BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

[Jalili]

From SeeingBlack.com

BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

Letters

BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

By Janita Patrick
Aug 3, 2009, 12:02


Dear Debra Lee,


I’m Janita Patrick, a 15-year-old African-American female from Cincinnati. Recently, I watched the 2009 BET Awards and felt the strongest urge to reach out to the program. My family is of the typical middle-class variety; both parents and four brothers. See, I’m a junior in high school (got skipped), so naturally EVERYBODY in my age group watches BET. I’m used to seeing the sagging pants, tattoos, lack of emphasis on reading and respecting women that makes up your videos. People in my class live this out everyday, while teachers tell us that we’re acting just like the people on your shows.


On your shows. That struck me as odd, because I would think that with your shows being the primary outlet for Black entertainers and musicians, and considering the context of Blacks in this country, there’s a social responsibility factor to consider. I would never blame BET alone for the way a great deal of my classmates act and talk and dress. Everybody makes their own choices. However, if anybody is aware the power of television on impressionable minds, it’s the people running the television operations. If you are not aware, then perhaps you shouldn’t be running the operations.


Guess who watches your network the most? Not those who are intelligent enough to discern foolishness from substance, but those who are barely teenagers, impressionable and believing. It’s awfully cruel to plant seeds of ignorance in fertile minds. You know it’s really bad when the co-founder of BET, Sheila Johnson, said that she “really doesn’t watch it” anymore.


I am constantly fighting against the images and messages put forth on your program. What made you think that it’s okay to bring my classmates on stage to dance behind Lil Wayne and Drake to a song talking about boffing “every girl in the world”? Why do reality train wrecks have to be thrown in our faces? Are you aware of the achievement gap going in inner-city African-American communities? A report from America’s Promise Alliance, a non-profit group started by Colin Powell, recently stated that 47 percent of high school students in the nation’s top 50 cities don’t graduate. (Fifty-four percent of males of color in Ingham County graduated from high school, compared to 74 percent of White males). This isn’t because of BET per se, but I don’t see any episodes on your channel doing anything to counteract this disturbing trend. In fact, your shows are a part of this cycle of media depicting us at our worst.


My older brother told me something about profit being the number one goal for every business. I’m not sure I understand what that means but I do know that your shows have to be entertaining enough to generate viewers, which is how you make your money. But surely our culture is rich enough to entertain without anything extra to “boost” ratings; why the over-the-top foolery? I listen to classmates talk about "Baldwin Hills" like it’s the Manhattan Project. It doesn’t take much effort to produce a throng of degenerative reality shows, nor does it take much to eliminate socially conscious shows off the air. MTV isn’t much better, but since when does two wrongs ever make a right? It’s one thing for White television shows to depict us in a particular way, but for Black television shows to do it is baffling.


Why do you hate us?
All of the values that my parents seek to instill in me and my brothers seem to be contradicted by a more powerful force from the media, and your shows are at the forefront. Your network is the only network that features rap videos and shows exclusively to children of my color. I know that you have no control over the music that the artists put out, but you do have influence as to how you air these videos. I’m sure if a stand was taken to use the talent in your organization to actually crank out thought-provoking entertaining shows and videos, then artists will follow suit. Being that they need you as much as you need them.


There was one awkward segment in the BET Awards when Jamie Foxx singled out three Black doctors-turned-authors, but the introduction was so powerless that many of the viewers had no idea who they were. Had they been introduced as Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins, three brothers who overcame major obstacles to become a success without the use of lyrics that berate women, the sell of substance that destroy communities or through raps about loose gunplay, then maybe my classmates would have come to school talking about more than Beyonce, T-Pain’s BIG ASS CHAIN and Soulja Boy Tell Em’s hopping out the bed.


But they weren’t introduced like that. It seemed like a throwaway obligatory tribute to appease some irritated fans. It missed the mark. Big time. Ask Michelle Obama if she watches BET or encourages Sasha and Malia to do so. Ask President Obama. It’s a reason he is the leader of the free world, and it isn’t because of Buffoonery Exists Today.


You’d be surprised how smart young Black children can be with the absence of Blacks Embarrassing Themselves. If your goal is to deter engaged, forward-thinking articulate Black minds, then consider your goal fulfilled. It’s hard-pressed to think that your shows are working to promote cultural betterment. However, it’s quite easy to conclude that the destruction of Black children through the glorification of immoral behavior and rushed production is by design. Poison is being swallowed by every viewer who adores your network, and the worse thing is, these viewers - my classmates - are not even aware what they’re swallowing.


