“The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” is a show on YouTube. It stars Issa Rae as J, the title character. The following is a cross post from Ankhesen Mié’s blog, At the Bar:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t want TV to go anywhere near this show. I don’t even care if it’s HBO. If TPTB get their hands on ABG, they will fucking ruin it.
Or…we’ll get one semi-decent season, and then it’ll be canceled, while the network conveniently hangs onto the rights to it and keeps anyone else from touching it.
J’s story is not universal. The awkward moments are, but outside of that, her story is that of a WoC’s living, dating, and working in America. There’s nothing “universal” about that. Once TPTB get a hold of something like this, they’re going to do something crazy like tell Issa she has to wear her hair differently, or tell Tracy Oliver to lose some weight (or simply recast them both), while the white fans who never watched the show before will flock to blogs and forums to talk about how they hate the fact White Jay is called “White Jay”, and how he and J “have no chemistry” – no. I refuse.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and Ktown Cowboys are perfect examples of what happens when POC take matters into their own hands and make.shit.happen. Their creators and actors have reclaimed the POC entrepreneurial spirit which our predecessors wielded with deadly force. There really is no excuse for our generation at this point – PayPal, YouTube, Facebook, and Kickstarter have made a 21st Century American POC Renaissance possible, and we have to continue on our own.
Now that you have our attention, set up a website where fans can pay $5/mo for unlimited viewing. That’s a reasonable $60/year for each of us, and since a show like ABG has at least 25000 fans, that’s a generous $125,000/mo for them. ABG and Ktown Cowboys have shown us that we don’t need to see special effects or massive explosions, or ridiculous, over-the-top wardrobes. We just need to see us. We just need to see people who look like us, sound like us, and behave the way we do in real life, without someone else’s agenda coloring the script. I watch a 10-minute episode of ABG and it sends me straight to Cloud Nine. I end each episode feening for the next one. I see a dark chocolate, natural-haired black woman being witty and holding it down on her own show and I am catapulted into heaven.
So congrats to Issa Rae & Co. for all their amazing accomplishments. I am in awe. I am impressed to see Issa on CNN; it’s a testament to how much attention her show has garnered. But for the love of all that is holy, ABG needs to stay in firmly her hands and the hands of her fans.
See also:
Abagond:
I agree with you 100%, she shouldn’t give up her “baby” for adoption so to speak. As black people, we must have ownership of our “Intellectual & Cultural Property.” We’ve made everybody else on the planet rich, it’s time we do the same for ourselves!!!
Tyrone
Eagle Status
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I know what you mean, on this Abagond, and I’m always torn. On one hand, I want good things to stay as they are. But, on the other hand, I also want these creative voices to gain greater access to a wider audience. If this doesn’t happen than network TV and popular cable are never going to change. They need these new voices.
But then again, there’s also a good argument to made for new media vs old. Maybe the entire system of “old boy” media is on its way out? Confusing times for creatives, but more opportunity than any time before.
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But then again, there’s also a good argument to made for new media vs old. Maybe the entire system of “old boy” media is on its way out? Confusing times for creatives, but more opportunity than any time before.
Indeed. Online media is highly popular media, effortlessly reaching fans across the globe. Meanwhile, cable and network are tanking with their white saturation and hideous addiction to “reality” television.
My point is, Issae Rae, Danny Cho, and all their conglomerates don’t need the networks; they need their fans. And their fans are only going to steadily increase because viewers of color are eager for proper representation.
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Well said. That script has been played out. See much of black music for exhibit Z.
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To be honest, I only watch TV for the morning news. That’s it. Everything else I do is all new media nowadays. I didn’t set out to do that it just happened over a few years.
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I have a feeling I’ve seen this entry before somewhere lol.
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I’d pay. I already donated to her kickstart ans would gladly pay for a subscription.
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“As black people, we must have ownership of our “Intellectual & Cultural Property.”
By all means, take it back. It’s gone a long way towards the dumbing down of this country.
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Yes, Dr. Grzlickson, we wouldn’t want any Black “Intellectual & Cultural Property” taking away from America’s current diet of reality TV and laugh-track sitcoms.
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While we’re talking about taking back things how about compensation for the forced labour of African-American ancestors and punitive damages for the terrors inflicted from slavery through Jim crow and beyond.
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I agree that if the white owned TV media gets a hold of ABG it would likely be ruined. The problem with TV, and why good shows get cancelled, is that it has to play to the LCD. In the case of america the LCD is white and they will interpret ABG through their own lens as the blogger noted. Maybe they would even just say, why does it have to be awkward black girl? Why not just awkward girl and change everyone to a white cast. It would be more universal then.
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@ King
Don’t forget the popular “White Boys Intentionally Hurting Themselves With Stupid Stunts!” shows/video clips, that have become a worldwide phenomenon on both TV and the internet.
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@ Franklin
Lol! Yeah, I can feel myself getting smarter just looking at the commercials.
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I’ve never heard of this show before. I’ll definitely have to check it out. Anything is better than the crap that’s on t.v. and movie screens lately.
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Agreed! I can’t see anything good coming out of this show being on TV. It would be completely ruined. It’s definitely better than the old, tired shows that are on television now.
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I just finished watching all of the episodes back to back. It’s so nice to see a different image of Black people besides the same old tired stereotypical images that are usually shown. Regular Black folk. Who woulda thunk it?! Thank you Abagond for this post. I’m going to open a Paypal account now so I can donate.
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@ Ankhesen Mie
I completely agree with your post. This show MUST stay out of TPTB’s hands. They would ruin it. J would wind up being some cute version of Jennifer Aniston; like we really need another story about a quirky, awkward white woman.
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J would wind up being some cute version of Jennifer Aniston; like we really need another story about a quirky, awkward white woman.
