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Let's not fool ourselves into believing that BET is alone in portraying Black people in a pejorative way. MTV and VH1 are guilty of this as well.
OTOH, if you think about the cyclical nature of things, Black people have always invented forms of music and entertainment deemed derogatory to the majority of society, Blues, Jazz, Rock. Then these things eventually become widely accepted and widely influential. At this point they become diluted and only a caricature of what they were intended to be(Smooth Jazz, what Hip Hop is now). Then Black people move on to something else.
as a side note, I don't make it a habit of reading/listening/watching anything directed to the black community. I don't go out of my way to watch Tyler Perry movies or certain shows on CW, or watch BET (not to say I won't of course, I just don't go out of my way to do so simply b/c I'm black and I'm "supposed to"). but it seems like a lot of the media directed at blacks seem to emphasize negative stereotypes and portrayals. from what I've read, the last Tyler Perry movie got criticisms for that reason. BET just lumps all these things together into one station.
Same here. I just dont like them. When CW was UPN ( I think), they had the cheesiest shows on. All of them sucked. And I never considered the network again.
I replied to a post today about parents letting their kids watch BET. I said that BET portrays an overall negative image of the black community and that BET equaled low-class blacks. Another poster said i was full of self-hate just b/c of that justified snap at BET.
I see the lineups and previews of BET's shows. The previews of College Hill show the people fighting and cussin all the time (way to get me to turn in.) The "Spring Bling" shows they do are just a week of wild sex, partying, and drinking. For most of the day and week BET glorifies cars, sex, bling, and violence..
BET does decent shows too like jeff johnson, my black is beautiful Hip-hop vs. america, and celebration of gospel but personally i think their shows that portray black folk with no class whatsoever overshadows it.
Befor you reply, let me make clear that i'm a black man who is happy to be a black man but i'm VERY critical also. I watch TVone over BET because i feel it does a great job of showcasing black people in a more positive light.
So folks, does BET help or hurt the black community?
Personally, I watch TVOne over BET any day. With TVOne I have seen some good things, like Cowboys of Color. I miss that rodeo. I don't like many of the stereotypes being portrayed because in my opinion, it gives some people an excuse to say "all blacks act like that". Actually, that is the reason why stereotypes have developed. They developed so that people could say "they all act like that" and for that, use the stereotype as a reason to treat people badly, such as denying jobs, giving poor education,etc, therefore perpetuating the stereotypes set out for certain people. In short, stereotypes are a form of economic and social control when you look at them and the persons who fall for it are being used as pawns. In a way, BET isn't helping blacks at all. All it is doing is providing entertainment, nothing more.
BET just widens the gap between white and black. In this society when we are suppose to (and should) be equal there should not be any identifier label on anything. Black people: how do you think whites feel about this? How would you feel about a WET or a HET or any other label?
There should only be one race, the human race. Crap like BET just divides us more and I boycot it.
I don't know how it is hepful for young black children in America to be lulled into the false sense of security that they live in a world that is 99% black ,like some of their schools and nieghborhoods are.
Yes, it damages the Black community greatly. Nothing excuses racism, but the brutal truth is that Lower-class Black people are seen as bad news, and the crime/social indicators bear that out. Hence BS phenominoms like "White Flight" and the extreme ignorance from the Archie Bunker set.
BET is the manifestation of an ideology that has taken hold in the leftist-dominated post civil-rights era: "Becuase whitey did (list here a historical transgression) , therefore any personal responsiblity, weither it's rasing my kids, being gainfully employed, etc, on my part is null and void,". A classic example of the "Victim Mentality".
BET just widens the gap between white and black. In this society when we are suppose to (and should) be equal there should not be any identifier label on anything. Black people: how do you think whites feel about this? How would you feel about a WET or a HET or any other label?
There should only be one race, the human race. Crap like BET just divides us more and I boycot it.
That is good to say but I can watch tv all day, sitcoms and dramas and not see ONE Black person. So I think shows need to show all races not just White.
That is good to say but I can watch tv all day, sitcoms and dramas and not see ONE Black person. So I think shows need to show all races not just White.
Maybe that's true, I dont watch much TV shows. But you can not say that for the news. I travel a bit and watch news from other cities. There is always one black man and a white woman news person or the other way around. Sometimes a white male but then a black female with him. It looks too intentional doesn't it?
That stuff dont bother me, I feel like a jerk saying it but just wanted to add to your point.
I haven't had much use for BET since Tavis Smiley moved to PBS. TVOne is a bit better. At least on that channel, I can watch some time-tested sitcoms. Overall, I tend to reject most things marketed to the black community because I don't enjoy participating in the perpetuation of negative images.
With that said, BET is certainly not alone in portraying a negative image of black folks. "Someone likes it" else these shows wouldn't be made. For all the complaints, an awful lot of black folks watch BET.
And we can blame ourselves for it. Yes, I say ourselves. Many of us are quick to speak our mind when people make ignorant, stereotypical remarks about blacks in real life yet we can't wait to see what Flava Flav or "New York" will do next. The networks should save money and just play re-runs of "Amos N' Andy", Steppin' Fetchit and Jasabelle.
A large segment of our community suffers from anti-intellectualism and until that is addressed, how can we blame anyone for portraying the black community in an anti-intellectual manner?
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) The "Spring Bling" shows they do are just a week of wild sex, partying, and drinking. For most of the day and week BET glorifies cars, sex, bling, and violence..
Not since Tavis Smiley
The networks should save money and just play re-runs of "Amos N' Andy", Steppin' Fetchit and Jasabelle.
