Mostly white people does feared being called a racist. Don't know where's this come from, maybe trying to differentiate themselves from their past history of abuse and manipulation of other race, thus trying to convince themselves are actually better than their great-grandparents ? Maybe they just feel as a more "intelligent" race they have to show it by treating racism as they treated it today, Who knows... Blacks saw this and have enough guts (not to mention thick skin) to pounce on the opportunity to milk more $$$ of the primarily white population. Thats what it simply boiled to. More and more money without having to spend the actual honest effort to earn them. Most blacks share the same view when it comes to white's and racism, so its not hard to organize them to an effective force to be manipulated later own by shrewd politicians.
I hope they do realize this only hurt themselves in the end. In 10-15 years Hispanic will replace Blacks as the most dominant minority in USA, and with that they will lost more and more influence. Hopefully they realize this before sinking down to the level of American Indian (the one without the casino's of course).
That's the thing though...black entertainment IS different. Just like watching an asian channel or a hispanic channel...they show totally different kinds of shows. Not just the fact that those channels would be in a language that's not english, but the types of shows are just different. Yes blacks have a different culture, just as different as any other race. Why cant' they have a channel geared towards that and celebrating it?
In the end, whenever i hear this argument brought up..and it always IS, i just get the feeling it's like 2 little babies. one has a piece of candy and the other is whining..."mommmy why can't i have one toooooo!"
but really, what would be the POINT of having a white only channel or a white history month? As I see it, there is a black history month to celebrate that blacks CAN accomplish things...whereas the mindset of many people are still that blacks are stupid and inferior. you may not think this but there are still many out there who do. As for a black channel.... if it was possible to have the kinds of shows they have on there on regular channels then i'm sure they would...but really where would the ratings go?
and some people mentioned Bernie Mac. OMG...that's like one show out of how many??? give me a reason that there shoudl be a white only channel or white history month and i'll back it up.
To sum it all up, yes, we are trying to make sure everybody gets equal RIGHTS, but that doens't mean everybody is equal. we are still different in our cultures, and while we should adopt a new american culture together, at teh same time we shouldnt' forget our past and i think that it's good to recognize those differences. but in the end, it doens't mean as human beings we are any less inferior to one another.
When it comes down to putting other races down no matter what they do and accepting anything that comes from another of your race, you're racist. That pretty much describes a fair amount of black culture in today's society.
nik
Many blacks ARE racist, i agree. but can you blame them? Many of them are still treated with the attitude that they are inferior. I mean on paper, sure they are "equal" but many people don't think of blacks as equal. Sure it's not right, but I dont' blame them. If people are going to treat me differently, of course I'm going to have some kind of animosity towards them. Do you really expect black people to be all lovey dovey with white people and truly believe that we're all equal in EVERYBODY's eyes? True, it is better than it was in the past but, many of the people who were alive back when there was segregation are still alive today and have their own kids who they might have passed on their own beliefs to.
Absolutely. They have control over their thoughts and actions. Even if they ARE in that situation (which I also refuse to believe), they still have the ability to decide whether to be racist or not.
<robot voice>
I strongly disagree.
</robot voice>
nik
Originally posted by: music
Originally posted by: ffmcobalt
I resemble that remark! :|
Can't blame black people for that!
Why would I want to?
It's not their fault that I haven't taken the time to learn to dance, etc.nik
That's the point... through mitochondria you can trace the ancestry of a person.... mitochondria
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/neanderthals/mtdna.html
Tracing Ancestry with MtDNA
By Rick Groleau
In 1987, three scientists announced in the journal Nature that they had found a common ancestor to us all, a woman who lived in Africa 200,000 years ago. She was given the name "Eve," which was great for capturing attention, though somewhat misleading, as the name at once brought to mind the biblical Eve, and with it the mistaken notion that the ancestor was the first of our species -- the woman from whom all humankind descended.
The "Eve" in question was actually the most recent common ancestor through matrilineal descent of all humans living today. That is, all people alive today can trace some of their genetic heritage through their mothers back to this one woman. The scientists hypothesized this ancient woman's existence by looking within the cells of living people and analyzing short loops of genetic code known as mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA for short. In recent years, scientists have used mtDNA to trace the evolution and migration of human species, including when the common ancestor to modern humans and Neanderthals lived -- though there has been considerable debate over the validity and value of the findings.
White people will never understand. You don't know what it's like to not be the majority and to be a minority.
