Saturday, July 19, 2008

"Shame on you BET"

I remember the days of Donnie Simpson (A.K.A. Mister greeneyes) on Video Soul (bet you ain't heard that in a while). I often think about the contrasts between the BET of old, and the BET of new. I find it somewhat embarassing to have shows that degrade not only black women, but black men as well. When I look at the world, I look at it from a multi-cultural perspective, which is based on my experiences with various individuals of different faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds. The show "The Boot" comes to mind. While it is entertaining to say the least, it has the sentiments of black exploitation written all over it. Just this evening an episode was on and the young "black" female was down to two final contestants. While she was explaining her likes and dislikes of both gentlemen ( two "black" men), she finally chose the one who peaked her interests. When the unlucky gentleman got the boot, he proceeding by throwing a drink in her face. I felt so shame for the female, as well a shameful feeling for the guy. Now, people of other races see this. If I feel shame and embarassment for the two individuals, then what do think others are thinking.

I believe its safe to say BET is pimping black folks with meaningless bull**** to keep us unfocused on real issues. Do these shows really promote family values, meaningful relationships, which are things lacking in our communities, I say, "yes". Maybe it's just me. Am I being to old-fashioned, or am I merely stating the obvious? Have our feelings and hearts become so cold that we would rather see a sistah half naked, and seeing someone throw a drink in her face because she didn't choose him for a date.

We must be forward thinking. I don't write for the fun it; although I love to write, but I write material to change minds; to revolutionize our minds in to getting back on track. We have along way to go, but I'm optimistic about our ability to progress.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Real Talk

Could it be that I'm out of touch? I remember the days of KRS-One, Brand Nubian, and Poor Righteous Teachers, when Hip-Hop had a clear and positive message. We have all seen "Hip Hop vs America" on BET, right? While I found the panelist somewhat diverse in their delivery on the subjects of "Black" accountability in the household and the accountability of ones self, I found some of the responses towards certain questions troubling. In the case of whether younger audiences that listen to these artistist, one of the panelist, a fairly established hip-hop artist(I'm not sayin' no names), replied by saying, " I'm an artist. I make what the people want, and basically parents should be monitoring their children". While this is true, it hardly tackles the question of whether these lyrics and antics, which are portrayed in these videos leads to higher crime rates in Black communities. It is my opinion that "gangsta rap" has had a profound effect on the the "happenings" of the hood. But the almighty dollar is too powerful.

" I kick in ya door, blow ya head off n****. How about you knock and I will let you have whatever you want. This obsession with violence in America is real. The progress of America is one of violence and deceit, which has lead to the contemporary attitudes towards destruction and chaos. In Hawaii, where I currently live, I have the opportunity to watch "Farrakhan Speaks" a series of speeches that Louis Farrakhan has delivered to different audiences around the country. I look forward to watching him every Saturday at 8:00 A.M.; thank goodness for public access T.V. I listen to his messages and find understanding in his delivery and wisdom in his words. I remember one speech he gave about accountability and the war on "Black" males. In one instance, he gave an account on Jesse Jackson's experience of being out late one night, and having heard footsteps coming quickly behind him. He went on say that we he turned around he was relieved, it was only a white man. The irony of this story is that we have become our worst enemy. Back in the days we knew who our enemy was, but now he is living next door to use;it could be our cousin, uncle, or auntie.

We justify our actions based of what America has perpetuated in her history. We say, " America is violent therefore, we learned it from her; she made us this way". Nothing could be farther from the truth. This is clearly an accountability issue. We must teach each other how to be humble and compassionate. Too many times I have seen us tear each other down over nonsense. There will be more to follow on this