There already is a show like that, it’s called “30 Rock”
I love ABG!!!! I hope she can broader her scope. Maybe she can become the female version of TP 🙂 or better yet, like Shonda Rhimes or Janice Burgess. The skies the limit for Issa Rae. I wish her all the BEST!
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ABG is a really nice show, but we aren’t going to to die if we don’t see people who look like us on tv. This show needs to be on television so that it can reach a wider audience and Issa Rae & the cast can make the amount of money they want, not bc she’s black…
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poetess wrote: “Maybe they would even just say, why does it have to be awkward black girl? Why not just awkward girl and change everyone to a white cast. It would be more universal then.”
…
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if that happened.
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I agree with every post here (except The Cynic of course). While I would love to be able to see ABG get the shine it deserves, TPTB would definitely ruin it. On TV, the masses would decry ABG as not being realistic. It would have to be revamped with a mostly White cast and exactly two stereotypical Black characters, e.g. the buffoonish Black dude and sassy Black woman.
I pray that Issa can continue in the medium that she’s in and find a way to make some money as well.
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Couldn’t agree more.
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* pops up like Data on ST: TNG (1st season) *
Query – what is TPTB? Never seen the acronym before…
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TPTB = The Powers That Be
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“Query – what is TPTB? Never seen the acronym before…”
“TPTB = The Powers That Be”
Yup, very much like ST:TNG & ST: Voyager’s *Borg-Hive Collective* who believes it’s their (manifest) destiny to ultimately control and assimilate/oppress everything and everyone – everywhere they can reach!
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@ abagond & Matari:
Thanks for the explanation – I was way off on what I thought it was… 😎
I’ll have to devote some time over the weekend to watch ‘ABG’…my curiosity has been piqued!
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Yeah, on a network it would go from ‘awkward black girl’ to just ‘awkward girl,’ or maybe ‘awkward [yeah, I’m black, but I’m passing] girl.’
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@ StrangeFruit
On my blog, commenters suggested it would become “Angry Black Girl” instead.
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@Ankhesen Mié
haha! Right!
You’ve got great things to day here! I’ll be talking you up all day as part of #BTSF’s Friday Round Up (http://tiny.cc/tu7i7) and on twitter (@strngefruit).
Thanks for the great content!
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I can relate to being awkward and black, but this show? not so much
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I saw preview of this show and immediately wasn’t interested. And I know for sure that if I’m not interested in it while it is just a Youtube show, I definitely won’t watch it if it goes mainstream UNLESS it doesn’t because the general reality bullcrap that is on every night of the week. Yet somehow it seems that if this show does go mainstream it will definitely fall into that reality type and that is definitely not my cup of tea.
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They won’t put ABG on TV because they swagger jacked it already. On MTV there is a show called Awkward and it’s not a complete rip off but some of the jokes are. Like the pretend phone convo and dancing by yourself at a party thing.
I don’t watch TV that much all the shows I watch I watch online. I really want Awkward Black Girl to be longer 30minutes or so and more recent I don’t mind donating a few £s for that to happen. Anywho here is a interview with Issa Rae
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There is a nice article in the November 2011 issue of Essence magazine about Issa Rae and ABG. It sounds as though she is not opposed to the series being picked up by a television network as long as ABG remains true to who she is. Instead of compromising her work, Issa says she’d happy keeping her series on the web. I’m sure if a network offers a stupid amount of money, an it would be hard to turn down.
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THIS IS FUNNY!
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come ON, what did I miss?
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First, i wholeheartedly and 110% agree with this post! i usually just say i i don’t want the show to change, but you broke it down as to how it could. Props. Second, great comments all around; you all bring up some great points. i too barely watch TV and am waiting for the day that Reality TV be banned, or at least, just die. (So that that garbage collection known as Kardashians can get into REAL work.) So i think watching it online is better and more relevant to our generation. And i agree with what y’all said about how subtley they could try to change; SO on point with the analysis. Lastly, i’m getting real tired of nonBlack people bringing up “universality” where it’s not needed, like that CNN anchor who kept saying that over and over again. Not EVERYTHING is universal BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN it can’t be funny. Or informative. Or useful. Or touching. Etc! This thinking along with the “no you’re wrong it needs to reach a wider audience” and “get money, f*ck yo blackness” is just unnecessary intimidation people need to get over. People like this and “The Cynic” are so see-thru because of this. If you want to tell your co-worker about it because you think it’s funny, TELL EM BECAUSE YOU THINK IT’S FUNNY! If a character reminds you of someone, tell em because you think it’s funny! Don’t sit there and try to change the name, change the cast, or dismiss the idea behind it just because it makes you or your friends uncomfortable. Good grief.
SIDE NOTE: Issa doesn’t even really look at it that deep (i remember she said she wanted to show “regular” black folks who aren’t “in the struggle” etc., which i don’t agree with, but i get her); she seems mostly into laughs and good writing. But i think it’s messed up for people to disregard her Blackness or audience.
Oh and Aiyo, if what you said is true about MTV…..f*ck them!!! Bunch of lame swagger jackers who no one aint even checking for.
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Ankhesen Mié received an email from Tracey Oliver of ABG. Ankh’s suspicions, as stated in the post above, were right. Oliver and Issa Rae met with a television executive from a prominent network:
Read more:
http://www.ankhesen-mie.net/2011/11/sometimes-i-hate-being-right.html
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is it supposed to be a contradiction that she’s awkward and black? the show is kind of funny, but I don’t get that. there’s many awkward black people, just like anyone else, despite what the media likes to portray
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No, I don’t want it to go to television either. The special element that made it so fun and quirky would get lost on television. Idk. Going to television sounds like a bad idea.
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that show is great, nice dry humor
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