Protesters from various organizations held a rally over the weekend, outside of the home of BET CEO Debra Lee.
Over 500 people showed up...and I couldn't be more excited. It was long overdue, but it appears that the so-called "African American community" is finally stepping up in a major way to challenge the poison that has been marketed by this network for the past 10-15 years. The rally was led by Reverend Delman Coates- a leader of the "Enough is Enough" campaign. This campaign is bringing groups together from all over the country for a sustained effort to put pressure on BET (and other media and entertainment outlets) to change its way of doing business. The groups are demanding that BET end the rampant misogyny, the degredation of Black women, the negative portrayals of Black men (as thugs, drug dealers, pimps, ignorant, etc) and the perpetuation and celebration of these images.... making us look like uneducated, violent, and oversexed animals in front of the entire World.
This is supposed to be a network that shows the best of so-called "Black America"? Well that has been a lie for years. They certainly don't represent me. BET has been a source of embarrassment for me for as long as I can remember. I don't watch the network, and if I actually had a choice I would remove the channel from my Cable TV package. I personally don't believe that BET can change or even wants to change. They have built much of their wealth on exploiting and degrading the image of Black people in this Country... so why would they want to deviate from that business model?
The fact is... they can't change because they know nothing else. This is what they have been doing for the past 15 years. And therefore they won't change. That is why I would like to see the network go away completely.... not sold to another parent corporation, and not brought back as some reincarnated BET, but GONE for good. They have inflicted enough damage to my image as a Black man in this Country, I don't want to see them have more opportunities down the road to do the same thing under the guise of being "reformed". If Black folks really need a "Black" network (I personally don't care to have one) then they can watch TVOne. TVOne is an excellent alternative to BET (although TVOne itself is not perfect).
It looks like people are finally fed up with the nonsense from this network. I stated after the Imus fiasco that this would be a long war... the war for the hearts and minds of Black people in this country, particularly Black youth.
And I was glad to see so many people and so many organizations taking part in the protest...
Of course Debra Lee got out of Dodge beforehand... after trying to negotiate a deal to cancel the protest. But Rev. Coates (I like this Reverend) was not about to sell out, cash out or cave in.
Visit What About Our Daughters for more information and video from the protest.
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2 comments:
Good for them. I applaud them.
I echo the sentiment and feel the same, but I try to speak the truth also. The truth is, we were FINE with BET when it was a black man profiting. Now that it is a white owned corporation we want to get indignant with the food we are being fed. Its hypocritical of all of us because when the spoon was owned by the black man we ate from it.
The way you protest in honesty is to turn this channel off. Do not let it into your homes. Ask your cable company how to turn the channel off on your set so it will not show. Then the cable company will drop the channel from their line up.
Where were the protesters when BOB JOHNSON fed us the same crap!!!!?
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