White Entertainment Television

Fri Dec 13th 2013 by abagond

White Entertainment Television (WET) is the television station that is always watched but never seen. It is the white counterpart to Black Entertainment Television (BET), an American television channel aimed at blacks.

“The Flintstones”, 1960-1966. Set in 1,000,000 BC, which was 0% White.

“Bewitched”, 1964-1972

“Star Trek”, 1966-1969. Set in the 2260s, which will be maybe 14% white.

White Americans say stuff like:

How come there’s a BET but not a White Entertainment Television? How is that fair?

You have BET. If we had WET, we’d be racists.

This is called being blind to white privilege. Or maybe just being blind.

“The Brady Bunch”, 1969-1974

“Little House on the Prairie”, 1974-1983

It is called being so used to how society favours whites that you do not even notice it and think of it as “normal” and “fair”.

“Wheel of Fortune”, 1975-present

“Cheers”, 1982-1993

So fair that any change from it, like BET, Black History Month or affirmative action, is seen as unfair and reverse racist.

“The Simpsons”, 1989-present. Set in Springfield, modelled on Portland, Oregon, which is 72% White.

Peggy McIntosh, in her famous essay on white privilege, listed the WET thing as #6:

6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

“Seinfeld”, 1989-1998

On American television:

Blacks have BET, TV One and few others.
Whites have ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, Fox, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Lifetime, HBO, Showtime, TNT, TBS, National Geographic, The History Channel, TV Land, Hallmark, Disney, Food Network, SOAPnet, Playboy, Nickelodeon, Sprout, MTV, VH1, Syfy, GAC, Spike, FX, USA, CMT, Bravo, NFL, TMC, E!, Cartoon Network, Cinemax and on and on and on.

“Friends”, 1994-2004

“Sex and the City”, 1998-2004

“How I Met Your Mother”, 2005-present. Set in New York City, which is 33% White.

“The Big Bang Theory”, 2007-present. Set in Pasadena, California, which is 39% White.

“Breaking Bad”, 2008-2013. Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is 42% White.

“The Middle”, 2009-present. Set in Indiana, which is 81% White.

American television is whiter than America. If it were a matter of “simple demographics”, as many claim, then out of a hundred stations (most people get way more), 12 would be black, more or less, 16 Latino, 5 Asian and 1 Native. It is nowhere near that.

BET is, in effect, a crappy UHF station for blacks, for those old enough to remember UHF (channels above 13 in the days before cable, which mainly showed reruns and old movies). Crappy because it does not currently even have news shows or children shows, much less cooking shows, game shows, travel shows and so on. There is no black CNN (news), black PBS (education and culture) or black HBO (serious drama).

BET is even white-owned!

White American television is white in three ways:

It is by and for white people. Blacks are, at best, an afterthought. That is why black characters tend to be few, have short life expectancies and lack love lives. They are not the “target demographic”.
It stereotypes blacks and other people of colour. Worse than lack of representation is misrepresentation. American television pictures blacks as
- self-destructive,
- dirty,
- lazy,
- unintelligent,
- criminal,
- violent and
- ugly.
We know that by asking people in the Taiwanese countryside, where knowledge of Black Americans comes mainly from American television shows. Even BET has been guilty of stereotyping blacks.
It is so white that issues of race rarely come up. As if White Americans live in Sweden or the European Middle Ages or something.

The first one is pretty much innocent, but the other two push racism: internalized racism in blacks and externalized racism in everyone else, even people in Taiwan.

– Abagond, 2013.

See also:

Posted in stuff | 232 Comments

232 Responses

on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 14:09:34 v8driver

Wow i hate all them shows except breaking bad

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 14:10:43 v8driver

Eh simpsons is ok but theyve covered every topic on the planet

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 15:01:45 Matari

Great truth telling post, Abagond!
Amerikkkan TV sucks… it reinforces white-supremacy/racism on many levels.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 16:04:57 Da Jokah

What are you crying about? I don’t even have a television. I had to stream Breaking Bad over the net. Speaking of which, if there was really a demand for more black shows then why isn’t someone doing it? With the internet, the barrier to entry is so low that anyone could do it and stream them to customers. Why don’t you call Oprah and have her get on it? By the way, the WET argument fails for the same reason.

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 16:05:26 gatasnegrasbrasileiras

What’s really dangerous is when the lack of diversity is so normalized that no one even notices it. Brazil is portrayed as a European country in Brazil every hour or everyday and there is no channel with primarily black faces! It’s not hard to see but silence is not an option: http://blackwomenofbrazil.co/?s=whiteness+television

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 16:14:57 TorontoGirl

“It is by and for white people”
And this is why I don’t watch TV, I watch everything online. It’s not going to change, we just have to stop watching it. It’s like supporting white supremacy and then complaining about it. Most of the shows besides the Big Bang Theory suck anyway. I heard Breaking Bad is goood tho. But anyway, stop worrying about WP. They only care about themselves foremost, and I wish BP were more like that. I know though, that blacks tend to be more well travelled and open minded then whites, that’s why they’re so ignorant and think they’re the best just because they are white.
Let them fall in their ignorance. Because of this I really hope Kanye West becomes that really high class designer like Louis Vuitton etc.
He could change black fashion for life.
They even had this magazine talking about “African Sophistication” with traditional african print dresses cut in a British European style. Like wtf? As if Africans aren’t naturally sophisticated, so I didn’t get that?
Just ignore them, ugh. I have no white friends, especially female ones. They never liked me since middle school, and I’m not looking for lice anyhow. That animal like hair, ewwwww.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 16:22:01 futurodellanazione

Yes, but AMERICA ITSELF is by and for White people. Or, at least, it was designed that way before teh effort to wrench it away began. Taking it away from Whites has been and will be difficult and will result in bloody warfare, eventually.