There is nothing edifying for Black women on your shows. I don’t judge people who do throng to your programs though; I mean, if a jet crashes in right in front of me, I’ll watch it too. That’s why I don’t flip by your channel…I don’t even want to be sucked in.


I have aspirations of acquiring a law degree and possibly entering the public sphere, so I can counteract conditions in my community perpetuated by the images on your channel. So I should thank you, because in a weird sense, your shoddy programming is the wind behind my back. And it is my hope that I can accomplish my dreams despite BET’s pictorial messages, because Lord knows it won’t be because of them.


Sincerely,
Janita Patrick


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YouTube - BET Is Not A Good Representation Of Black People!

YouTube - BET Is Not A Good Representation Of Black People!

[SoularFlarez]

I watched it for about 10 minutes, on and off, TOTAL.....

i saw Ving Rhames, Tyrese & Taraji Henderson play out the ''Baby Boy'' skit on stage (message)

i saw Jamie Foxx (Blame it on the alcohol is a hit?) preview for a movie with ''Shanaynay'' & ''Wanda'' playing bankrobbers in drag, called STANK ROBBERS....... (message)

oh but I also saw Alicia Keys and Wyclef speeches which was aiight..... I dont like Wyclef but i like that part he said about going from a hut to the projects to a mansion.....

but overall..... BET tastes like warm throw-up with extra salt.

ps- was just listening to a youtube show with Alexxys K Tylor and Saabir Bey and the brother said somethin about they showed BET and MTV in black neighborhoods in the UK and South Africa, and soon enough their crimerate trippled.... hmmm......


its all mind control though......... i call it digital, audio/visual-voodoo.......the music/images affect us for good OR bad....... hiphop was created as our cultural TOOL and is being used as a WEAPON agaisnt us by these black-zombies and negros who KNOW wassup but are greedy, short-sighted and selfish. alot of these rap niggas is alpo

[Jalili]

I wouldn't even doubt that about showing a negative image of a people that is made to look like a show of strength would negativily effect them almost in an instant.

Thank about when you first saw a book or show with a black face as a child, you wanted to do WHATEVER that black face was doing. (Remember when a little girl came to the library for the first time and saw the book "Amazing Grace". Soon after she was doing everything that "Grace" did in that book)

Images have a strong impact on our people and these bastrads have found this to be a powerful weapon against us. They will use a brainwashed "negro" to scream bullshit to get us to think the way they want us to.

I refused to watch one moment of the BET Awards, I've heard all the garbage they showed in that one night and I am not surprised.

The only way to fully destroy a "BET" is to completely ban it from our homes and families.

[SoularFlarez]

economic violence too.....

bring back the boycott......

dont buy they albums, dont buy shit from they sponsors.

especially with the state of the economy, which will probly get worse......but itll hit the big wigs harder than anyone else, as Chris Rock said....

Originally Posted by Chris Rock

"if Bill Gates woke up one morning with Oprah's money, he'd jump out the window n slit his throat on the way down"

so yeah..... gotta control the DOLLAR and how we spend money, and sistas gotta contol the pussy and DO NOT give that sweet pum-pum up to these zombies....give it up to Malcolm but not Detroit-Red


music/entertainment right now is just like the food. JUNK-food-like-substance. all sugar and fluff with ZERO nutrients. but give em somethin wholesome and healthy and they'll eat it once they FEEL the difference.

[Jalili]

YEAH!!!

We also need a ZERO TOLERANCES way of thinking.
If WE SEE IT WE ADDRESS IT AND STOP IT.

You see a young brother with his pants hanging off his ass, WE NEED TO CATCH THEM EARILY AND LET THEM KNOW THAT IS NOT "GANGSTER" BUT IT'S GAY!

You see a young sister dancing like a stripper
WE NEED TO CATCH THEM EARILY AND LET THEM KNOW THAT IT IS NOT "CUTE OR SEXY" BUT IT'S HORRISH!

We see them putting BULLSHIT in our names on t.v.
WE NEED TO LET THEM KNOW THAT WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT

AND ANY TROLLS THAT WANT TO STEP IN AND "LEAD THE STRUGGLE" (Such as a Jesse Jackson, Ali Sharpton or BARRAK OBAMA) we need to tell these "negro's" to
KEEP KISSING THE WHITE MANS AS AND LET REAL BLACK PEOPLE MAKE THINGS HAPPEN BECAUSE ALL THEY DO IS KEEP US IN THE SAME PLACE.