Saturday
Jan122008
Trying To Have Your Cake And Eat It Too!
Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 2:27PM The Blogmother
By Professor Tracey, WAOD Contributor
Tonight, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters has been selected for a 2008 BET Honors Award. I will find her acceptance of the award highly contradictory and disturbing considering that preventing violence against women and girls is a part of her political platform. Additionally, she has also been highly critically of rap music and hip hop culture in the past. How can she possibly accept an award from a company like BET that promotes negative, sexist, and violent images of black women and girls?
People turn down awards all the time. For me, Congressman Waters is going against everything she stands for by accepting this award from BET. If you agree, let her know. Contact Congresswoman Waters at this link.
I am not just picking on Congresswoman Waters either, I am not particularly pleased with any of the other honorees either, particularly talk show host Tyra Banks, who claims to be so interested in improving the self-esteem and body image of women and girls, but will be cheesing tonight accepting an award from the channel that regularly challenges any positive feelings women and girls may have about themselves. And not to mention, Brother Cornell West, who earned at special blasting on my blog.
Protesting BET and going after their advertisers are extremely powerful and positive steps, but we must also challenge the people who talk out of both sides of their mouths, pretending to support women and girls, but take awards from companies like BET that do damage to women and girls and the entire black community!
Tonight, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters has been selected for a 2008 BET Honors Award. I will find her acceptance of the award highly contradictory and disturbing considering that preventing violence against women and girls is a part of her political platform. Additionally, she has also been highly critically of rap music and hip hop culture in the past. How can she possibly accept an award from a company like BET that promotes negative, sexist, and violent images of black women and girls?People turn down awards all the time. For me, Congressman Waters is going against everything she stands for by accepting this award from BET. If you agree, let her know. Contact Congresswoman Waters at this link.
I am not just picking on Congresswoman Waters either, I am not particularly pleased with any of the other honorees either, particularly talk show host Tyra Banks, who claims to be so interested in improving the self-esteem and body image of women and girls, but will be cheesing tonight accepting an award from the channel that regularly challenges any positive feelings women and girls may have about themselves. And not to mention, Brother Cornell West, who earned at special blasting on my blog.
Protesting BET and going after their advertisers are extremely powerful and positive steps, but we must also challenge the people who talk out of both sides of their mouths, pretending to support women and girls, but take awards from companies like BET that do damage to women and girls and the entire black community!
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BET Honors Awards
Reader Comments (15)
hmmm do I sense a "wagging finger of shame award " coming on?
I hope she doesn't accept the award. I would lose a lot of respect for Rep. Waters.
And Tyra Banks has already fallen off my radar of celebrities I like.
OH but don't you know this is nothing more than Debra lee buying friends and influencing people while her house is surrounded by angry church folks. This is all a big tea party on the Viacom Shareholder's dime.
She'll accept it.
The CBC, BET, NAACP, Black Hollywood and the CRIC have been in cahoots for some time now. This is how R. Kelly can get an NAACP "Image" award after raping a young girl. It's how the King family can (personally) honor Nelly in St. Louis on MLK Day a few years back (this was after the controversy started about one of his more offensive videos)...
It's starting to become more difficult for me to distinguish one from the other. In fact, it has been that way for a long time. The lines have been blurred on so many different issues. That's why I hate being Black.
The Black elite sees BET as a way to keep their image on screen, & as a vehicle for maintaining relevance. The CBC sees itself as being part of that Black elite or Black Hollywood.
This is why CBC members schmooze so much with Black Hollywood celebs & R&B/Hip Hop stars.
I see them all as fruit from the same disease infected tree.
While the CBC is concerned with the spotlight and looking good for the cameras, so-called "Black America"/"Black Culture" continues to go to Hell.
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Since this is a site about daughters... take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCzbq8sOPcw" REL="nofollow">what your daughters are craving.(watch the other videos).
I'm just glad that i'm not a Father... especially to a Black Girl. I would have to move to Wyoming and put her in private school. Rap is already banned in my home, so that's half the battle.
I live in a mixed area in South St. Louis County... (the opposite of St. Louis's Little Baghdad- North St. Louis City and County) and I still don't feel like i'm far enough away. The thugs started to move into my area a few years ago... and I don't have the money to leave. If I could I would go as far away from these animals as my income would take me.
Oh... and here's another example of the http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00012993.html" REL="nofollow">lines blurring in "Black America". I see it all the time.
Angry Independent said: That's why I hate being Black. That is deep. I do not hate being black, I hate the fact that those ignorant jackasses are black.
As for that video, this daughter is not craving that. And I bet that video is being bought by suburban white dudes to satisfy their sexual addiction to black violence and porn.
SHAME on Maxine Waters. I will send my disapproval of her accepting that award. It is not too late to return it.
Tyra Banks makes perfect sense. She made her living by selling herself in poses very similar to the lost women of BET.
Gina, could we make our own list of the 100 black women who aren't trying to have thier cake and eat it too? Black women in the public eye, or not, but influential, who are positively impacting black women and girls by direct or indirect means. You said that 08 was the year to get Dangerous, lets identify and reach out to those really dangerous women and acknowledge them. Like a reverse BET award.
I COULD, but so could you. I am only one woman. I can't do it all. There is nothing stopping you from coming up with the list. Tami is working on 28 posts for February highlighting Black women trailblazers and Symphony does Black women You ought to know every Friday. So why don't you start compiling a list with other readers and we will post it.
2008 is also the year Gina accepts her limitations and does not get over extended. Not that I don't want to, but you are more than capable of doing the same thing and we can post it.
DONE. Anyone who would like to contribute let me know...Gina, expect a list soon to post that others can add to...
The only justification for Rep. Maxine Waters accepting the BET Award is to get on stage and "let them have it" for the horrible images of Black women the network has promoted. I doubt she will do it, but that would be a possible justification for her appearance on the show.
As for Tyra Banks, I'm not surprised. She will grin her way through the program.
If Waters accepts this award without challenging BET, she will have lost a lot of her credibility equity.
Sadly, I cannot understand why Cornel West would want a BET Award. He isn't running for office,is he?
I think my "Sit Your Azz Down" list needs to be updated.
Pastor Coates was right and I was wrong.
Sidebar: Is there anyway that you can remove the show with Pastor Coates and me from the Black Women's Roundtable archive??? LOL.
OK, I'm late. Sorry. She already accepted the award. Darn. Darn. Darn.
Attorneymom said: Pastor Coates was right and I was wrong.
WOW... now that's a classy woman right there, y'all! It takes a truly honest woman to admit a change of heart. Most people would just go silent about it and not mention it at all.
I am surprised about Maxine Waters, but I'm not surprised about Tyra Banks. She has never been forceful about speaking up for black women and girls. Also, she is part of the elite black entertainment establishment. Can u really expect her to go against the status quo? I'm not saying she shouldn't be held accountable, but no one should be surprised.
If you want to contact Maxine Walters, note that the email link only works if you live within her district.
If you know folks in California and especially in her district, spread the word!
Oh Tyra. Such a disappointment. It's bad enough she had silly interviews w/ Barack & Hill but now this? This coming from the woman trying to dissuade women from porn stardom. The same woman that touts sisterhood & tries to tackle pressuring immages of women in the media accept an award from BET?