The problem with calling anyone racist these days is that the word is like a blank space in a mad lib. Fill it in however you like. It can mean whatever you want it to mean. This is by design, of course. It is easier to weaponize the “racism” label if you don’t have to worry about using it correctly. And that is what makes the latest publicity stunt from Yelp so disturbing.
Yelp has long been hated by some small business owners who complain that negative reviews on the site can have a significant impact on their business despite being potentially inaccurate or malicious. A recent documentary called “Billion Dollar Bully” claims that Yelp essentially extorts smaller companies, demanding that they buy advertising in exchange for minimizing negative reviews. Yelp denies the charge and even bought the BillionDollarBully.com domain name and redirected it to a page on its site clarifying that it does not extort small businesses. You can judge for yourself whether buying the domain name of a documentary that accuses you of dishonest tactics is itself a dishonest tactic.
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