You are currently browsing the daily archive for August 10th, 2007.
During its annual meeting the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) gave cable network BET a big thumbs down for their lowbrow programming and lack of news coverage –specifically the Coretta Scott King funeral. The real question is, why are they just getting it now? Shouldn’t they have gotten the thumbs down when they cut Ed Gordon loose?
Robert Johnson has said before that the ‘E’ in BET stands for entertainment. It wasn’t about uplifting the race or getting political. Back in the early days it was less music videos and it had some news and some deep talk like with Bev Smith’s show.
The problem is, the station can’t be all things to all people. The station’s aim is at the 25 and undercrowd and has dumbed down its programming to reach them. There are a lot of African Americans who are over that age and are looking for programming that can represents us and speaks to us.
We can’t ignore there is TVOne and my fave, The Black Family Channel, went off the air this past spring. If we want the type of positive programming we claim that we do we have to support it when we see it and take our time and money elsewhere when we don’t. BET isn’t the only name in the game and the best way to get that message across is by turning the TV off or parental blocking it on the box.
Okay, all the things that’s wrong with it. Although its supposed to be a funny take on Guiliani and Obama girl the problems are: unoriginal –they basically swiped the music from Madonna (a Conservative favorite icon-right?) and the character of the church lady.
Another problem is that the appeal for the video is geared to folks who probably don’t surf the net that often. Or know how to get on the net. Or are even aware there is an internet. Do they have wifi in nursing homes now?
A bit more creativity would garner more attention. And originality.
But hey, Brownback may get the GLBT votes with the old school tranny vid! The Logcabin Republicans are gonna love it.
“You will not believe how many hispanics are now living over there,” Lonnie said, complaining about the influx of Latinos in her neighborhood. She complains about the large population, everywhere she turns she heas the music and a lot of spanish language spoken. “I don’t care,” she quickly cleaned up. “But sometimes you wanna see more of this.” She rubs her index of finger on the back of her hand to indicate the search for people of a similar brown hue or background.
I laugh at her, then said dismissively “Girl, you’ll be alright.” She knows my views on diversity besides the fact it’s hard to be empathetic with a person whose harboring the exact situation she’s dercying; her long-term boyfriend lives with her along with his son from a previous relationship. They are both South American and speak more Spanish than English.
Her little son may even get in on the act. She is speaking English to him and the father is speaking mostly Spanish. For now she says the baby gets really excited when his father comes home and ignores everyone to be with him.
She’s expressing a desire to move; not to escape the growing hispanic population but to find a place with a good school system. And although black flight from the neighborhood saddens her she doesn’t want to move to a place that has a smaller latino population. She’s looking for someplace with a good portion of minorities.
Lonnie will not have to search too hard because a recent report shows that minorities make up one-third of the population in America’s big cities. Even smaller places minorities are one in 10.
From today’s NYT.com:
“The new wave of immigration, along with its continued dispersal to the suburbs and Sun Belt, is transforming the places which are now being classified as multiethnic and majority minority,” said William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution.
“The new melting pots are not large international gateways,” Professor Frey said, adding, “Rather, many are fast-growing suburbs themselves.”
Even though many didn’t the numbers we could see the demographics just by walking down the street. Hopefully as the population grows the job market expands to meet it. And not just with low-paying service jobs but real jobs with real pay or we will quickly see battling among racial lines for the limited resources and jobs.
