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VH1 Gives Black People The Finger… Again.
Goodness… folks worrying about BET’s weak strength of programming need only look to one of its sister stations, VH1, which seems intent on building a similar kind of legacy, where black people are concerned. I call VH1 a sister station to BET because they are both owned by media behemoth Viacom, thanks to Robert Johnson’s 3-billion-dollar sale of the cable TV station to Sumner Redstone and company in 1999, making Johnson the only other person of African descent on the Forbes 400 list of America’s wealthy. I’m sure we all know who the other person is. VH1 deserves all our thanks for initially bringing us that spectacle of what I call “nouveau-minstresly” in the once enormously popular, Flavor of Love. The success of that program inspired at least 2 sequels, or maybe more (I lost count), and several spin-offs in I Love New York, Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School, Real Chance of Love, I Love Money, and possibly others that I’m not aware of.
It would be easy to dump all the blame on creations like these squarely on VH1’s (Viacom’s) shoulders but, alas, WE, the audience watching them, ensuring that they’re ratings successes, should be held just as accountable. After all, if we didn’t watch them, they likely wouldn’t exist. So, here we are, 3 years after the initial run of the original Flavor of Love, and VH1 is, once again, giving us the middle finger by launching 3 similarly themed “looking for love” reality TV shows starring hip-hop artists from yesteryear whom we once actually really loved, as well as a reality TV show veteran who still lives in his parents’ basement. Specifically, VH1 is giving two female hip-hop artists their own reality series – Sandra “Pepa” Denton of Salt n Pepa, and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas from TLC. Also, The Entertainer (from the I Love NY and I Love Money shows) will get his own series called The Entertainer, and it will feature his parents and his basement bachelor pad. The as-yet-untitled “Pepa” and “Chilli” series, as well as The Entertainer, are scheduled to premiere in 2010. And what about the content of each? The “Pepa” series follows Denton as she begins her to search for love after living a celibate life for years. VH1 has reportedly ordered eight half-hour episodes. “Chilli” from R&B group TLC is also searching for romance and has enlisted the help of Brooklyn relationship expert Tionna Smalls. Eight half-hour episodes have been ordered as well. The Entertainer will star Frank “The Entertainer” Moresco and his parents. The 32-year-old Moresco still lives in his parents’ basement and VH1 is giving him the opportunity to find love, and some incentive to move out on his own. It has been picked up for 10 one-hour episodes. Brilliant programming, right? VH1 has certainly set itself up as the place to go for reality shit TV, hasn’t it? via THR 5 comments to VH1 Gives Black People The Finger… Again. |
  
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Copyright © 2010 Shadow And Act - All Rights Reserved  View in: Mobile | Standard
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They do have a lock on all these tacky shows in the life of some celebrity. I’m like you I watch TV online when I can but I don’t watch TV on the box. I also hate to see these black performers this desperate for money.
VH1 doesn’t just regularly give black people the finger, it infuriates all minority groups.
Let’s start with “Rock of Love”, that show where a cast of mostly white women whore themselves for Bret Michaels, a washed up rock star. The women make out with each other, not due to some sexual attraction (which is okay), but for the delight of men and cameras (when is far from okay…). They lap alcohol; they all have boob jobs. They portray themselves as, shall we say, less than intelligent. Yet the show is extremely popular. I ask you: Why?
I don’t have to go into Flavor of Love. We’ve all seen it. The “Pepa” show, no doubt, will follow in its predecessor’s footsteps (read: hot mess).
Then there’s “The Entertainer.” Neo-minstrelsy in Italian face. The audience will identify him as “acting black.” This, after all, is what the public craves. It’s name says it all, it’s entertaining. His antics make the general public feel better about themselves.
And perhaps that’s why people watch these shows. We see these outrageous characters and laugh. We, after all, are better than the slut, the alcoholic, the fool. The images are reassuring in a way; I mean, sure, we all have our flaws, but at least we’re not flawed like that!
And perhaps that’s why portrayals of blacks are so narrow. We serve a singular purpose–to act like fools to make others feel better about themselves. Anything outside of buffoonery is unmarketable. Subconsciously, we realize this. I mean, didn’t some rap group refer to themselves as the goon squad? I rest my case.
Women must be the toys of men in order to get ahead, blacks must play the part of the fool. We like these narrow representations–need them even!! It’s simplistic and Americans enjoy simplicity. Intellectualism is challenging and thus uncomfortable.