Why not just follow Marcus Garvey’s lead? Imagine repatriating back to a proud black homeland of wide savammahs and date trees! Once the weak die off from Ebola, you’ll be sitting pretty. Put a donate button on your blog and I will do all I can to see to it that the trip is paid for. I bet White people will donate en masse.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 16:22:37 futurodellanazione

Savannahs. Typo.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 17:07:22 No Black Pete

I used to be hooked on WET. (How about the A-team?! MacGyver?! The Twilight Zone?!) Withdrawal has been brutal. In fear of relapse, now I am not even to watch it for old times sake. Peace.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 17:57:25 Paige

I think the Taiwan reference is a little vague and may seem random to people who haven’t read your whole blog. I do love your Christmas banner and falling snow, though!

What would really be nice is if instead of having a certain number of channels for each cultural group, there could just be a proportionate amount of characters from each culture on each network.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 19:01:20 Pamela

Thank you for writing about this subject. It could easily be turned into a book that would make very informative reading for most of us, because most of us, whites especially, desperately need it. Unfortunately, since the majority of them are allergic to the truth it probably wouldn’t do much good. This is the reason some of them stupidly wonder why there is no ‘white entertainment televison’ channel.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 20:00:04 mstoogood4yall

great post abagond. I notice whenever things are majority white everything is ok and they don’t use the word white to describe it. but the moment black people make something for ourselves and say black its a problem. with the show black girls rock white women were complaining about that, I wonder if they just get upset at the fact we put the word black on the shows and if they’d have an issue if it was just called girls rock and just show black women. with tv shows and history they don’t call it white tv or white history because they view themselves as the default, and any time someone comes and tries to make their own they complain. I don’t really hear them complain about tv one but they do complain about bet. I think they don’t like the word black ,anytime that is used they flip out. They are used to things operating covertly that is why they can watch shows with nothing but an all white cast and be fine with it, but if its a show with a black cast and its called black *insert word* then its a problem because it is overt and we are telling them hey this show is about black people. They don’t have to put white because it is obvious it is white unless stated otherwise then they get upset when it is stated otherwise. U can’t be considered the default then get upset that people boldly state this is not the default it is black tv. perfect example of that is if u buy a garment and the thing comes in different colors and the color nude is made to match white skin, in order to get the one to match ur skin u can’t pick nude u have to pick another color, they get mad at u for picking that other color and saying it out loud.
The only time they think it’s racism is when the n word is used or the kkk. White supremacy operates covertly, the devil operates covertly. nobody is gonna say hey look at me I’m the bad guy but follow me anyway. That is how the black doll white doll test results are still the same as it was years ago. Thank goodness for online black webseries that are funded by black ppl and made for black ppl. Now we just need some black cartoons for the kids and I bet the black doll white doll test results would be different.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 20:10:13 mstoogood4yall

And also when they do have a token black on their shows they usually have a certain look. They are usually light skinned males playing in crime shows, like csi has hill harper, law and order has ice t, criminal minds has shemar moore, almost human has Michael ealy. White is the default in tv and anything close to it is allowed in sometimes. The fashion industry is mostly white women, yet u let a black person make a modeling agency called black models and they would have a fit. or have fashion designers requesting nothing but back models they would freak out. They see nothing wrong with women of color being denied entry into things or being left out. Video games as well just have white, I’ve only played a couple that the main character wasn’t white. I can’t wait for assassins creed liberation which the main character is a woman of French and black ancestry.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 20:23:12 Adeen

TV is basically White entertainment television. There is no need to make an White entertainment television because Whites own the media outlets and most shows on television has mostly White characters. And most of the minority characters in these mostly White shows are one dimensional and fit stereotypical roles. And since we live in a White dominated society, Whiteness is considered the norm and standard of humans in America. Thus there is no need for a White entertainment television channel

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 21:09:51 phoebeprunelle

B.E.T is still white entertainment television:

Because you do not need Black film producers, directors and writers to produce Black “entertainment.” No. All that is needed is Black bodies.

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 21:17:46 Dahoman X

@ mstoogood4yall

I can’t wait for assassins creed liberation which the main character is a woman of French and black ancestry

In the meantime, get a copy of the Walking Dead game. The two main characters are a black man and a black (biracial?) girl and it’s just an awesome game.
Or give a try to RPGs like the Elders Scrolls series of games and the latter Fallouts (Fallout 3 and New Vegas), which let you select the race of your character.

(I know I’m off-topic, but it’s nice to know there are other black gamers out there…)

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 21:28:35 mstoogood4yall

@ dahoman x

I wanted elder scrolls I don’t like walking dead i hate zombies lol. I played a bit of starhawk and the main character was a black man with superpowers but it was kinda lame except online was kinda good. Most of the games I’ve played will let u choose the race and gender of ur character but only for online like gta 5 and farcry 3.

