Shelia Johnson Pulls an "Adolph Eichmann" -Has Blood on Her Hands

Well boo freaking whoo. Shelia Johnson is trying to protect the veneer of "respectability" by condemning BET 's descent into the bowels of HELL.  It must be hard out there on the country-club circuit being known at the "Matriarch of BET". What Shelia- you don't want to claim your cousins Tiny, Toya, Frankie and Neffie?  Are they sniggling and giggling at the stables and wine tastings?

Y'all Shelia  says that she thinks BET is directly responsible for an increase in AIDs infections in the District of Columbia:

Johnson—who was at the Tribeca Film Festival this week for the premiere of The Other City, a searing, but ultimately hopeful documentary she produced about the AIDS epidemic in Washington, D.C.—says BET is making matters worse, and potentially contributing to the spread of AIDS, by promoting promiscuous, unprotected sex in raunchy late-night rap videos.

It wasn’t always that way. “When we started BET, it was going to be the Ebony magazine on television,” Johnson tells me. “We had public affairs programming. We had news… I had a show called Teen Summit, we had a large variety of programming, but the problem is that then the video revolution started up… And then something started happening, and I didn’t like it at all. And I remember during those days we would sit up and watch these videos and decide which ones were going on and which ones were not. We got a lot of backlash from recording artists…and we had to start showing them. I didn’t like the way women were being portrayed in these videos.” Daily Beast

Wait. Wait. let me see if I understand. You mean to tell me that half illiterate recording artists in a pre-Itunes age had enough clout to FORCE poor little Shelia to play something on her television station. Funny.

In undergrad we had to read the autobiography of Adolph Eichmann. Eichmann was a Nazi officer. A real Nazi, not the kind we bandy about today on cable news. His rank was about the equivalent of a lieutenant. So he wasn't a general, but he was an officer. He was a logistics specialist who managed the mass deportations of people who would eventually end up in concentration camps.  After the war, he fled to Argentina, but the Israelis eventually caught up with Eichman almost 20 years later and he was put on trial for crimes against humanity. His defense at trial was that he was "just following orders." He was executed.

Shelia Johnson would have us believe that she was a slave subject to the whims of Snoop Dog and I'm not buying it.  But it must be nice to engage in revisionist history.  I guess these little documentaries she puts out every year at  the Tribeca Film festival are her way of washing away the stain of her blood drenched billion dollar pay off  from Viacom.

The sale to Viacom happened AFTER BET started running BET Uncut and I don't recall hearing you scream about The Great Descent when you were cashing Viacom's checks.  And while its all well and good that you are exposing Black children to horses. Your steps to ameliorate a scourge you directly benefitted from is in no way comparable to the damage you were complicit in creating.

So just to be clear Shelia Johnson, if BET is contributing to the spread of the HIV virus, then you have blood on your hands. And a couple of film festival documentaries and an interview with The Daily Beast won't remove the stain. I have no problem with Black people making money. More power to you! But don't try to act as if you were some helpless victim.

Enjoy your billions, you earned them. Enjoy Heaven on Earth because if there is any justice in the universe...

Comments

[MommieDearest]

I read about this yesterday. I don't have a problem with her saying how much she hates
BET for what it has become. And I don't have a problem with her not letting her kids watch it. Lord knows I don't let MY child watch. I don't even have a problem with her benefiting from the sale of BET to Viacom. Shoot, her blood, sweat and tears went into building that network, so she needed to get paid too. My issue is with her trying to distance herself from the decline of BET and act like she was a victim in all of this. She can't turn back the clock and take a stand and refuse to play the offensive videos. But she can "woman up" and say, "I was wrong to cave in and compromise my values for a dollar. I regret my decision to "go along to get along" and now I believe the black community is paying for it. I cannot change the past, but I am committed to doing what I can to have a positive impact moving forward and to help our youth reach their full potential." (or something to that effect....) A sincere apology and concrete action to do better goes a long way.

[JJ]

U act like folk can't change their minds about something.

