Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Dream Reborn.........WOW!!



I've never heard of this guy before, but I guess he is somewhat popular on Youtube. This particular segment he rants and complains about the sterotypical images of blacks on television and movies. I've listened to this and I have no idea what his stance is or what he is trying to get across. Here's a quick recap. He doesn't like the television show The Game, the second season of The Boondocks, Flavor Flav, New York (A.K.A. Tiffany Pollard), The Real World, College Hill, BET, and some other stuff. Now normally I would be all for someone wanting more positives images of African-Americans on television and film. I've wanted for years for shows like City of Angels to stay on forever. So my beef isn't with this guy's basic premise. It's with the ignorance and stupidity at which he makes his case. When I listen to this I get a feeling that he is a Black man who tries to "please" White people. Better yet, he wants the White population to know that he "isn't like THOSE Black people and he's DIFFERENT." He appears to not to want to be lumped into the sterotypical Black man category. And that's fine, but why the hell do you care about what someone else thinks of you. If someone of any color watches Flavor of Love, or Real and Chance, or any show like that and assumes that is how all Black men are, then they are ignorant. Smart White people know that not all Black people are a certain way. Smart Black people know that not all White people are a certain way. Anyone that does not understand that basic premise, does not deserve the time you would have to spend to explain that to them. You think I watch Jackass and think all White guys are like Bam or Steve-O? Hell no. The main difference between Blacks and Whites in the media is that White people have the luxury of having comedies, reality shows, and movies that portray them in a negative light because they have numerous other shows that outweigh the bad. For every Paris Hilton's My New BFF is an ER. For every Jackass there is a Seinfeld. We don't have that luxury as Black people. There are some great roles that we have on TV. S. Epatha Merkerson on Law and Order, Dennis Haysbert on The Unit and Jada Pinkett Smith on HawthoRNe. We've had The Miracle at St. Anna in theaters as well as The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency on HBO. There are numerous other examples. So we have a long way to go, but if you want to find positive images of African-American's in the media they are there. Back to his point. I thought The Game was a good show. Sterotypical? Maybe. But, I always felt the writing on the show showed growth with the characters and the good and bad to the lifestyles of pro athelets and their wives/girlfriends. And Malik being a "momma's boy" was not as exaggerated as he made it seem. And the gold digger on the show was.......white! The second season of The Boondocks was less political than the first. But, just because the show focused more on Riley doesn't mean it was "niggerish" at all. "The S-Word" and "The Story of Catcher Freeman" put a humorous spin on sensitive topics and still came out very good. And "The Hunger Strike" and the "Uncle Ruckus Reality Show" were two of the funniest and most critically acclaimed shows of either season. I don't know what this guy was trying to prove with this video, but he did a piss poor job in explaining it. Let me know if I'm tripping!!

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