I was speaking about the 2 faces of Black Entertainment Television (BET) the other day, and I mentioned that I wanted to go over their new television line up. This seems like a good time to discuss it.
BET is known for its late night music videos. I don’t mean the ones on MTV or VH1. No we are talking about serious booty shaking, barely clothed, derogatory images that even the MTV network won’t touch. This is kind of funny since I recall that MTV and VH1 are owned by the same company that owns BET.
Isn’t it odd that a channel that is supposed to provide programming to African Americans that targets the needs and desires of this community also leads the cable television industry in proliferating content that espouses violence, drug addition, misogyny or in other words the self-destruction of the people it ‘serves’. That’s something you just can’t get on any other channel. And people have to pay to get it. Nice trick.
But to say that is all the channel provides would be a lie. Of the wealth of information available on the internet, DVD’s, and the vaults of entertainment companies, Viacom believes that a steady diet of Soul Plane (possibly a step below the Toxic Avenger series of movies), the Wayans Brothers (that never worked for me), 106 and Park (discussing rap and hip hop predominantly), The Jamie Foxx Show, In Livin Color, interviews with rappers and hip hop entertainers (like 50 cent – the admitted drug dealer that was shot several times, nice role model), and gospel. That is essentially the best that can be provided for African Americans. Bunches of UPN reject shows and one of the worst films ever.
It’s not like there were ever shows staring black entertainers before UPN, you know like Fresh Prince of Bel Aire, A Different World, Cosby, Sanford & Son, The Jefferson’s, or I Spy. Not even any where an intelligent, important supporting character was on every week, like Mission Impossible. Nor any with women like say Star Trek.
Not like anyone at Viacom could go to Blockbuster or Amazon.com and get a DVD of a movie staring African American actors above the D-list. You know, if there were movies like Blade, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Tyler Perry’s Madea, or Malcolm X. Since this is the line up for the Fourth of July I wish there was a movie starring black actors that had to do with something heroic in American history, maybe like Glory, or The Tuskegee Airmen. Hell I’d even settle for a movie about African Americans in the military, like A Soldier’s Story or Platoon.
But Viacom knows there aren’t things like that available. Does it sound like there are no Black executives at Viacom?
Well if you were wondering, here is one of the highlights of the NEW line-up coming to BET this month. HOT GHETTO MESS. Doesn’t that title sound black? Just makes you want to get a 40 and watch the network with your stolen cable.
Continued in Part 2...
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