That is what NBC felt was a good idea to celebrate Black History Month. A month that this year I haven't really noticed much being said or done about. From a media company that lead the wave in presenting a 1950's view of America on television from the moment that Cosby and A Different World ceased to be on primetime airwaves.
Maybe I would feel different if NBC had Black people on Friends (a show in the heart of NYC, the most integrated city in likely the world). Perhaps if the line-up of 2010 of shows identified the Black casts in several of the shows.
To be exact, not 1 show stars a single African American. Several have 1 or 2 in the supporting cast. But when NBC decided to highlight it's line-up they provided 25 faces of NBC (20 if you don't count duplicates). In all 1 person of color is featured, 2 are in a background photo. That's 4% of the featured shows and casts. Not exactly diverse on a station known for non-diversity.
All of that says nothing of the HUGE stereotype associated with African Americans and fried chicken. It may indeed be good food, and it may well have been made perfectly well. It could be part of the normal rotation of food in the company's menu. But dedicating this to Black History Month means the conncetion to the stereotype is alive and well in the mind of NBC.
But I'm not too surprised when it is all said an done. NBC, like MSNBC, is a very liberal organization. Which means that stereotypes and other actions against people of color are things only they can do since they "understand" minorities and "help" us. It's the reason that Chris Matthews "forgot" President Obama was Black and could "hold his own in a room full of White people".
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this wasn't even that good an intention in my opinion. No wonder I don't watch the network. But how do you feel about this?
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