Let's Play Where in the World?

Where in the world was the Black "establishment" during the HGM controversy? Why were ordinary folks left to fend for ourselves? Let's have a roll call. Who were the folks that should have spoken out that didn't?

Today was a VICTORY for ordinary Black folks EVERYWHERE! When our "leaders" were MIA, we held our own! If you can't come out against something called "Hot Ghetto Mess" what is the use of having them at all?

Comments

[AJ]

I think Oprah would have had an impact.

[The Angry Independent]

Still Proud of you Gina!

I won't bug you with any long e-mails this time... but I will say that I hope that the program, and the network dies. From the roundtable description it sounded like a dud.

This network is a perfect example of why I despise modern Black "pop" culture, reject it relentlessly, hate its values, and don't associate myself with it or with the poison that it spews. I don't watch Black Exploitation TV...haven't watched it in over a decade. And just listening to the description of the different programs that the network is showing, it is enough to make me sick to my stomach. But it should be no surprise. Black folks (not all, but many) have been swallowing this stuff... and supporting it for years... which led these beasts at BET into believing that they could push a show like this one without being challenged.

I would love to wake up one morning and hear that BET no longer exists. And it's not just BET...but the promotion of the whole BET culture... whether its with the rappers, the minstrel movies, the Beyonce's in popular music, all of it. As well as these fake Civil Rights leaders.
All of it makes me sick.

I'm tired of hearing about this show.... and BET. As you mentioned... we may have inadvertently been the biggest promoters of the program... they probably owe you and the other Bloggers a lot of money.

But i'm all worn out from HGM.

What we have to do is start laying the groundwork for the death of BET as an entity. I'm not talking about making it such a pain in the ass for Viacom that they spin it off for some other corporation to buy it and continue the mental genocide. I'm talking about pulling the plug on BET and getting rid of it for good. This network and the pimps who run it have been a Cancer on "Black America"...and me as a Black male, for a number of years now.

The pounding has to be relentless. parallel to the fight against BET, we must also hit this Rap industry. The commercial rap industry and BET have been like a one-two punch, harming the so called "Black community" and the Black image (from within)...and this has been going on for years now.

It's a shame that Black folks would mobilize and protest in favor of a child molester (R. Kelly), but up until recently, would barely make a whimper about the destruction of the Black image, the degradation of their own women and girls, and the daily mental poisoning of their own children.

Lucky for BET and its pimps that this is a nation of laws...and they can hide behind the Constitution, the 1st amendment and so forth.... If this were a less accommodating country.... they wouldn't be allowed to get away with this like they have. Many other cultures would not have allowed their people to be degraded the way that BET has been degrading Black people in this country. This network and its cooning... is how we are represented to the wider world. The BET culture has become the image of Black folks in many parts of the world. We will feel the repercussions of the damage that the BET culture is causing, years after BET is gone (and I do hope they will be gone before I leave this earth... that's one thing I definitely look forward to seeing before I die). I hate BET and the BET culture more than I hate the KKK. BET is harming us from within... Of course the harm is coming in a different form, but it may be just as damaging.

And I don't understand why Black folks supported this network for so long or why so many Black folks continue to support it, even when there are good alternatives like TVOne and the BFC (Black Family Channel). Did you hear what happened to BFC? This is a perfect example of what I mean about Black support...Black folks are supporting what is harming the so called community rather than the things that would help build it up. Go over to my blog at Mirror On America and type Black Family Channel into the search box at the top... and a post entitled "Black Family Channel Folds" should come up.

Anyway... I have written too much.
See.... it's because I am passionate on this topic.

Killing this organization will probably take years... but it's something that is necessary (along with the larger fight to restore true "Black Culture" & bring back some level of pride). Like the rap industry, BET hijacked modern Black culture several years ago and has been presenting itself as the image or face of the culture...or what it means to be Black. But BET's values run counter to mine.... They don't represent me....never have, and never will.

Gina (& others) if you're serious about this... and you are not wishy washy.... you will have this bloggers support. Even if we cat fight about trivial matters (I can't even recall what the cat fight was about the other day)...My eyes are too focused on this larger issue. I am tired of seeing my image being debased day in and day out...on TV, in print media, online... you name it.. it's everywhere. Done mostly by my own so-called "people". This is why I never considered myself... a part of this modern Black culture (the culture that has emerged over the last 20 years or so that has overshadowed our rich legacy and heritage... the real Black culture). AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE that I recognize. I don't recognize this modern Black pop culture nonsense as really being representative of "us". I wish there was a proud modern Black culture that I could embrace... but it's just not there... at least it's not in the forefront where it belongs.

I can recall several times in H.S. and college where I had to explain to white folks (in essence) why I actually liked doing the work and liked to strive for good grades. There is this perception, often perpetrated by the BET culture, that Black males are unintelligent, lazy, etc. So this has been building up in me for years. This is why I get heated on this subject. And of course we also have to address the underlying issues that lead to this...and allows BET to put out this kind of programming.

Anyway... it's time for Debra Lee to start planning her retirement, and it's time for Hudlin and the other lead Minstrels to start looking for another line of work.

And Gina... please don't forget the Cable TV situation... if that could somehow become law.. then BET would probably be toast within a short time.

[Native Son]

Actually I think we proved that we can do a lot on the grass roots level. Gina you headed it and the rest of us followed and look what happened? They were so twisted that they had cut, paste and edit a show tha twas all ready a mess, to bascially random clips and a host that lookd like an idiot. It would have been nice if the NAACP or the Urban League would have commented and spoke out about it though

Native Son

http://nativeson.wordpress.com

[4mypeople]

Hey! I really like you blog and good work on that BET mess,but I was wondering about something. I went over to that afronerd blog and I see that they intend on interviewing you. Why? I have checked out that blog and their radio show a few times and that afronerd guy is a loud mouth, self indulgent jerk. This guy is just trying to get traffic, we all see that. While he is talking and doing nothing, you are actually working at making change for the better. Please reconsider. he seems to enjoy hearing himself speak, let's leave him to enjoy his audience of 1.

[Ehav Ever]

The fact that average people stood up and had an affect goes to show that one should not need to rely on anyone's establishment to make change. Maybe this is also a sign of where some people are and where they aren't. I think it is better that the average person had the moral dignity to stand up against this. Good job.

[rikyrah]

I heard you on Roland S. Martin this morning. You were terrific.

[g-e-m2001]

rikyrah,

I was afraid that I came off at too combative, but I was surprised at how he initially came at me so he got my hackles up int hat first segment.

[Heavenly Zeta]

In my opinion, the "black" community has quite a few "leaders"...everyday folk like you and I, the masses who take a stand and say "NO MORE" to those who would disrespect us.
Al and Jesse ain't leaders to me...I can't point to any one thing they've done that has had any lasting impact upon black folks in the last 25 years.
We (blacks) would do well to stop waiting on other folks to save us and start doing the hard work and making the hard choices to get us to where we want to be.

[Baba Kifo]

Wait, did I read that right? I don't mean to be argumentative, but did you just imply that the Af-Am community has Leaders? Where? Who?

[g-e-m2001]

HAHAHAHA! Ask Cable TV.