Now, I'm not black so i can't speak for them, but I have a pretty good idea where they are coming from. Everyday their television sets are bombarded with images of perfect families (7th heaven) that all get along well and always seem to work out their problems, etc (white picket fences, you know the deal). Their lives couldn't be further than what they see on 95 % of shows out there. Why on earth would they want to watch such a tv show, it doesn't amuse them (well maybe mildly) and its definitely not something they can relate to.
Most black people I know, like raw gritty humor (not satire or cleverly laid out dialogue). You just can't find that on most network sitcoms. You can't find the Chris Rock type humor on any major network out there. The only way that they can get the type of programming they want is if they made their own station. So they did, and now even though BET is mostly a music channel, there are still some funny ass comedy shows and live standup. Also UPN and the WB have many black shows. However those shows really suck ass and most black people I know don't even watch them.
As for black/white comedy, and the double standards that exist I've seen tons of white comedians and live shows where the same type of humor exists (and in all black clubs as well!!). In fact they were laughin harder at this one white guy's jokes about black people then most other comedians that night.
And please the last thing this country needs is some white people protesting about how the media is racist to white people. Most white people that shout racism have probably never even talked to a black person before or any minority for that matter. All i can say is go out and educate yourself, because their is a whole world of culture that exists beyond your white world.
Now, I'm not black so i can't speak for them, but I have a pretty good idea where they are coming from. Everyday their television sets are bombarded with images of perfect families (7th heaven) that all get along well and always seem to work out their problems, etc (white picket fences, you know the deal). Their lives couldn't be further than what they see on 95 % of shows out there. Why on earth would they want to watch such a tv show, it doesn't amuse them (well maybe mildly) and its definitely not something they can relate to.
Most black people I know, like raw gritty humor (not satire or cleverly laid out dialogue). You just can't find that on most network sitcoms. You can't find the Chris Rock type humor on any major network out there. The only way that they can get the type of programming they want is if they made their own station. So they did, and now even though BET is mostly a music channel, there are still some funny ass comedy shows and live standup. Also UPN and the WB have many black shows. However those shows really suck ass and most black people I know don't even watch them.
As for black/white comedy, and the double standards that exist I've seen tons of white comedians and live shows where the same type of humor exists (and in all black clubs as well!!). In fact they were laughin harder at this one white guy's jokes about black people then most other comedians that night.
And please the last thing this country needs is some white people protesting about how the media is racist to white people. Most white people that shout racism have probably never even talked to a black person before or any minority for that matter. All i can say is go out and educate yourself, because their is a whole world of culture that exists beyond your white world.
Originally posted by: SpongeBob
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Because most of us don't have our heads embedded securely in our asses?
Viper GTS
Oh....Bravo. How can i argue with such an intelligent statement?
Ever watch friends? 6 white people sitting around a coffee shop talking about their problems. If I was black I would probably hate the show cause I can't relate to sitting with 6 white people in a coffee shop talking about their problems. That show is basically the model for all other network sitcoms. This is why BET exists, there is a market for it. However, there is a much larger market for WET, because white people are a majority. That's why on your cable band, 95% of the stations feature shows like Friends, and maybe 5% are minority stations.
Why is it that we have to identify with everything we watch on TV? Why can't it be that we take TV for the entertainment it is and leave it at that. I'm personally a black person that owns every episode of friends and has watched each episode a couple of times (Though I am from a place where race is not such a big issue and ppl r seen 4 being ppl and not 4 the colour of their skin).
no offense ffmcobalt, but i think this thread isn't based on logic.
Your points seem to imply that their are two parallel cultures. I dont' think so. Because most African Americans today came from similar backgrounds, similar levels of status, education, finance, ancestery (mostly from Nigeria), they have a LOT more in common than a pool of randomly selected whites do. Their grandfathers ususally had the same fate as each other, they tend to dress the same, speak the same, eat the same, etc. Not to sound racist but thats why they can understand each other better, not only in thought, but also in verbal and physical communication.
in contrast:
You can be "white" and be from eastern europe, central, southern, parts of asia, and the spanish world. While these people may 'look' the same, the similarities end there. To celebrate a "white history" month would therefore be celebrated ONLY on the basis of skin color.
for example, if I was of Scottish ancestery, and am a 6th generation scot living in the U.S., would i celebrate and pay tribute to only those Americans that were of my ancestery, i.e. only the ethnic Scots? Or would I, doing as people here seem to suggest, celebrate the achievement of ANY guy who happened to have white skin? If you did the former, then you wouldn't be able to call it White History month, but "Irish month, scottish month, german month, and so on..." then it is fine. But if you are going to only do it by the color of their skin, it is not logical. Why is it called Black History month? I don't know it is illogical as well. It should be called African American History month or something like that.
we must also keep in mind the reason that this month is celebrated. African Americans have been historically oppressed people and have made contributions to this country. While Asians, hispanics, and so forth have as well, and deserve months too, they don't have the kind of history that African Americans do in this country. to some degree, it also serves as giving recognition to the fact that they are a welcome community, it is a small step to help alleviate the tensions due to the past slavery. Quite frankly, it is needed in my opinion because otherwise, we would know absolutely nothing about African american contributions to this country.