Or do we like these shows for another reason. Let’s examine the slut, the alcoholic, the fool. Do we envy them? For the record, I don’t believe in sluts. I think people look down on whores because, deep down, they’re jealous. Most women crave sexual freedom; to save freedom available to men. And men hate sluts because it’s a taste of their own medicine.
So why do men watch these shoes? The answer is simple. Men love watching 30 or so women fight over someone unworthy. It’s their dream!!
As for alcohol and acting foolish, life is stressful. Here are people who have chosen to check out of life on a continuous bases. Entertaining? Yes! Irresponsible? No doubt!
But are we jealous….
Your thoughts?
My thoughts on which part specifically? You touched on a lot there G.W.
It’s certainly still very much a white man’s world, as you’ve implied. The rest of us are just fodder for the *gatekeeper’s* amusement, as we fight for the available crumbs.
As for why so many of us watch these shows… the explanation could take up volumes, and we are all complicit.
Why do we look down on so-called “sluts?” Is it only envy? I’d also take into account socialization and conditioning within the confines of a staunchly Christian society – especially one that carries such foolishly stringent views on sex.
I don’t know if most women crave the same kind of “sexual freedom” that men have. Obviously, I’m not a woman, and I don’t know every single woman on the planet. But, I do have a good number of female friends and acquaintances, and most of them are not at all interested in hopping from one bed to the next, as most men tend to prefer (although, I can’t speak for all men either).
Most women I know prefer the security (real or perceived) of sexual monogamy, preferably, long term.
Now, why that is can be attributed to what I mentioned above about socialization and conditioning – girls socialized one way; boys another… generally speaking.
Of course, I’m making assumptions on how I think you define “sexual freedom,” so, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
And let’s not forget to take into account why the people who choose to be on these shows do so – money, fame, stardom, etc… In “real life,” these people may not be as they are advertised onscreen.
We all have a price, I think. And a lot of us who are looking down on these people, would likely readily act like sluts, coons, buffoons, etc, for the right price, in this money/material-obsessed culture we live in.
Sexual freedom, to me, means engaging in any sexual relationship you desire without having society look down on you. If you choose to be monogamous, great. If you wanna play the field, good for you. The latter is rarely explored, however, mostly due to fear (at least not explored openly…). When I talk to my girlfriends about this, there’s an deep anger about our society’s double standard.
Sexual freedom has nothing to do with the number of partners you have. It’s about confidence and choices and everyone, no matter your gender, deserves this.
As for sexuality being a byproduct of socialization, I agree with you to a point. Men are praised for having multiple tick marks on their bedposts, right? Because of this, they pursue multiple escapades… Well, in my experience, men value commitment more than women. I think female readers will concur. Most people (male or female) value monogamy–we’re all willing to dedicate ourselves to a single person. It just has to be the right person.
*A side note*: Tambay, if your girlfriends are clinging to some dude who is slow to cling back, please buy them a copy of “He’s Just Not That Into You” asap. Some women need an intervention. Seriously. Why women feel they need a man is beyond me. I will never understand.
As for most people having a price, you receive a point.
I, for one, could never be on one of shows for the simple fact that it would embarrass my family. I guess you could say I’m priceless 
Holla!
“We all have a price, I think. And a lot of us who are looking down on these people, would likely readily act like sluts, coons, buffoons, etc, for the right price, in this money/material-obsessed culture we live in.”
There is a very good chance that without these shows, Flav would be dead broke. It’s not like Black people were still buying tickets to see PE once “the hits” stopped. You see how many kids Flav got? He gots to feed ‘em!
VH-1 Soul has been running a great show from Nelson George called “Soul Cities”, which basically takes the viewer through a tour of important places in Black music. Promoting businesses in the areas. Actually enlightening people. Also, Hip-Hop honors. Another great show. And VH-1 has channels dedicated to showing *gasp* music videos all day.
We don’t talk about those shows that do work positively, we act like we don’t see them. One is correct to connect that these shows are on the air because we ask for them. We don’t email VH-1 or leave comments on blogs when “Soul Cities” is on, we go out of our way to show our numbers when “I Love New York” is on. Just like “Bravo” can show “the Professional” and “Actor’s Studio” all day, nobody’s watching like they do when “The Real Housewives of (fill in the city)” is on. So there is a clear audience for this drivel. And it’s US. Black people watch entirely too much TV, and we insist on watching the worst stuff on a regular basis.
Until this changes, the quality of the popular shows will get worse.