B.E.T. Beautfiully Entertaining Toes

Let's talk about BET ~ Black Men & The Women Who REALLY Don't Want Them

The context of this blog originates from an email I received about a promising teenaged young lady, Janita Patrick who wrote to Black Entertainment Television (B.E.T.) about their programming, quoting the co-founder of BET, Sheila Johnson, who said that she "really doesn't watch" the channel anymore.

I witness Blacks Embarrassing Themselves, I agree that Buffoonery Exists Today and I feel that many people who represent the African American life on BET and the media (music, TV, film, radio, internet, print) have no clue of how the damaging the insults to the culture are.



We live in a society where Black men tend to routinely ridicule their own Black ancestors, sisters and mothers, as if they were born from foreign beasts who deserve no respect. They discard their own women and settle for a non traditional way of life with non Black women rather than promote or benefit and support the diaspora of ancestral family units who suffer the most. There is no soul in this activity and because of that, the Black man always eventually returns to a Black woman, who takes him in from either pity, stupidity or both. Leaving once again, he resumes his life worshiping the women who enslave and use him like a work horse or mule.

This is the time when an undervalued Black woman would prefer to avoid interpersonal OR professional interactions, be celibate, experiment sexually, or explore the options of romance with other nationalities rather than remain in an empty state of being reduced to repeated judgments, like "She's too Black", "She's too fat", "She's not Black enough", "She's not cultured" or are simply tired of being compared to other cultures, where there are also plenty of historical trait flaws.

But I digress - as for myself, patronizing many composers of so called BLACK Art (in Music, TV, Film, and print media) in any form is out of the question when I am focused. My decision is because often, underneath the COMPENSATED ART WORK or CRAFT, lies a BLACK person who is a willing puppet for someone else who pulls the strings and paints a picture of me (an obviously Black woman) that is not me, but rather blindly perpetrate hegemony in a society that expects to see a certain "me". Sassy, mouthy, sexy, full hips, lips and full of racial stereotypes.

Likewise, honesty, commitment, faithfulness, passion for craft and intimacy with one of these descendants of African warriors is unlikely and at best expect a selfish, and over rated event to result. My suggestion to anyone reading this: steer far from the ones who seems to have it most together. This admonition includes the francophones as well as his American urban cousin "CUZZ or BLOOD", and everyone of his Black brothers in between.

Really, is it Rhetoric Rambling?

What I am about to say is not a shot in the foot or the arm, it's just my opinion.

As are most qualities, we all humans have them. Justified, logical, left wing, radical, disjointed and confused, we all have opinions.

Recently, I have come to terms with my own opinion about how the media entertainment industry impacts society. I had been aware of hegemony and how European qualities influences all parts of the global economy. My own inner conflicts are no less real because I am a darker shade on the paper bag test.

This past week, Kanye had one more chance to give African American culture someone to be proud of, and so has Serena Williams. On website blogs like Twitter, Facebook and other urban media pages, on news channels, in restaurants: were these two hot African American figures for conversation fodder.

Some fine White women in a New Orleans eatery say "$10,000 in fines are not enough for Serena's" mouthy censored tirade at the 2009 US Open.






She's a natural Black woman. She's a tough, intense athlete. Others make jokes about Kanye's constant rude bufoonery and interruptions.

Still, when I witness prejudice in my daily circumstances, this causes me to stop and stare for a moment. The events I recall are real and though I have no solid answer, I recognize this one thing: The conversations must not stop. We have to continue to discuss this, perhaps driving it into the ground. Any ethnic group I discuss, I personally consider due to my generalizations based on my experience, my own American history, and effects of the African diaspora.

• Does The Black Race Shun Their Blackness?
• Does The Dominant European Society Fear Self Identity?
• If Race is Not The Answer, Is It A Valid Question?
• The N-word is fashionable, but what about the KKK ?

Certain people are given opportunity to reveal injustices and truth. When the best and most noble of people are given the responsibility to clearly lead discussions and open channels of communication, it is imperative to take the mark and go.

Ready to Dive in This Discussion??