Your points seem to imply that their are two parallel cultures. I dont' think so. Because most African Americans today came from similar backgrounds, similar levels of status, education, finance, ancestery (mostly from Nigeria), they have a LOT more in common than a pool of randomly selected whites do. Their grandfathers ususally had the same fate as each other, they tend to dress the same, speak the same, eat the same, etc. Not to sound racist but thats why they can understand each other better, not only in thought, but also in verbal and physical communication.
in contrast:
You can be "white" and be from eastern europe, central, southern, parts of asia, and the spanish world. While these people may 'look' the same, the similarities end there. To celebrate a "white history" month would therefore be celebrated ONLY on the basis of skin color.
for example, if I was of Scottish ancestery, and am a 6th generation scot living in the U.S., would i celebrate and pay tribute to only those Americans that were of my ancestery, i.e. only the ethnic Scots? Or would I, doing as people here seem to suggest, celebrate the achievement of ANY guy who happened to have white skin? If you did the former, then you wouldn't be able to call it White History month, but "Irish month, scottish month, german month, and so on..." then it is fine. But if you are going to only do it by the color of their skin, it is not logical. Why is it called Black History month? I don't know it is illogical as well. It should be called African American History month or something like that.
we must also keep in mind the reason that this month is celebrated. African Americans have been historically oppressed people and have made contributions to this country. While Asians, hispanics, and so forth have as well, and deserve months too, they don't have the kind of history that African Americans do in this country. to some degree, it also serves as giving recognition to the fact that they are a welcome community, it is a small step to help alleviate the tensions due to the past slavery. Quite frankly, it is needed in my opinion because otherwise, we would know absolutely nothing about African american contributions to this country.
First of all, we as consumers have the ultimate power. If you don't like it, don't buy it...or in this case don't watch it.
What I find interesting is the US is not the only place where slavery and descrimination were commonplace. But the US is the only place where people refer to themselves as ____Americans. Black people in Britian call themselves Britians. Not AfricanBritians. Why is that?
Edit - Oh yeah, I heard FUBU was actually started by Koreans.
What I find interesting is the US is not the only place where slavery and descrimination were commonplace. But the US is the only place where people refer to themselves as ____Americans. Black people in Britian call themselves Britians. Not AfricanBritians. Why is that?
Edit - Oh yeah, I heard FUBU was actually started by Koreans.
Because Black people, Chinese people and people of any other skin coloration are considered a minority.
BET, Black History etc. is not meant to exclude any other race or culture, it's meant to enrich and provide for that culture to which it is intending to be it's MAIN audience.
Minority basically means in all literal cases, minor or less than. Ok, for example, if you look at 99 or as other ppl on here say, 95 percent of the TV stations out there - TV shows, Music, Commercials and such contain white artist/artiste/actors. BET is simply trying for an alternative. Sure there are sparse Black major acting and roles out there, but typecasting is a real problem. Networks and producers worry that if they cast a minority actor as a major role, he won't get the proper audience for his movie/show etc. So, they'll go ahead and cast a white actor instead and to offset, get one or 2 black actors that have more or less important roles in the story.
What people on here and I mean by 95 percent is white TV is that as I said before, it caters to a white audience. We all choose/have a culture to be a part of and so called 'white' TV doesn't cater to any particular culture but western or American/White culture loosely
termed.
Heres some more to think about....you look at tv shows like friends which is hugely popular...6 white actors, with about the only genre being sitting around places and chatting, and living a life as buddies. Thats purely what you'd call white TV. UPN went ahead and made TV for both white and black audiences and UPN is still lingering as one of the smallest networks out there. An example of one of the stations which went ahead to try something different and coming up with a not so good result. Other stations take heed and will cast 1 or 2 people in stable roles in shows, but never as main characters. Unless it's a more movielike, dramatic role such as E.R or Law and Order, the 1 hour shows. It's a little difficult to explain bro.
