Jones, truth be told, there is a lot of merit in the adage “we are our own worse enemy.” Lets look at us and avarice and limited if any control in forms of economic production – that is when we do. All of the radio stations in the US that represent the culture of hip-hop in some form or fashion are owned by people outside of the culture. They mainly wear pin-stripped suits and have straight hair with some form of abberant color.Taking that a step farther, the same can be stated for the music and movie industries, in particular those with any for of mass cable presence. When we do have similar economic presences and power, what do we do, when emasculate ourselves in love of the dollar. BET to me has a tremendous opportunity, and opportunity to put in places the laudable exaltations of folks like Marcus Garvey, Martin King and Malcolm X. They have amassed a major proportion of the viewer ship of all interested in looking at African American lifestyles. Yet at the same time, they are not holding up to the same standards we often accuse major white media for doing – degrading and stereotyping African Americans, especially males.
The way I see it, they do just as much damage to perpetuating the fat ass shaking in the background and brothers talking about crime images of our women and men as Clear Channel does. Is it realy that hard, as a human being, as a man, as a man representing the gate and best interest in our community to say “no we won’t do that!” It must be since BET and others are assisting in the commodization of African American Men. Seems, if you are not a thug, drug dealer, pimp, or criminal, you can’t be accepted as a real Black man. Damn, bet that.