@ phoebeprunell

amen.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 21:55:04 Adeen

Phoebe Prunelle

”B.E.T is still white entertainment television:

Because you do not need Black film producers, directors and writers to produce Black “entertainment.” No. All that is needed is Black bodies.”

You nailed it right there! You are completely accurate. BET is owned by Whites right now, no wonder BET’s TV shows sucks these days.

We, as Black people in America, need our OWN directors and producers to make TV shows and movies generated towards us. In Nigeria, they have Nollywood, why can’t we have that here in America? We need our own shows because we need to promote a positive image of ourselves on television for own our good.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 22:32:50 Michael Jon Barker

W.E.T. has shows where Black people stand up for White people.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYwTU7z6BI#t=158)

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 22:44:29 TorontoGirl

Exactly! Please everyone read Adeen’s comment, because that’s the end of the conversation right here. I was even thinking of that now.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 23:14:48 ks

@ Adeen,

While Nigeria will certainly have a Nollywood as they are a black country, we do have a long tradition and history here.

Though Tyler Perry has taken a certain part of it mainstream, there is a rich tradition of Black generated entertainment made by independent Blacks. The recent “godfather” of the type of thing that Tyler Perry does is Shelly Garrett (most famous for “Beauty Shop”) and Garrett was himself just the caretaker of a long tradition of black stage theatre aka “Black Vaudville” or more affectionally know as “The Chitlin’ circuit”.

Also, people laugh now at the old “Blaxplotation” era now but, among the usual fare, there were some gems (black produced and otherwise) like “Watermelon Man, Sweet, Sweetback’s…. “Five On The Blackhand Side”, Cotton Comes To Harlem”, “Uptown Saturday Night”, etc and in some important respects movies like Foxy Brown, Coffy and Cleopatra Brown were groundbreaking in that they showed strong black women being action movie heroines long before such roles were mainstream for any women.

Anyway, despite the chessiness of some of the era what I loved about a lot of those movies is how unapologetically black they were and how heartfelt they were as well.

BET could’ve had it’s moment. It was perfectly positioned as cable started to grow and in it’s early stages was quite good. Well as we know Bob Johnson’s ego and greed won out and that was that. Gone was the public affairs and in came the booty videos…

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 23:53:20 mary burrell

@ks: Oh my goodness, I forgot all about Shelly Garrett, yeah, he was way before Tyler Perry. I remember all those movies you mentioned they were entertaining and amusing.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 13th 2013 at 23:57:23 mary burrell

@ Abagond, some of those shows like “Friends and Cheers and the old school stuff like Brady Bunch were about whites, I remember having a conversation with one of my best friends from back in the day, she was so pissed about Friends, she wanted to know back then why there were no balck people on Friends, I wondered about that as well, but now that I think about it, Friends was about white people for the white American audience. I just reinforces how invisible black people are in America.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:03:04 mary burrell

Dang, comments in moderation, What I wanted to say about all of this is that Those shows like “Friends and Cheers were written by white writers for white audiences, It just reinforces how blacks are invisible, just like that show “Girls” Black people wanted to know why there are no black people on that show. Well Lena Dunham, is a 20 something year old white hipster chick, she says she writes about what she knows, she said she would do a horrible job trying to write a black character into the show. That is very telling, that just lets you know blacks are an after thought, or just not thought about at all.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:04:21 mary burrell

Yes, the Nigerians have Nollywood, so why can’t this be done in America?

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:17:52 mary burrell

We need more Shonda Rimes and Mara Brock Akils.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:23:38 mary burrell

And “Big Bang Theory makes me upset, There are black nerds that excel in math and science and there are black science nerds that know how to expound on the laws of gravity. There are black people at MIT.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:36:15 abagond

Some of the shows shown in the pictures are set in places where non-Hispanc whites are a minority (part of why I picked them):

% non-Hispanic white in 2010: place: shows set there

42%: Albuquerque, NM: Breaking Bad
39%: Pasadena, CA: The Big Bang Theory
33%: New York, NY: Seinfeld, Friends, Sex and the City, How I Met Your Mother

Hollywood, CA itself is 41% non-Hispanic white.

Also, “The Flintstones” and “Star Trek”, by being set in the general past and the future, makes white people seem far more universal than they are. White people, those of pure European blood, have NEVER been the majority of the human race. Their majorities have been limited to particular times and places.

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:37:46 WET: White Entertainment Television | Community...

[…] American television is whiter than America. If it were a matter of "simple demographics", as many claim, then out of a hundred stations (most people get way more), 12 would be black, more or less, 16 Latino, 5 Asian and 1 Native. It is nowhere near that." […]

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:42:32 v8driver

eh i remember wnd.com was going through some gyrations trying to get press passes for the wh briefings to ask questions and stuff you know there was a balance between what was ‘original content’ comepared to i guess you’d say early blogging or cut and paste ap and reuters stuff

it couldnt be that hard to set up something, there was indymedia.org remember that? whatever happened to them, i know some people in philly nobody has the 20000 feet view to make it happen well maybe not everyone
“:p

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:43:27 v8driver

@abagond you right always la or nyc with the stories

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:46:38 v8driver

obviously from my white american music posts i have my own radio station when i feel like it on my fb feed already dude webcams are $4 now