And like alot of people who don't see the point of it, even me myself once caught myself saying..."what's with the copycat stuff" or the 2 kid analogy of one eating candy and the other wanting it? when I saw hispanic soap operas on. But then you figure...what else are they to do? Sit there and be indoctrinated by shows meant and made for a white audience?
It's just like the gay community....they are a minority, because most of the world consists of a heterosexual audience. The same way heterosexuals don't necessarily enjoy seeing 2 persons of the same sex kiss or be affectionate sexually/passionately towards each other in reality or make love, etc etc etc on TV is the same way homosexuals probably don't appreciate having it thrown in their faces as the norm of a 'greater' as in bigger that is, heterosexual society. They don't like seeing that stuff as much as we don't particularly enjoy seeing their stuff.
So, they have their gay parades and will tune into gay shows and gay events on TV that cater to their social environment and culture.
They don't necessarily want or wish to EXCLUDE the hetero society, they just need a culture or environment of their own to be a part of. Like a type of solidarity. I respect in many ways gay culture alot because it's one society where race means nothing to the majority of them.
So, that is to explain....many persons of other cultures don't necessarily want to have to see that the only people that are rich and have big houses and cars in TV shows are white, or that the only people who can be Captains on the police force or in the military etc are white, or that the only leader figures out there are white or that the poor people are always black, or that the people dealing and doing drugs are black or that the only people who steal and keep running from the police are black......I dunno; you get at all what I'm sayin'?
The same way you are perturbed by seeing black people have a station all for or about them, is vice versa, but moreso because it's so much more. You'd probably understand more if you were black yourself...I dunno.
These 'Black' stations and events are meant to instill some positive feeling into being black. There have been issues with alot of children having problems identifying with society or forcing themselves to believe either that they are a 'whiter black' or that black isn't a good race or color to be because of TV and such.
I don't expect you to understand right off. But look into it and try to understand. Watch alot of TV for the next few days and see if you can put any meaning into what I've said here and then come back and discuss the results. Watch everything.....especially WB, NBC, CBS and ABC, Fox and UPN too - then go get some stats on ratings. Find out about box office movies and see who are the actors in the bigger hits - see what the movie is about and see if you can figure out who the main audience is.
Nowadays it won't be super clearcut, because as I said, stations are trying not to rule any specific audience out, but they can't really help it if they want the ratings.
My best friend won't go to see any movie with a main actor that is black unless it's Halle Berry or people like that, BIG black actors....and he doesn't watch any comedies or primetime with main or mostly black actors cuz' he doesn't really get the humor or anything. Why? Cuz' he's been trained otherwise.
Sorry to be so lengthy. I'm not arguing or anything, but answering from my own perspective, your question.
Your question as to what if these services existed....
They already do as other people have said here - just not in the form so blatantly put in literal terms.
BET, Black History etc. is not meant to exclude any other race or culture, it's meant to enrich and provide for that culture to which it is intending to be it's MAIN audience.
Minority basically means in all literal cases, minor or less than. Ok, for example, if you look at 99 or as other ppl on here say, 95 percent of the TV stations out there - TV shows, Music, Commercials and such contain white artist/artiste/actors. BET is simply trying for an alternative. Sure there are sparse Black major acting and roles out there, but typecasting is a real problem. Networks and producers worry that if they cast a minority actor as a major role, he won't get the proper audience for his movie/show etc. So, they'll go ahead and cast a white actor instead and to offset, get one or 2 black actors that have more or less important roles in the story.
What people on here and I mean by 95 percent is white TV is that as I said before, it caters to a white audience. We all choose/have a culture to be a part of and so called 'white' TV doesn't cater to any particular culture but western or American/White culture loosely
termed.
Heres some more to think about....you look at tv shows like friends which is hugely popular...6 white actors, with about the only genre being sitting around places and chatting, and living a life as buddies. Thats purely what you'd call white TV. UPN went ahead and made TV for both white and black audiences and UPN is still lingering as one of the smallest networks out there. An example of one of the stations which went ahead to try something different and coming up with a not so good result. Other stations take heed and will cast 1 or 2 people in stable roles in shows, but never as main characters. Unless it's a more movielike, dramatic role such as E.R or Law and Order, the 1 hour shows. It's a little difficult to explain bro.
And like alot of people who don't see the point of it, even me myself once caught myself saying..."what's with the copycat stuff" or the 2 kid analogy of one eating candy and the other wanting it? when I saw hispanic soap operas on. But then you figure...what else are they to do? Sit there and be indoctrinated by shows meant and made for a white audience?
