I remember watching Black Entertainment Television thinking, finally something that we can be proud of as Black in America. Back in the days when distinguished blacks like Tavis Smiley, Quincy Jones, and even Tom Joyner were involved. Until the day we all received word that the Television station was no longer black owned. I sat thinking, what’s going to happen now. And we all have seen the image evolve into something that didn’t portray Blacks as a culture anymore. So the question is, “What is it now?” Black Entertainment Television has become nothing but a mock up of MTV. If you notice the same shows, music videos, etc. When the “hit show,” College Hill aired, we thought that it was going to be a gateway to portray Historically Black College Universities in the positive light, and also creating another gateway for HBCU’s to gain more students. But instead it was a carbon copy of the reality show from MTV’s Real World (with more black people).
I was totally disgusted to the fact, that they only showed the negative issues that seemed unreal to me, even till this day। Instead, where are the moments we see them studying diligently for an exam, or positively portraying campus life? Instead they have replaced the positive with sex, drunkenness, violence, and laziness. And guess who’s watching television, high schools, people at the companies that we will strive to work for, and people not of African Descent, saying wow that’s the black college is all about. When really….it’s not!
I find it comical at times to see our people sitting and watching BET for “pure entertainment,” when they see are people on screen portraying images that are pure garbage, whether it may be in music videos or tasteless sitcoms and dramas. They should remove the Black from the channel and leave it Entertainment Television, because the imagery that they post is not ours. It kills me to see our people on television who do not have the vernacular to speak even at an interview but they make millions in the process. I was reading a post discussion on the internet, to see what are the perceptions, people around the world think of. At first they were the typically textbook answers until I stumbled across,
“Not "snitchin'" to police, wearing ridiculous clothes, talking like an idiot, being loud and obnoxious at inappropriate times and being even more loud and obnoxious when getting called on it, hip hop, bet, being oblivious to education and sophistication...”
http://www.discussanything.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104512
If this is what someones perception of blacks as a whole, than what are we doing to change it? The common cliché, “You can’t change what people think,” is commonly used out of context and sometimes used out of fear from change. When in all reality you can. Show them that we can by discussing these issues within your families, friends, colleagues, people of different races, etc. From that point, come up with a collaboration that we can all come together to bring to the public. It starts with us first, if we want to see change. Next time you get the chance, do a Google search on what is “Black Culture.”