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 00:47:06 v8driver

i just want piece of mind to write some engaging dramatic stories

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 01:08:43 mary burrell

@v8driver: You should go to Everything2.com to try your hand at writing your stuff. They have people writing about all kinds of stuff, most are aspiring writers

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 01:39:44 mary burrell

@ks: I tried to tell everyone about the film “The Watermelon Man” directed by Melvin Van Peebles is a classic. I really wanted Mstoogood4yall to see this.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 02:10:56 mstoogood4yall

Ok ms mary I will have to watch watermelon man tonight

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 02:55:45 lifelearner

I agree about TV being the gateway drug to white supremacy. I am also a fan of YouTube webseries and other alternatives where white is not the default.
The Backyardigans creator is a black woman, Janice Burgess. I had to investigate the creator with main character names like Pablo, Uniqua, and Tyrone I knew that creator had to be someone of color, lol. And although it’s off the air, I can’t wait to share The Fat Albert and gang series with my kiddos when they are older, got it on DVD. Diego, Doc McStuffins, Dora, and Kai Lan are breaths of fresh air instead the status quo. Kirikou was a great find thanks to a commenter on here, they absolutely enjoyed that movie.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 03:01:25 v8driver

i just want to see my damn kids right now thank you have a nice day

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 04:00:24 Joshua

There was a time when one couldn’t change the channel without hitting a show about blacks with black actors. This article is essentially rubbish. The problem as come because of the fragmentation of the viewers into several hundred different channels all catering to a particular subset of the viewing public at that moment. Unfortunately they are all trying to go after what they see as the largest demographic for their audience which is their bottom line.

Claiming this as some plot or something after all the series of the 70’s and 80’s is just stupid, really.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 04:08:22 mary burrell

@lifelearner: The Backyardigans are just too adorable. And Doc McStuffins is cute too.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 04:09:28 Jacque

don’t watch it……just don’t…..i remember sanford and son, that’s my mama, what’s happening, good times,the jeffersons,and others …then there was only the cosby show……don’t know what happened really……can’t be in media unless u r “white and jewish”…sickening really….just turn it off.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 05:05:49 v8driver

fallout tactics is the best game ever

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 05:07:58 v8driver

most modern rpgs let you customize features skin tone hair etc

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 06:49:45 V-4

Your right; white people are over-represented on television….though so are black people.

12% in real life, 16% on TV.

I can’t remember the rest of the numbers but asians were less though closer to actual percentage than I would have thought.

The really hardcore under-represented were the hispanic types. I want to say almost by like a factor of 10.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 08:06:57 Mack Lyons (@DDSSBlog)

We, as Black people in America, need our OWN directors and producers to make TV shows and movies generated towards us. In Nigeria, they have Nollywood, why can’t we have that here in America? We need our own shows because we need to promote a positive image of ourselves on television for own our good.

Co-signing with this. I’ve practically killed my TV because there’s nothing worth watching 98% of the time.

Of course, it’s a matter of staying the course and not giving in to the temptation to sell out early for the quick bucks (as evinced by Bob Johnson and BET). As well as taking great pains to not reinforce the negative crap that’s already floating around in abundance.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 08:23:49 King

We, as Black people in America, need our OWN directors and producers to make TV shows and movies generated towards us.

Like no other time in history, this is now much more possible. Perhaps for the first time, the average person can film using a DSLR Camera (less than $1000) use their home computer to edit the footage, and post free on YouTube or Vimeo for mass distribution. Making money at it is more difficult, but becomes easier once you can demonstrate that you have a large audience of digital denizens following your work.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 11:17:49 Brothawolf

A few points:

Some of those shows, and others listed that star all whites as the main cast, I’ve watched and liked. And I also liked shows featuring POC as the main characters. Growing up, I didn’t notice that the latter was few and far between.

Many people don’t know that basically all of what they see on TV are owned by white men at the very top level. I remember getting into it with a young girl years ago about the content BET was showing. The young girl thought that BET was still owned by Bob Johnson. She didn’t know Viacom brought it at the time. When I told her. She still defended BET.

You all know how much I hate the news, especially the six, 11 o’clock news and newspapers for obvious reasons. Watching them for me will ensure sadness. In the first ten minutes or on the front page, I know it will be about crime, and I know it will feature mugshots with men who look like me.

Even though I stay far away from those, I can’t escape them as they make their way into the internet somehow. I wouldn’t be as miserable if only there was a balance. That’s why I search for as much positive news about black people as possible to counter that. I know that finding it in a news outlet owned by whites is almost futile. I made the conclusion that as long as white people run the media, there will not be a whole lot of racial balance.

We need to start our own media, AND we need to support it as well. Not to mention like Mack Lyons mentioned, NOT SELL OUT FOR QUICK BUCKS.

Too many of us, even the ones who believe they are the most progressive and liberal, will sell our souls to the highest bidder. Too many of us who claim to keep it real or gangsta (not in reality) will kiss white millionaire’s butts for a couple of a million bucks. Too many of us look to white people for a way out without finding one on our own, and we see a lot of that, especially in the media.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 14:03:11 abagond

@ V-4

“Your right; white people are over-represented on television….though so are black people.

12% in real life, 16% on TV.”