It's just like the gay community....they are a minority, because most of the world consists of a heterosexual audience. The same way heterosexuals don't necessarily enjoy seeing 2 persons of the same sex kiss or be affectionate sexually/passionately towards each other in reality or make love, etc etc etc on TV is the same way homosexuals probably don't appreciate having it thrown in their faces as the norm of a 'greater' as in bigger that is, heterosexual society. They don't like seeing that stuff as much as we don't particularly enjoy seeing their stuff.
So, they have their gay parades and will tune into gay shows and gay events on TV that cater to their social environment and culture.
They don't necessarily want or wish to EXCLUDE the hetero society, they just need a culture or environment of their own to be a part of. Like a type of solidarity. I respect in many ways gay culture alot because it's one society where race means nothing to the majority of them.
So, that is to explain....many persons of other cultures don't necessarily want to have to see that the only people that are rich and have big houses and cars in TV shows are white, or that the only people who can be Captains on the police force or in the military etc are white, or that the only leader figures out there are white or that the poor people are always black, or that the people dealing and doing drugs are black or that the only people who steal and keep running from the police are black......I dunno; you get at all what I'm sayin'?
The same way you are perturbed by seeing black people have a station all for or about them, is vice versa, but moreso because it's so much more. You'd probably understand more if you were black yourself...I dunno.
These 'Black' stations and events are meant to instill some positive feeling into being black. There have been issues with alot of children having problems identifying with society or forcing themselves to believe either that they are a 'whiter black' or that black isn't a good race or color to be because of TV and such.
I don't expect you to understand right off. But look into it and try to understand. Watch alot of TV for the next few days and see if you can put any meaning into what I've said here and then come back and discuss the results. Watch everything.....especially WB, NBC, CBS and ABC, Fox and UPN too - then go get some stats on ratings. Find out about box office movies and see who are the actors in the bigger hits - see what the movie is about and see if you can figure out who the main audience is.
Nowadays it won't be super clearcut, because as I said, stations are trying not to rule any specific audience out, but they can't really help it if they want the ratings.
My best friend won't go to see any movie with a main actor that is black unless it's Halle Berry or people like that, BIG black actors....and he doesn't watch any comedies or primetime with main or mostly black actors cuz' he doesn't really get the humor or anything. Why? Cuz' he's been trained otherwise.
Sorry to be so lengthy. I'm not arguing or anything, but answering from my own perspective, your question.
Your question as to what if these services existed....
They already do as other people have said here - just not in the form so blatantly put in literal terms.
SUOrangeman
Diamond Member
- Oct 12, 1999
- 8,361
- 0
- 0
Hey! It's the bi-monthly "Why isn't there WET thread!" (Yes, if you do a little bit of searching here you'll see that a thread on this very subject matter appears one a regular interval).
I am very glad to see that some folks here have attempted to put things into perspective. Thank you and well done!
Now on to some more factual and thought-provoking information.
I am Black. I capitalize "Black" because I am proud of who I am. After all, it's not like I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and find that I belong to another race. Does being Black mean that I hate or despise everything that is not Black? Of course not!
Regardless of your racial/ethnic background, is there any reason that you shouldn't be proud of who you are? NO! However, the moment that you or I openly express negative views of someone else *primarily* based on race, then the line of racism has been crossed. If you are in tune with this line of thinking, then something like "White Pride" should not be viewed as a bad thing. Being proud of yourself should not be equated to hating someone or something else because it is not like you. It's still going to take a long time for everyone on all sides of racial lines to realize this.
Ifg I may interject a bit of humor at this point. I recently heard someone say, "You know something is wrong with the world when the best golfer is Black and the best rapper is White." Very interesting!
Now let's move on to BET. How many of you have actually watched more than 30 seconds? Have you noticed that there are probably more infomercials aired on that station than anything else? Yes, these are the same infomercials that air on other channels. Force yourself to sit down one Sunday and watch BET. I think you'd be surprised.
And how many of you know that Viacom owns BET? Although I haven't checked, I'd be willing to bet that Viacom is not nearly as diverse across its entire empire as one might expect BET to be. Does one channel explicitly dedicated to entertainment really hurt you that much? I mean, does DirectTV and the like offer hundreds of other alternatives?
