I was wrong about We Got To Do Better - 7.25.2007.3

I stand corrected. I am man enough to admit when I am wrong. I am pleasantly surprised. Very pleasantly surprised.

I have harshly criticized Black Entertainment Television about what this program could be about. The lack of commentary by BET or it’s parent Viacom, coupled with the nature of the original name of the show and the logo for it led me to a very negative conclusion. Based on those facts, and the history of the programming found on BET, I and others sought to have the program removed.

I stand by my posts I have written since July 4th on this subject. Every attempt I made to investigate this issue was rebuffed. In a vacuum conclusions stand firm.

But I have always stated I hoped I would be wrong. In effect I am. As publicly and strongly as I commented on what I was lead to believe about this program, I will stand here and state that I had my wishes fulfilled.

I mentioned that there was no similarity between the message of the stated description of We Got To Do Better (formerly Hot Ghetto Mess) and the efforts of Dr. Bill Cosby. That is not entirely true. I also questioned the ability of Mr. Charlie Murphy to convey a more intellectual message than a comedic one. Mr. Murphy was critical in getting the correct message across and did so strongly at several points in the program.

The introduction was a solid description of how the program is meant to be social commentary AGAINST the images that were to be shown. Mr. Murphy made direct comments on improvement within the community such as his comment after the first set of video clips. I paraphrase

‘These people look like the ones that didn’t make it past the American Idol audition. And a good thing to. People, there are other professions out there besides being a singer or entertainer. Remember that, we got to do better.'

Well stated.

It was the commentary by Mr. Murphy that made the difference in the program. As I have commented previously, the context of this program was absolutely critical. Missed by even a little it fails to do what it was intended to do. Mr. Murphy did not miss a beat.

Further, I found the ‘Man on the Street’ portion of the show most telling and important. The questions asked of random people on the street were intelligent and critical to everyday life of African Americans.

I stand amazed at the number of people that thought Mr. Bill Gates was poorer than Jay-Z. Even scarier is that several of them felt that both men were so close as that if Jay-Z had one more successful albulm he could surpass Mr. Gates. The fact is that while Jay-Z is successful, he is merely a multi-millionaire. Mr. Gates is a multi-billioniare, larger than Jay-Z by a factor of roughly 10.

Continued in Part 2...

BET and it's new program line-up Part 3 - 7.4.2007.3

Continued from BET and it's new program line-up Part 2...

There are 2 types of humor, they type that makes fun of situations and generalities and the type that attacks people. Of all the comedians I am aware of only Mr. Don Rickles comes to mind as someone who could repeatedly attack individuals and make crowds laugh, including the people attacked. If Mr. Charlie Murphy has half the talent of his famous brother I still do not believe he could pull that off consistently, and there is questions as to whether he is half as good.

As I said before I have to wonder if there is a single Black executive that is involved with BET over at Viacom. I cannot imagine the individual that would find the proposed garbage this show portends to be, laughing because of the humor. I can imagine many executives laughing because of what they have gotten away with, and how much money it generates for them.

A great example of this is the logo for the show. I will give Mr. Murphy the benefit of doubt that he had no idea what image would be used for this program. How ANYONE could find the image of a ‘Mammie blackface’ as a positive, regardless of other imagery used with it, is hard to imagine. Given the context that BET has stated the show will have, the image is even more disturbing.

For those that are unfamiliar with the image, it goes back to early film cartoons, like the original Mickey Mouse clips, that portray African Americans and the performance of Mr. Al Jolson. To give Mr. Jolson his credit, at that time (the early 20th century) blackface was not considered an insult. Then again neither was calling an African American the N-word. (And there is no positive context in that meaning)

The blackface image today only evokes the anger of the hardships and insults, and lynching that routinely occurred to African Americans for horrifying acts such as looking at a white person, walking on the wrong side of the street, living in the wrong part of town, or taking pride in themselves. There are reported cases where Black Americans were killed just because they were successful, or were there – which was the cause of the destruction of Rosewood. I find no humor in blackface, I wonder who could?

But there is no other option I suppose for African Americans to watch a channel that focuses on the culture and interests specific to the community. Unless you count TV ONE.

But BET is the one plastering the airwaves and getting the attention in the media. They are out there sponsoring town hall meetings to address the language and message of gangsta rap. And they should know what it is since they have roughly 20% of their line-up focused on presenting that daily. Because this is what African Americans want. Or so their executives, in collaboration with the executives that run music entertainment companies and movie studios say we want.

I know McDonald’s agrees. You can tell a McD’s commercial targeting minorities, especially Blacks in the first 3 seconds. The music, clothing, words and backgrounds are so different that a blind man could tell the difference. Maybe they will be one of the sponsors of HOT GHETTO MESS.

Continued in Part 4...

BET and it's new program line-up Part 2 - 7.4.2007.2

Continued from BET and it's new program line-up Part 1...

*Note: Ghetto – usually meaning low class, bottom of the barrel. Equivalent to White trash. EXCEPT when used as ‘ghettofabulous’. When used as an oxymoron it is implied to be something desirable.

If you think ANYTHING is ghettofabulous and mean it as a positive, why are you still reading my blog? You obviously will not agree with what I have to say.*

As I was saying, the title is supposed to be enticing or of interest. I find it insulting. But that is just icing, the cake is what the program will be about.

“Utilizing comedy, man-on-the-street interviews, video clips, pictures and music, “Hot Ghetto Mess” aims to shine a spotlight on prevalent images in pop culture and examine what role they play in American lifestyle. “Hot Ghetto Mess” goes where most shows fear to tread.

As host Charlie Murphy guides viewers through shaking booties, thug life, baby-mama drama and pimped-out high schoolers, “Hot Ghetto Mess” will explore what these images really mean to all of us.

Cutting edge, original, relevant and irreverent, “Hot Ghetto Mess” is like the traffic accident you can’t look away from. Viewers will laugh. They'll cry. They'll think. They'll learn, and hopefully they'll recognize they've GOT to do better."

I honestly thought more of Mr. Charlie Murphy.

Now you may think, what’s wrong with this. It’s Candid Camera for Black people. No I think not. The title states its intention. This is Punk’d meets Candid Camera without the class of either.

Shaking booties? Beyond the fact that this seems to be a staple that Viacom insists that African Americans must desire to see, what does that have to do with Black culture in America? How does seeing a booty, which will likely be more exposed than not, promote an intelligent debate about getting young Black men to stay in school?

Thug life? You mean the same lifestyle that got Tupac Shakur and Biggie shot dead. A lifestyle that has killed so many African Americans that every Black person in America today knows at least one person who has died from it, regardless of their age or location.

I won’t even bother trying to delve into the minds of the people who thought that baby-mama drama and pimped-out high schoolers could be irreverent or funny. The fact that they tout this program as an accident is both accurate and tragic.

Continued in Part 3...