That number is from 1999. Half of it comes from black sitcoms on UPN and the WB, like “Moesha”. Those shows are gone. They were trying to make it as networks by getting their numbers up quickly in important markets, like New York and Chicago, where there are tons of underserved black viewers. Fox did the same thing in the early 1990s. Once they make it, the black shows are cancelled one by one and in most cases replaced by white shows.

So the underlying base rate was more like 8%.

In 2010 a count of people who appeared on “PBS NewsHour” showed that 11% were black. But once again, half of that was Obama.

So the underlying base rate was more like 5.5%.

My own count of people in TV Guide in 2009, not counting ads, found that it was 6% black.

So the true number is more like 5% to 8%.

I agree about Hispanics. On the English-language networks they are way more underrepresented than blacks. They are also underrepresented in terms of cable channels, even if you count the Spanish-language ones..

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 14:24:52 Solesearch

Has anyone watched sleepy hollow?

The premise is completely ridiculous but the lead actress is pretty dope.

There is only one white main character, ichabod. The show has five black characters, an Asian, and a Hispanic guy.

My husband likes almost human, but the show is pretty boring to me. It’s your typical cop show, but with androids.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 15:02:38 v8driver

@solesearch
https://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/03/03/the-most-beautiful-black-women-according-to-white-people/#comment-202229
she’s nicole baharie

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 17:39:40 v8driver

@miss mary b, thanks again, as always, i didn’t mean to be snippy just sort of in ex-girlfriend withdrawal mode i guess?

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 17:47:05 mary burrell

@solesearch: I enjoy sleppy hollow. I like the chemistry between Abby and Ichabod. I have been following Nicloe Baharie since I saw her in American Violet. I think she’s a great actress.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 17:56:16 mary burrell

I have been watching American Horror Story, I like the show. I really was excited about this season’s “Coven episode, I was excited about Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau, although it’s leaving me wanting. I was pulling for them to do something interesting with Gabourey Sidiby’s character, Queenie. It kind of disturbed me, that in one scene, Queenie and a minotaur a mythical beast half man,half bull. In the scene there is something of a sexual nature between her and the beast. This is disturbing to me. Are they trying to say that no human man would desire her, and the only thing that would have her is a beast? I know the producers of this show are pretty far out and kind of twisted, But It brings to mind all the discourse about black women and their attractiveness and desirability. I was kind of put out with that part of the story.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 18:04:43 mary burrell

And the Indians have Bollywood. I know African Americans can get past the low brow ignorance that’s representing us on television. Surely we can do better than the ugly images of black women pulling each others hair weaves and throwing drinks in each others faces. And calling each other ugly names. But as long as there is an audience for this, it will continue..

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 18:16:24 mary burrell

Regarding the show Sleepy Hollow I like that there is diversity.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 14th 2013 at 21:41:23 King

Your right; white people are over-represented on television….though so are black people.

12% in real life, 16% on TV.

Actually, the national rates of ethnic population distribution should probably be ignored, unless you are producing a show that covers the entire nation equally.

It makes no sense to make Harlem 70% White or to show Boise as 12% Black if your show is depicting either area. You are more responsible to try and reflect the demographics of the depicted community, which may have much higher concentrations of Black people, or perhaps much fewer.

So, it can be tricky to predict just how Black or White any particular show should be. However, looking at the larger national trend seems like it would yield more accurate assessments.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 00:00:54 Solesearch

Nigerians have Nollywood and Indians have Bollywood, but most importantly they have Nigeria and India.

Americans have Hollywood. That should include African Americans and Indian Americans.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 00:11:27 v8driver

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/NATL-SNL-Plans-to-Hire-Black-Female-Cast-Member-235776991.html

‘”SNL” Plans to Hire Black Female Cast Member’

what’s creepy is that they’re not like we found this great new artist, who is coming up or has integrity and skills or whatever…

“It’s “100 percent good for the show to have an African-American woman” in its ranks, executive producer Lorne Michaels told the Times. Criticism for the show’s lack of diversity was spurred this fall by its only black cast members, Jay Pharoah and Kenan Thompson. Thompson voiced weariness at being obliged to play black female characters in drag.”

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 01:22:43 cleonette

I watch a lot of web series on Youtube. They are way better than television. Some of my favorite series are: Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl, The Unwritten Rules, and The Couple. The best channels are: Black & Sexy TV, Black and Single, IamOTHER, inkSpotEntertainement, and BrothersWithNoGame. Do check out The Unwritten Rules web series. The first season really spoke to me, was super funny, and focus on office politics as a black person.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 01:59:23 sondis

I remember when i was a young boy, i saw lots of black faces. when i watched the TV shows on all the major networks in the 70’s. what’s happening, The Jeffersons, GoodTimes, Different strokes ( watching all 8 seasons of diff strokes, i downloaded them ) any many more that i am missing. Then the 90’s with Family matters, Martin,The cartoon “The proud Family” many more..

Talk about a complete 360! The latest black TV show I’ve watched was “The soul man” with Cedric the Entertainer and Neicy Nash. Its pretty funny and i like Neicy Nash, i think she is actually funny and i think she is a very attractive woman on top of her talent.

She and Cedric have great chemistry together as a fictional couple. Cedric’s younger brother and daughter are meh, they’re ok but Neicy and Cedric are the stars of the show and carry it.