And then there is UPN, Fox, and WB. Sure those powerhouse networks might offer TWO HOURS of Black-oriented programming PER WEEK. But, as you may have noticed, those shows really don't stay around long even though they were very successful. Why is that? It is very likely that the networks used these popular shows to build up funding to eventually cancel them and air other shows. Heck, I dare you to find one Black-oriented show other than Cosby that ended on its own terms (as in, the network did not cancel the show). Better yet, I'd be surprised if most of you can even name more than five Black-oriented shows in the history of television ... without having to look it up! I double dare you to name two shows that actually aired in the same era!
Now, all I ask is that I ocassionally see a face on TV that looks like mine. Is that a bad thing?
One more thing on TV. Have you ever noticed that Black shows all seem to air at the same time? I believe Damon Wayans's show will be pitted again Bernie Mac/Cedric this upcoming fall. Coincedence? Probably not. And how likely is one of them to be cancelled due to "lack of audience support?" Hmmm.
Let's move to Black leadership. (I know, tis topic hasn't come up yet.) The next time Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton show their faces on TV, I'm sure another thread will show up here thereafter complaining about them. I have a few questions for you. Who said that these two (and others) are Black leaders? When was the election? Why didn't I get to cast my vote? Sure, these folks may proclaim themselves as Black leaders ... but does that make it so? The media would have you believe it.
The next buzz word seems to be reparations. Personally, I don't believe that any money paid directly to individuals will solve anything. It might shut a few mouths ... but those mouths will only remain shut until the money is gone. Then, we are all back to square one. If the monies meant to be used as reparations is directly applied to a better solution, then I'd be more inclined to support it. At the same time, who am I to pass up free money?
My final topic for the evening is Black History Month. In a perfect world, there would be no need for Black History Month. Since its inception (W.E.B. DuBois, I believe), the whole point is to educate everyone on the accomplishments of Blacks that tend to get overlooked (primarily, in the classroom). Again, the idea here is to promote. If someone says that the race XYZ offers absolutely nothing to society ... and there are no facts to counter the statements, folks will eventually believe it. Let's not even go down that road in the first place.
Here's a quic assignment. Do some research on Mark Dean. Here's a hint or two: It's actually Dr. Mark Dean and has something to do with IBM. I'd bet you'd be surprised at what you find. Had it not been for Black History Month, I may have never known nor met the man and, as a result I couldn't share this tidbit!
Any comments? I'll even converse outside of this thread (PM or otherwise).
-SUO
I am very glad to see that some folks here have attempted to put things into perspective. Thank you and well done!
Now on to some more factual and thought-provoking information.
I am Black. I capitalize "Black" because I am proud of who I am. After all, it's not like I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and find that I belong to another race. Does being Black mean that I hate or despise everything that is not Black? Of course not!
Regardless of your racial/ethnic background, is there any reason that you shouldn't be proud of who you are? NO! However, the moment that you or I openly express negative views of someone else *primarily* based on race, then the line of racism has been crossed. If you are in tune with this line of thinking, then something like "White Pride" should not be viewed as a bad thing. Being proud of yourself should not be equated to hating someone or something else because it is not like you. It's still going to take a long time for everyone on all sides of racial lines to realize this.
Ifg I may interject a bit of humor at this point. I recently heard someone say, "You know something is wrong with the world when the best golfer is Black and the best rapper is White." Very interesting!
Now let's move on to BET. How many of you have actually watched more than 30 seconds? Have you noticed that there are probably more infomercials aired on that station than anything else? Yes, these are the same infomercials that air on other channels. Force yourself to sit down one Sunday and watch BET. I think you'd be surprised.
And how many of you know that Viacom owns BET? Although I haven't checked, I'd be willing to bet that Viacom is not nearly as diverse across its entire empire as one might expect BET to be. Does one channel explicitly dedicated to entertainment really hurt you that much? I mean, does DirectTV and the like offer hundreds of other alternatives?
And then there is UPN, Fox, and WB. Sure those powerhouse networks might offer TWO HOURS of Black-oriented programming PER WEEK. But, as you may have noticed, those shows really don't stay around long even though they were very successful. Why is that? It is very likely that the networks used these popular shows to build up funding to eventually cancel them and air other shows. Heck, I dare you to find one Black-oriented show other than Cosby that ended on its own terms (as in, the network did not cancel the show). Better yet, I'd be surprised if most of you can even name more than five Black-oriented shows in the history of television ... without having to look it up! I double dare you to name two shows that actually aired in the same era!
Now, all I ask is that I ocassionally see a face on TV that looks like mine. Is that a bad thing?