The network isn't the network she started off with - BET wasn't always hot garbage and she admits that. She also admitted that pressure from the labels to play artists videos led to the network playing things she found objectionable.

She appeared sincere in her apology - and she does pretty important work now highlighting the AIDS epidemic in DC.

I don't need people to be perfect

On another point - Tiny and Toya ARE NOT Frankie and Neffie - lumping them together is unfair to the first two. And while it is not my type of show - I've seen enough to know that they are a couple of women trying to take care of business and their families - nothing wrong with that - definitely not your typical reality show starring black women.

[BLKSeaGoat]

Umm,

Sheila and Bobby were at the helm of BET when it began its short descent into hell. I just want her to be honest and say what Bobby's said all along, THAT THEY WERE IN IT FOR THE MONEY! Nothing else. No amount of pandering documentary making, apologizing is going to suffice.

Sheila was and is just as bad as her ex-husband and I sincerely hope he and she rot in hell.

[Lorraine]

Thanks for brilliantly articulating what most of us were thinking or should have been thinking all along. I don't begrudge Sheila Johnson's background, climb or billions, but it did indeed come at a price to black women and girls in DC and all over the country.

You better believe that security is tight at that country club and "Tiny, Toya, Frankie and Neffie" are not allowed on the premises. I don't even think she would let them clean up after the horses.

Sheila Johnson does appear to display some contrition but is she really being honest to herself? How about to the victims now living with AIDS? She has personally worked with and contributed to numerous charities around the world but most millionaires do participate in some kind of philantropic endeavors.

Bottom line, your point on summation shines the light where it should be shining. But I'm afraid yours is the only court willing to put Sheila Johnson on trial.

[LaJane Galt]

It's only contrition when you are honest.

"something started happening" is not contrition. It is obfuscation and an attempt to abscond from real responsibility.

This is a monster that they made and all of the itty bitty documentaries they make (would you trust these two to tell any more stories) aren't going to hide the fact that they sold their people down the river.

I mean really, what kind of network do they have now? What kind of power do they have now?

JJ~ your apology is pathetic. UNCUT came on before they left. As for pressure from the labels, that came only after they willingly sold to Viacom who owns the labels. They.sold.out.

They are not victims. They are greedy @ss negroes who threw us under the bus and got away with it until recently. I don't begrudge them their wealth, I will hold the accountable for and never forgive them for squandering the opportunity to improve our collective image. The Johnsons won. We lost.

[BLKSeaGoat]

LaJane,

c-o-s-i-g-n-e-d

[Scipio Africanus]

Poor Tiny and Toya. Just because they're both hood and obviously have minimal education, people ascribe things to them they're not guilty of. Toya comes off as a very sweet girl who seems to have engaged in zero nonsense or drama, and the same for Tiny. Now Frankie and Neffie? Those two are a different can of worms, and they shouldn't be lumped in with the former.

It seems to me like BET was a bit crazier maybe 4 to 5 years ago. BET Uncut got yanked off the air back in 2006.

I do wish they could find a way to revert back to the Good Old Days of Teen Summit, though. I went to two tapings of that as a teenager, and loved it. I felt like those kids on that show were my real friends.

Nowadays, BET is mostly reruns of recent black sitcoms (The Game, Girlfriends, wtc.); some black movie they'll show over and over again for 2 months at a time; Gospel programming; 106th (presumably the primary generator of this controversy); and the Monique Show.

Due to the fact that most Hip-Hop has been garbage since about 2000 or so, when I stopped following it closely, I don't really have a horse in that race.

[Val]

Sheila Johnson is getting old and trying to re-write history to save her legacy. She and her husband put BET on the path its on before they left. It was with those two at the helm that public affairs programming disappeared. So she needs to accept her role and not try to change the truth after the fact.

[blkchik]

Well bring out the violins for Sheila. But I do kind understand what she is saying because somewhere along maybe in the late 90s early 2000s hip hop did started to dominate black music, I mean these days if you put out a RnB album they automatically put you in a neo soul category like you are in some niche. The industry is really starting to treat RnB like its Jazz making it seem like "old folks" or "old school" music.
I saw a documentary on Soul Train, and it kind of lost its relevance because Don Cornelius wasn't getting on the hip hop train, so there is some truth to what Sheila is saying.

