BlackPerspective.net
Discussing the Diaspora as seen through an internal Black lens
Hot BET Mess
July 25th, 2007
When BET (Black Entertainment Television) debuted on cable in 1980 it was a representation of the realization of a dream for Black America in the greater American culture. Now we would have a voice in the powerful television medium and an opportunity to see ourselves on TV regularly; and to see Black people presented by black people.
The network for the first decade and a half filled it’s programming with re-runs of favorite Black t.v. sit-coms, mostly from the 70s; music video shows such as Video Soul and Mid-night love that carried videos of our favorite soul singers, news programming from a Black perspective and social awareness programs such as Teen Summit.
Even when rap videos began to air not only on Video Soul but on a program created just for the genre, Rap City in 1988; there was still a balance in the content of the videos. You had a few showings per day of videos portraying gratuitously clothed and positioned women, and of those “repping” the gangsta lifestyle; yet those sorts of videos were not only a minor portion of the overall videos shown initially, but even a minor portion of the rap videos alone.
But a sea change occurred a few years into the 90’s. By 2002 Teen Summit and such youth empowerment or awareness programming was gone, as well, the news division was slashed that same year; and all together done away with in 2005.
By the time the millennium rolled around the network had become a gangsta rap paradise and a haven of sexual exploitation between the video content and the highly sexually explicit constant airings of Comic View. When Comic View wasn’t on just about the only other thing that was on was music videos, making the network practically a music video network and not a network of general black entertainment.
Bob Johnson sold the company to Viacom in 2005. Viacom is also the parent company of VH1, MTV and CBS. BET has basically become the Black Version of MTV (which ironically airs very little music programming now) - basically a television station in Black Face. BET does the same shows just with different names and Black cast, and follows the same programming format. The network aims for the lowbrow, lowest common denominator in most of it’s programming; determining that this is what the youth demographic that the network has now fully shaped itself around, wants. This all culminates with BET last year refusing to play the video for socially aware rap group Little Brother’s song “Loving It; reportedly because it was “too intelligent” for their audience - a great statement to capoff a decade of cultivating ultra-materialism; youth ignorance; gratuitous and over-sexualizing; racial and gender debasement and enforcement of the most banal Black stereotypes.
But they ain’t done yet. If you haven’t heard - drum roll please…Enter A Hot Ghetto Mess, based on the three year old website of the same name. This lastest trite offering from the BET (Bamboozled Erroneous Television) is ironic in that it’s title describes the network that will be carrying it. The website features mostly blacks with outrages hairstyles or wardrobe; which is often linked to message boards for a point and laugh/head shacking fest of the readers. BET has decided to bring it to television in video clip form, with Charlie Murphy of Chappelle Show fame hosting it.
A public and blogger backlash ensued, forcing two major advertisers to pull out of this mess a couple of weeks ago before its debut on July 25th. BET’s Entertainment President Reginald Hudlin tried to justify the program as taking a “hard look” at social behavior to get people to think about behaviors. But nothing suggests this to be the true aim of the show. Not the least of which, the highering of a comedian like Charlie Murphy who’s never in his career operated in the realm of conscious examination. Further though, the fact that real social examination of issues is not what BET does in its programming philosophy. On the other hand stereotypical, racial exploitation is par for the course over the last 10 or so years. Even the title of the program feeds right into that.
Just days before BET’s hot new mess was to air, word came down from the network of a name change – changed to We Got To Do Better. That’s nice. Only problem – there’s no content change. I’ve got two sayings to respond to this deficient response by BET: “You can put lipstick on a pig, it still doesn’t make it a lady” and “a rose by any other name still smells the same”; and you know what, this stinks.
BET has been a mess for a longtime now, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to clean up anytime soon.
By: D. Yobachi Boswell
Popularity: 7% [?]
posted in Cultural, Social Commentary | | | View blog reactions | Print This Post
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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I’m not sure that it could have been stated any better. Hats off to you D.Yobachi Boswell.
Thanks a lot Caine, I try.
Bamboozled Erroneous Television
My friend and I like to call it Black Explotation Television.
That’s a good and appropriate one to use.
I’m stealing it for next time
“Bamboozled Erroneous Television”
LOL! I think that sums up the current BET quite nicely.
Doesn’t it though