One more thing on TV. Have you ever noticed that Black shows all seem to air at the same time? I believe Damon Wayans's show will be pitted again Bernie Mac/Cedric this upcoming fall. Coincedence? Probably not. And how likely is one of them to be cancelled due to "lack of audience support?" Hmmm.
Let's move to Black leadership. (I know, tis topic hasn't come up yet.) The next time Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton show their faces on TV, I'm sure another thread will show up here thereafter complaining about them. I have a few questions for you. Who said that these two (and others) are Black leaders? When was the election? Why didn't I get to cast my vote? Sure, these folks may proclaim themselves as Black leaders ... but does that make it so? The media would have you believe it.
The next buzz word seems to be reparations. Personally, I don't believe that any money paid directly to individuals will solve anything. It might shut a few mouths ... but those mouths will only remain shut until the money is gone. Then, we are all back to square one. If the monies meant to be used as reparations is directly applied to a better solution, then I'd be more inclined to support it. At the same time, who am I to pass up free money?
My final topic for the evening is Black History Month. In a perfect world, there would be no need for Black History Month. Since its inception (W.E.B. DuBois, I believe), the whole point is to educate everyone on the accomplishments of Blacks that tend to get overlooked (primarily, in the classroom). Again, the idea here is to promote. If someone says that the race XYZ offers absolutely nothing to society ... and there are no facts to counter the statements, folks will eventually believe it. Let's not even go down that road in the first place.
Here's a quic assignment. Do some research on Mark Dean. Here's a hint or two: It's actually Dr. Mark Dean and has something to do with IBM. I'd bet you'd be surprised at what you find. Had it not been for Black History Month, I may have never known nor met the man and, as a result I couldn't share this tidbit!
Any comments? I'll even converse outside of this thread (PM or otherwise).
-SUO
Originally posted by: SUOrangeman
Hey! It's the bi-monthly "Why isn't there WET thread!" (Yes, if you do a little bit of searching here you'll see that a thread on this very subject matter appears one a regular interval).
I am very glad to see that some folks here have attempted to put things into perspective. Thank you and well done!
Now on to some more factual and thought-provoking information.
I am Black. I capitalize "Black" because I am proud of who I am. After all, it's not like I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and find that I belong to another race. Does being Black mean that I hate or despise everything that is not Black? Of course not!
Regardless of your racial/ethnic background, is there any reason that you shouldn't be proud of who you are? NO! However, the moment that you or I openly express negative views of someone else *primarily* based on race, then the line of racism has been crossed. If you are in tune with this line of thinking, then something like "White Pride" should not be viewed as a bad thing. Being proud of yourself should not be equated to hating someone or something else because it is not like you. It's still going to take a long time for everyone on all sides of racial lines to realize this.
Ifg I may interject a bit of humor at this point. I recently heard someone say, "You know something is wrong with the world when the best golfer is Black and the best rapper is White." Very interesting!
Now let's move on to BET. How many of you have actually watched more than 30 seconds? Have you noticed that there are probably more infomercials aired on that station than anything else? Yes, these are the same infomercials that air on other channels. Force yourself to sit down one Sunday and watch BET. I think you'd be surprised.
And how many of you know that Viacom owns BET? Although I haven't checked, I'd be willing to bet that Viacom is not nearly as diverse across its entire empire as one might expect BET to be. Does one channel explicitly dedicated to entertainment really hurt you that much? I mean, does DirectTV and the like offer hundreds of other alternatives?
And then there is UPN, Fox, and WB. Sure those powerhouse networks might offer TWO HOURS of Black-oriented programming PER WEEK. But, as you may have noticed, those shows really don't stay around long even though they were very successful. Why is that? It is very likely that the networks used these popular shows to build up funding to eventually cancel them and air other shows. Heck, I dare you to find one Black-oriented show other than Cosby that ended on its own terms (as in, the network did not cancel the show). Better yet, I'd be surprised if most of you can even name more than five Black-oriented shows in the history of television ... without having to look it up! I double dare you to name two shows that actually aired in the same era!
Now, all I ask is that I ocassionally see a face on TV that looks like mine. Is that a bad thing?
One more thing on TV. Have you ever noticed that Black shows all seem to air at the same time? I believe Damon Wayans's show will be pitted again Bernie Mac/Cedric this upcoming fall. Coincedence? Probably not. And how likely is one of them to be cancelled due to "lack of audience support?" Hmmm.