[truth p]

Co-sign with BSG.Sheila and Bob are sell outs.They sold out for the doe long ago.And yes they do have blood on their hands along with irresponsible parents.

I don't like when people do things that directly or indirectly cause me harm.I defitnetly feel like they as well as the new owners owe me money for everytime that I have been called a b word for turning down some random strange males advances.They help to brainwash and indoctrinate many latchkey kids parented by single mothers.these folks were raised by tv and they have no sense at all.Of course I think many in the bc owes me as well for allowing the oow rate to get the way it is as it has directly affected my ability to live a peaceful life....for the moment.

[revmamaafrika.com]

Sis. Gina, your piece was definitely on point; Sis. Sheila is just having great pangs of guilt . . . after all these years.
:) :)

[Faith]

For all of Mrs. Johnson's "sorrow" she hasn't donated her billion + to charity has she? That would be a NO!

[gem2001]

"For all of Mrs. Johnson’s “sorrow” she hasn’t donated her billion + to charity has she? That would be a NO!"
<-------BWHWHWHA

Hey, she got a new man to take care of. .. and horses too.

[shell]

I think people(and rightly so) equate Tiny and Toya to Frankie and Neffie (and every black woman on reality) because look what they have done. Sure Tiny co-wrote Scrubs, but what has she done in the last ten years beside stick with a guy who obviously has 'issues' with commitment and the law. Toya, sorry but dating Lil Wayne is a character flaw. They are just a symptom of what is going on with the public perception of black women. They tell young women, forget education and having morals, the only way you're going to get a black man is to be a 'down or ride or die chick' who knows how to get a good weave and look cute. These women have no life of their own, it's all built around a famous relative or lover. BET is just catering to the AA public who has a disturbing fascination with celebrity. Why do we care to watch these women just because they date TI and Lil Wayne or related to Keshia Cole. BET is a symptom of the apathetic lifestyle so popular in the black community. I never watch too many of these videos or reality shows because they seem to characterize black women as superficial and not too bright.

[LD]

Agree with Shell and Truth.

Lets remember, this is the same Tiny and Toya who allowed their young daughters to go on stage at the BET awards and dance to lil wayne's(the father of Toya's daughter) "F*#k Every Girl In the World" song. These women don't deserve pitty.

[Constructive Feedback]

Hold on a minute!!!
Let's LOGICALLY play this one out.

If Shelia Johnson (and Bob) are to be blamed for the content that they allowed on their network as they controlled the button to the "green light"......what do we say about the long line of "Sambo performers" who answered the casting call?

I have a problem with the tendency to place all of the blame on the "responsible people" - those with AUTHORITY who "should know better".

"You should know better" and its twin brother called DIGNITY needs to be disbursed throughout our society and our race in particular.

Failing to do so creates the "inferiority effect" in which those individuals who are merely being filmed while acting ignorant are effectively excused. Only the Shelia Johnson's of the world who chose to retransmit the ignorance gets blamed.

The content providers are still able to perform at local venues for the people who pay to see them. Thus the question must be asked of you:

Do you have a problem with the CONTENT itself or do you have a problem with the Johnson's RETRANSMITTING it?

If we are going to manage the "human resources" in our communities, reducing the time that is wasted on this foolishness then we need to not just go after the "retransmitters" but the original content producers as well. Many of them have grown wealthy from:

* Singing about how they sold drugs in our community
* Issuing threats to kill any Black man that steps to them
* Referring to Black women as sex objects on their million selling album
* Providing the medium by which White folks call us the N-word as they lipsync the music that is playing on their iPhone.

[Dan Tres OMi]

BUt what's Ms. Johnson's point?
thats my thing..

and yes BET began its descent WAAAAYYY before being purchased by Viacom.

I guess some people are better off tending to their horses then giving interviews.

