Raw footage for The 90's. Interview with Rev. Calvin O. Butts following up from an interview he gave on tape 11140 about his campaign to stop Philip Morris from advertising cigarettes in low income neighborhoods.
00:00Copy video clip URL Tape rolls shooting the back of a lens cap. Some audio drop outs.
00:24Copy video clip URL Interview with Reverend Calvin O. Butts following up from an interview he gave on tape 11140 about his campaign to stop Philip Morris from advertising cigarettes in low income black and Hispanic neighborhoods. He says they’ve had four demonstrations at Philip Morris’ headquarters. We’ve taken a hiatus with the hope we can meet with the Chairman of the Board. We were promised a meeting with him, but the meeting did not materialize. We told them if we don’t get that meeting we would come back and disrupt corporate functioning. We will jam their phone lines, fax lines and stop business as usual. Our point is to make the public aware of the fact that smoking kills, that insurance companies charge smokers higher rates yet claim that smoking doesn’t kill. We want to show that companies lie about the affects of smoking in their advertising. We hope to stop this.
02:42Copy video clip URL Butts says that he hope we can get rid of all tobacco and alcohol ads at least in inner city communities. We want to raise public awareness on the harmful affects of smoking.
04:58Copy video clip URL Butts adds that We fight it also by replacing the need that drives people to alcohol and tobacco use.
07:21Copy video clip URL Butts says the church is responsible for bringing people out of rocky times. The church teaches us to not succumb to hopelessness and despair. We have to keep trying and we will overcome. The church is extremely important. I’ve seen ex-drug users testify to God for changing their lives.
10:00Copy video clip URL Butts adds that our political system is successful compared to other countries, but it needs reforming. We need more than two political parties. I’m not content with the Republican party. It’s too conservative and not sensitive to the needs of the country. We’re strong in military and defense, but weak on healthcare, housing, and finding a cure for AIDS.
13:53Copy video clip URL Butts notes that he thinks racism is still prevalent in society. We’ve made progress, but racism has been replanted. He argues that reform must come from the church, teaching children tolerance and accepting one another as human beings. He notes that we need to recognize the contributions of African, Asians ,and native Americans to world civilization and get rid of misconceptions about race to defeat racism.
16:36Copy video clip URL When asked why things remain status quo, Butts answers that the people in control of our country have no concern for the country, just money. There’s no great love for the children of our country. The poor, black and white, are suffering. This isn’t unique to a Republican administration. Jesse Jackson’s message resonates to truth. Whether he can implement it or not is another question. We need to look to people with that kind of sensitivity.
20:17Copy video clip URL I don’t think one person can make all change, but one can person can provide a spark to move others. He notes that we’re never going to have the perfect person fixing all of society’s troubles, you have to look at what people contribute to the greater good even though you might see a moral flaw.
22:56Copy video clip URL Butts says the message TV gives kids today is that crime pays, you don’t have to worry about what you eat, and that sexual immorality is okay. It lies about history. Aside form a few exception, it’s a waste of anyone’s time particularly of children. Some shows like National Geographic, The 90’s, are good. They play an important role in commenting on society. He adds that he watches football, basketball, and sometimes a cops-and-robbers show. But he always prefaces it by saying, “Now it’s time for some mindless activity.”
25:02Copy video clip URL Butts says censorship is a big issue for his group. They were accused of it when they painted over Philip Morris’ billboards. I’m concerned. In the 2 Live Crew case I made commentary on the radio that the jury was naive and that the First Amendment was never intended for the kind of filth and garbage we get from the likes of Penthouse, Hustler, or 2 Live Crew. We are in a terrible way now because we know you can’t simply say anything you want to say. We need to define the limits. It’s touchy. People can go to far and censor material we all need to read. At the same time, because we have freedom of speech, we’re being overrun by an evil of filth corrupting children and adults.
28:17Copy video clip URL He adds that the prison system doesn’t do anything for society. People are sentenced for non-violent crimes are not rehabilitated. He questions where the bulk of drug activity really is. It can’t all be in the poor black and Hispanic communities, there’s a lot going on in all other communities, yet the jails we find mostly drug dealers who are black and Hispanic.
30:20Copy video clip URL B-roll, back of lens cap. The tape rolls without the camera operator’s knowledge.
31:25Copy video clip URL END.
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