Let's move to Black leadership. (I know, tis topic hasn't come up yet.) The next time Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton show their faces on TV, I'm sure another thread will show up here thereafter complaining about them. I have a few questions for you. Who said that these two (and others) are Black leaders? When was the election? Why didn't I get to cast my vote? Sure, these folks may proclaim themselves as Black leaders ... but does that make it so? The media would have you believe it.
The next buzz word seems to be reparations. Personally, I don't believe that any money paid directly to individuals will solve anything. It might shut a few mouths ... but those mouths will only remain shut until the money is gone. Then, we are all back to square one. If the monies meant to be used as reparations is directly applied to a better solution, then I'd be more inclined to support it. At the same time, who am I to pass up free money?
My final topic for the evening is Black History Month. In a perfect world, there would be no need for Black History Month. Since its inception (W.E.B. DuBois, I believe), the whole point is to educate everyone on the accomplishments of Blacks that tend to get overlooked (primarily, in the classroom). Again, the idea here is to promote. If someone says that the race XYZ offers absolutely nothing to society ... and there are no facts to counter the statements, folks will eventually believe it. Let's not even go down that road in the first place.
Here's a quic assignment. Do some research on Mark Dean. Here's a hint or two: It's actually Dr. Mark Dean and has something to do with IBM. I'd bet you'd be surprised at what you find. Had it not been for Black History Month, I may have never known nor met the man and, as a result I couldn't share this tidbit!
Any comments? I'll even converse outside of this thread (PM or otherwise).
-SUO
Hey SuOrangeman i agree with you. I know most Blacks don't subscribe to Al Sharpeton's or Louis Farrakhans viewpoints. They give a bad name to Blacks IMO. By the way, since this is anonymous and won't get my as5 kicked by you (j/k), is it better to say African American, or Black? Personally, I'd prefer African American I think because Blacks mostly aren't really black. And Whites aren't really white (color). Besides, the name suggests an extreme contrast, which suggests major differences, i think those terms do nothing more than divide society. Fact is most whites don't know what to categorize themselves other than white because they usually are a blend. But my German American and Irish American friends are VERY German-Irish proud. One of my Irish american friends still talks trash about the Brits!
SUOrangeman
Diamond Member
- Oct 12, 1999
- 8,361
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Black vs. African-American
Anyone who really makes a stink of one term over the other has a much bigger problem. As long as you aren't implying any negative connotations, you won't have a problem with me. Hopefully, you won't have any problems with anyone.
As a few posts have indicated, African-American can encompass anyone having ties to both continents. However, most folks mos likely mean "Black Afrcian-Americans."
-SUO
Anyone who really makes a stink of one term over the other has a much bigger problem. As long as you aren't implying any negative connotations, you won't have a problem with me. Hopefully, you won't have any problems with anyone.
As a few posts have indicated, African-American can encompass anyone having ties to both continents. However, most folks mos likely mean "Black Afrcian-Americans."
-SUO
IMO Blacks and Latinos have a hard time merging with society as it is now. They remain fiercely defensive about thier race. A prime example is the Ingelwood cop "beating" case. Because the cop was white, and the kid was black... it's automatically labled a racism instead of the cop just being a complete idiot. It may have been, but w/o anythign jsut ppl just seeing the video, people have been calling it racism. Asians and Europeans seem to have a much easier time, probably due to the majority being more financially well off, but not maney start claiming everything wrong has happened to them is all due to racism.
BET's advertising consists mostly of products geared toward black people, so WET would have to do the same
Pat Boone Anthologies, Gap, and Old Millwaulkee brewery products to name a few. <--- OK it took me a long time to get three items stereotypically purchased by White people....that included a Google Search and are not really that good.
I am just kidding here people. I was in the same mindset...why not have White Pride? What's wrong with puttin on a dress and blowing some pipes to cheer my Irish/Scottish/English heritage?
It would be very unpopular in reality. We can celebrate our heritage. Are there truely any "White" people?
Then the comment about the Chinese not having Chinese Pride Month fit a hole in my "What If/Why Not/Doncha Wonder Why" box.
Makes sense. I am not bothered by Black History Month. I remember in school (1980-1993) where we would learn about Harriet Tubman and George Washington Parker (Never could figure the relation to the president
). I didn't find it racist to learn about them. I did find it odd that February was the only month they may have been mentioned during the whole year. Let it be. It follows my motto, "whatever floats your boat, as long as it doesn't spill my beer" philosophy
Have a friggin parade celebrating your red hair or left handedness (good idea, leftys unite...red hair is just plain spooky)
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