As a result, I DO NOT WATCH TV, period! I watch older shows that i used to watch, when i was younger.

Yeah, i liked a lot of shows that had entire white casts, what black person didn’t? We as black people, had no choice, either we watch white people’s pasty white faces or stare at a wall of white paint. -_-

We thought our prayers were answered when BET came about but we thought wrong. Then we thought again our prayers were answered when Perry and Oprah came into the spot light, wrong again. -_- So we as black people, still are waiting for some proud and brave black person to step up and make a network by black people, for black people.

Here’s to hoping one day, after i am dead and buried….. ^_^

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 02:27:30 Jacque

Sondis,

No, no. I hope it happens before we are all dead and buried.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 02:30:38 sondis

Jacque:

ahhh, wishful thinking. I remember when i used to be this way. ^_^

However, things are looking very bleek. @ : o O ) >

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 02:56:16 jefe

Looking at the 1960s Start Trek, it made me think of something. Back then the token black was usually female and the token Asian was male. In fact, although male Asians were few in the 1960s and 1970s, females were non-existent. The stereotype back then was one of whore (during the Vietnam War) and generally a role that women would not like to play. Besides, there was still a large gender imbalance at that time.

By the 1990s the token black is usually male and the token Asian is usually female.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 02:56:40 jefe

STAR TREK, sorry

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 03:07:32 jefe

@Sondis,
I agree with you. In the 1970s we had a lot more black majority entertainment. Not only the comedy sitcoms, but shows like Soul Train. By the 1990s, they were gone. Blacks and other non-whites became tokens in white shows. When was the turning point? Forrest Gump?

Well, pre- late 60s, non-whites did not even exist on television, unless you count Ricky Ricardo (who is still a white Hispanic, no?).

We could use a 2010s non-white All in the Family – which makes social commentary about US society, esp. white people. The white roles in the show would be token props.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 04:12:38 mary burrell

Web series are a good alternative the mind numbing stupidity on television. I like the “Unwritten Rules, and Awkward Black Girl. Issa Rae Is on to something, I think she may be transitioning on to television, I hope she doesn’t lose what was special about her from the beginning. There was another web series called the Punanny Diaries that was funny.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 04:17:06 mary burrell

The Number was pretty good, I enjoyed that one. It was the first web series I started to watch.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 08:11:29 Stanley21

What a bunch of absolute crap this is. While I will give you that Black folks are entitled to a piece of the pie, this entitlement has them demonizing and vilifying the majority culture as “white supremacist”. Black folks represent %15 percent of the population and are more than represented in popular media. Enough with the white guilt already, The U.S. is a country founded by Europeans and doesn’t need to anybody just for being white. The Left needs to learn the difference between “white supremacy” and a bunch of white folks. And Black folks need to recognize that in 2013 there are few places on this planet where we are afforded greater opportunities.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 08:12:55 WET: White Entertainment Television | Consult your Life

[…] WET: White Entertainment Television. […]

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 08:30:28 mstoogood4yall

Oh I remember watching out of the box tony was my favorite. I wonder what he looks like now… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCU0MrdI1Oc

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 08:35:19 mstoogood4yall

oh and my cousin skeeter was funny to me I thought the puppet and the guy were fine. lol the shows in the 90s had some great theme songs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQCDxE7eFfA

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 08:36:36 mstoogood4yall

smart guy was another one of my fave shows loved that show . tahj mowry was so cute.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 08:43:53 mstoogood4yall

I am addicted to hello cupid by black and sexy tv, and the couple is funny too. the unwritten rules is awesome. I kinda liked roomies lovers and friends but its kinda getting repetitive.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 10:28:03 jefe

Enough with the white guilt already

Who, pray tell, is trying to promote white guilt?

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 10:51:14 King of Trouble

Stanley, you have no clue as to what you are talking about. I have been to a few countries and Black people are surviving and thriving in almost every country I went to. Please stop the “Team America” jingle that you are trying to make people believe. This country needs to wake up.
I do miss some of the black shows from the early seventies. “You under arrest Sugar!”

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 12:37:28 Omnipresent

I dont recall there being many ‘black’ T.V shows in the UK when I was growing up. The main ones were on Sky TV and were U.S imports like Moesha and My Wife and Kids. Before that, it was The Cosby Show, A Different World and Hanging with Cooper. Also Girlfriends.

In the U.K there were shows like, ‘No Problem’ and ‘Desmonds’ and another older relative said that there was a shortlived programme called Empire Row and The Fosters – both of which I have no memory of and would have been way before my time.

I think that most would agree, in the U.K, there are slim pickings for primarily black cast shows in any year.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 16:29:22 mary burrell

@Omnipresent: In the 90’s there was a great show on BBC called Chef with Lenny Henry, it had a diverse cast of actors, it didn’t last very long, but I really liked that show and I was very disappointed when it they stopped showing it.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 16:31:40 v8driver

anyone remember “red dwarf?

