begin with this video. There is a famous ancient Greek play: Lysistrata. In the play, the women of Greece agree to withhold sex from men until the men agree to end the Peloponnesian War. I guess you could call it, "No peace, no piece." It worked. It is the most famous play of Aristophanes. There is nothing new under the sun.