[gem2001]

@constructive feedback nice obfuscation and redirection. Of course the performers are culpable as well, but this issue is the DEGREE of responsibility. I'm responsible for what I do with the resources I controlled. No one can make a PLAUSIBLE argument that anyone other than the OWNERS of a property ultimately were responsible for what happens on that property. In the law and in life, there are degrees of responsibility.

Th s isn't an either or proposition and no sane person would think so. We've hammered artists before as well. This post was about SHELIA JOHNSON if Snoop Dog had been interviewed he would have been excoriated as well.

[Constructive Feedback]

[quote]@constructive feedback nice obfuscation and redirection.[/quote]

gem2001:

Of course you would see it this way.

I am going to make a YouTube video.
I am going to ask the "good ole boys" who repaired my tire earlier today to agree to be filmed "lipsynching" the lyrics to the latest "Young Jeezy" song that has gone Platinum. "N-words" and "death threats against Black people" and everything else contained within these lyrics.

After publishing the video on YouTube I will post the address of their tire repair place along with an e-mail address to reach these "good ole boys" and then will sit back and observe the reaction once the video goes "viral".

Since there is no "record company" or "broadcast network" standing between the content performers and the consumers - YOUR 'obfuscation attempt" upon BET, MTV, Sony, Electra, BMI, etc will be taken away.

We will then see if the attributes of the "content performer" has any bearing upon the proclivity of the "Protectors of Blackness" to attack or rain silence down upon them.

The main point that I am saying is that if you TAKE AWAY BET..........those who are not asked to live up to any particular standard will merely begin selling their CDs and video DVDs out of the back of their cars. The IGNORANT CONTENT won't change one bit.

Thus the question is again: Are we chasing after "corporations" who "should know better" or are we managing EVERYONE as if they are EQUAL, regardless of their position and associations?

[BLKSeaGoat]

Astroturf logic 101.

[LD]

"……….those who are not asked to live up to any particular standard will merely begin selling their CDs and video DVDs out of the back of their cars. "

Everyone is not running to the back of Tyrone's trunk; we live in an ipod, iphone world. Im not sure if Tomfoolery greatest hits would make it to itunes.

Besides, after his weekend debunk in NY I wouldn't be surprise if there is regulations put in place about out of car hustles.

[TamTamm]

Thank you for calling BS on this one! I just love the delayed indignation she is feeling nearly a decade (or maybe a little longer) after BET became EBT (yeah you read right!)

[Constructive Feedback]

Last night on "Gangland" they did a "Worst Of All Time Murderers" episode.

What a surprise - SNOOP DOGG was the lead translator - telling the audience how things work in the hood.

He talked about how "Shot Callers" silence people. He talked about how certain hit men are able to terrorize or kill - depending on what you want. They can get a snitch to remain silent.

I could not help but to take this template and apply it to a KLANSMAN from 1950. I could see the outrage of having a KLAN BOY being interviewed in a friendly setting, telling the world how they killed Nigras.

I think for some of you today's killers of Black people will never kill us as "dead" as a klansman of the past.

It is an OUTRAGE to allow our CRIMINALS and THUGS to become featured celebrities.

[l]

Ummm. Was Sheila and Bob at BET when Buster Rhymes made the song "make it clap".If she was there for the constant demeaning of African American women( something to ponder here...how come I get the feeling that certain classes/echelon of "so-called black women" do not really consider themselves black or apart of the populace),she has no right to complain or distance herself now.Somebody has blood on their hands and the stain just will not go away. Nice try ,deary.

[l]

Constructive Feedback, isn't GANGLAND on A&E or some other mainstream channel?I did not allow a known gang banger(who beat a murder charge..he knows what he is talking about too) on national television so he could explain hoodlum activities; nor did I choose him as a spokesperson for cellular phones and internet radio.The execs could have asked Grant Hill or Hill Harper to perform those duties, since they are inspiring black men. Mainstream media is looking to reward foolishness and for good reason . These people understand what controls the masses in America( and not just black people but everyone),straight up ignorance. Snoop is getting old now, so they are grooming another Bo jangles type character for the limelight, Soulja Boy.SMH