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 16:34:35 mary burrell

King Of Trouble: “Youre under arrest sugar! LOL! Get Christy Love, I wonder where she is today? That is the 70’s for real.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 16:50:40 Omnipresent

Mary Burrell:

Yes, Lenny Henry had a few shows in the 70’s, 80’s and into the 90’s. Apparently he was one of the main characters in this show the Fosters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpQlKyCNxmA) and then, the Lenny Hennry show (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWcBsaWpQQY).
He is behind one of the shows called Comic Relief but personally, as a comedian, he grates. His need to ‘impress’ makes him seem like he istrying tooo hard.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 17:18:41 Herneith

@Stanley21:

Is that you Asplund.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 17:33:37 Pamela

@Mary B.: I also remember ‘Chef’ with Lenny Henry, which I saw in reruns.

There are some outstanding actors from the U.K., Idris Elba being my favorite. Check out his ‘Luther’ series, a crime drama in which he plays a police detective. His acting is brilliant, as usual. There are other excellent actors, such as Thandie Newton, Freema Agyeman (on Law and Order UK), Sophie Okonedo, Delroy Lindo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and let’s not forget the tall and gorgeous Colin Salmon who is another of my favorites. He was in AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Resident Evil, and has an extensive list of television and theater credits in England, where he is from.

I agree that there hasn’t been a great deal of black representation on British television (from what I’ve seen here in the U.S.) but what I have seen has been quite good. I’m ‘staying tuned’ to see what else comes out in the future.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 17:37:07 mary burrell

@Pamela: Thank you for responding, yes there is a lot of great actors of color that come from the U.K.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 17:44:42 King

Good call, Herneith.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 18:12:41 mary burrell

@Omnipresent: Thanks for that link, That must have been the British version of Good Times. I liked it.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 18:14:08 mary burrell

@Herneith: I second that you made a good call as well. Sheesh, why doesn’t that guy just give it up already?

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 18:19:52 mary burrell

Maybe it’s just me but I like BBC shows better, I loved Afterlife, and Keeping Appearances. The BBC seems to have more diversity in the casting of actors for their shows.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 19:03:12 King of Trouble

Of course I remember Red Dwarf. I am nothing if not a big sci-fi nerd. Throw in a little British Sci-fi and you’ve got me hooked.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 19:08:25 King of Trouble

@ Pamela, Detective John Luther, yes now there was a show I was hooked on when I had cable and a TV.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 19:13:34 King of Trouble

@ Mary Burrell, I just like the BBC better period. Not that Britain doesn’t have its own set of problems. I just feel that maybe with having time limits and only a few channels their older shows had to think more. Every American drama I say about police was rubbish one rouge cop that used torture or completely illegal procedure to get the job done. While a lot of the BBC police shows they had to use their brains and actually outsmart the criminals. Just recently I have gotten the chance to se Almost Human and I can say the police work is absolutely horrible on that show. Not a show seems to slip without sloppy police work attached with police brutality.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 19:24:45 mary burrell

I will have to check out Luther, that fine Idris Alba, I like him.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 20:21:49 King

Web series are a good alternative the mind numbing stupidity on television. I like the “Unwritten Rules, and Awkward Black Girl.”

I really think this is the answer.

Television/movies is not like legislating fair access to housing, or employment. There is no practical way to protests our way into getting two television channels “set aside” for Black programming. I think this in is one of those things that really should come from within the community.

Ever since I was a teenager, I can remember bumping into creative types in the Black community, particularly writers. Once you get to know them for a while, there is that inevitable moment when they will produce a notebook and half apologetically show you one of the hundreds of pages that they have written. A much higher percentage of this stuff than I expected has been pretty good writing, some of it even excellent! But most of them simply didn’t have anywhere to go with their work. There just wasn’t that big a market for books of young, unknown, Black poets or authors.

But today there is the internet, and if you really want to, you can make your stories available to the entire online world. It may take some collaboration, or a moderate investment in some equipment, but there is NOTHING to stop any creative person from putting their own stories on the internet these days. I say this not as an accusation, but as an encouragement to the creative. African Americans have been so pivotal in entertainment, it would be great if more of us took on the task of writing, directing, and filming our stories, now that the technology makes it so much more practical to do so.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 23:12:43 Pay it Forward

Mary writes:

“Youre under arrest sugar! LOL! Get Christy Love, I wonder where she is today? That is the 70′s for real.

I have only vague memories of that show. I don’t think it ever went into syndication (aka ‘reruns’). Maybe it didn’t have a long enough run for that.

Anyway, no too long ago I was looking at a site on Black celebrities who have died but with little or no acknowlegement of their death.

According to the site, actress Teresa Graves, star of “Get Christie Love”, dropped out of acting and devoted herself to caring for her ailing mother sometime after the show was cancelled.

Ms Graves herself died a few years back shortly after being rescued from a fire that broke out in her home while she was asleep.

Also, as I recall, Nick Ashford of Ashford & Simpson song writing and singing duo died a few years ago. If my sister hadn’t informed me of the tiny article she’d read concerning his passing, I would not know about his death to this day.

LikeLike
on Sun Dec 15th 2013 at 23:47:02 mary burrell

@Pay IT Forward: Thanks for that, That’s very sad.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 02:36:16 King

Sure Legion.

I think probably 60% of what I’ve seen was contemporary story/drama. Maybe 20% historical drama. 10% highly artistic concept. Maybe 5% comedy. And 5% sci-fi (although I don’t know anyone who ONLY wrote sci-fi.)

I’m excluding straight poetry as a separate category.

I’d say that 30% to 40% of what I read was pretty promising.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 04:03:38 The Beat Man

Reblogged this on Life in Anglo-America and commented:
…………………….

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 04:13:33 King

Five percent for comedy seems quite small. It suggests to me “serious artist types” who are doing this writing.”

Yeah most of the people I know who are seriously into comedy are comedians who want to break into stand-up, not write screenplays.

But the irony of it is that so many writers write reams of material and nobody ever sees it, but the 21-year-old initial readers at the publishing houses. and the odd friend or two, who they trust. The world never ever hears from them.

What I’m saying is, why not write something that you can dramatize and put on YouTube, it can be a 5 or 10 minute piece. Just SOMETHING that the world can at least see and give a thumbs up or thugs down to.

How else will you ever know if you’re good?

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 04:22:41 Pay it Forward

You’re welcome, Mary.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 07:09:04 Riverside_Rob

Surprised to see Star Trek on the list – Nichelle Nichols was a pioneer black female actress on the show. She was intelligent, and an important part of the crew. Not a token in my opinion.

on the other hand, I would think that many here would be offended by the 70’s era sit-coms that featured black casts – the portrayal offends me today – condescending in the exteme.

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 10:35:56 jefe

@R_R

Not a token in my opinion.

I remember watching an interview with Gene Roddenberry about Nichelle Nichols and George Takei.

He did not want it to be all-white and added them on purpose (“pioneering”, as it were). Whether they were or were not a token in your opinion, they were added as token roles. Of course he developed them into larger roles, but the function of their presence was tokenism and still filled supporting roles.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 14:49:28 v8driver

http://dailypicksandflicks.com/2013/12/15/snl-black-santa-claus-on-weekend-update-video/

“SNL: Black Santa Claus on Weekend Update (Video)
LOL, Pop Culture — By Dave on 2013/12/15 4:47 AM

‘Black as hell’ Santa Claus visits SNL‘s Weekend Update to respond to Fox News’ Megyn Kelly’s statement that Santa Claus is white.”

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 22:12:32 grin and bear it

It’s very telling that most of the shows highlighted occur in large American cities (or metropolitan areas), where, as Abagond noted, whites constitute a minority. Despite that, these shows are almost entirely white — even in terms of minor characters and extras. Friends was on the air for what, 10 years? I think there may have only been 3 or 4 people of color to appear on that show the entirety of its run. Yet it took place in modern day New York! The Big Bang takes place in my home town, which has always been wonderfully diverse. Plus, it’s a show about nerds — at CalTech. With no Asian, East Indian, Middle Eastern, or African students. Yeah, right.

At least some of the shows mentioned have featured some POC in interesting, even groundbreaking roles. Star Trek with Nichelle Nichols, Breaking Bad with Gus Fring, and Seinfeld with Jackie Childs. And I’m not sure it’s even fair to include The Simpsons on the list. Even though it’s a cartoon, it’s actually featured one of the most diverse supporting casts on television: Homer’s buddy Carl, Dr. Hibbert, Apu and his family, and Officer Lou have all appeared with regularity. While these depictions aren’t perfect, and do verge slightly towards tokenism, very few other shows even come close to acknowledging “otherness” within their purviews.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 22:15:10 llup

Friends is not a big deal. Yeah it was a white show with no black people but it’s equal was Living Single. They didn’t have white people on that show.

I don’t watch much television. Nothing really interest me. If I watch anything, it’s sitcoms from the 90’s, 80’s and 70’s. Those decades actually had black people on T.V. It’s the 2000’s where blacks are missing. Television in generally (black, white, whatever…) has gone down hill.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 22:44:32 mstoogood4yall

great vid legion I remember hearing that audio I think he should sue if he hasn’t already. calling ppl mutts that is messed up. Someone should show that to don lemon lol. more ppl need to wear recorders when dealing with the cops. its one thing to have a quota its another thing to take pleasure in harassing someone and cursing and calling them names. stop and frisk gives these kind of cops the right to victimize people and intimidate them. If u have quotas why not go to white areas and stop them? oh that’s right they will sue ur arse and can get u in trouble so go after the people that don’t have the complexion for protection. they do use fear to get the cops to obey by threatening to mess up their career,but the cops are wrong for hurting people and going along with it.

brothawolf had this article on his blog about a cop that did take a stand against the corruption http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/12/how_it_feels_to_be_a_whistleblower.html

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 16th 2013 at 22:55:28 mstoogood4yall

B.e.t. is annoying, the boondocks episode about it was on point it’s black evil television. the white ppl that complain about it well put it this way bet is kinda like cmt . yall would not want redneck weddings and honey boo boo representing u now would u? well with bet it shows nothing but stereotypes and the few shows that were positive got taken off like tj holmes don’t sleep and I believe boondocks was at one time on bet.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 01:05:52 mary burrell

I remember when Uhuru and Captain Kirk kissed.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 01:19:11 v8driver

i think all positive images about nichelle nichols (i seen her at a trekkie convention, she spoke well) was erased by the episode with lincoln on the enterprise?

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 01:19:58 v8driver

i got a cop and a CO fired

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 01:27:57 mary burrell

I loved the series “Being Human, The british series was so much better than the one from the U.S.A. They were just a great cast with good chemistry that blended well and it was well acted.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 01:33:01 mary burrell

Psych on the USA network is a funny show, Dule’ Hill and James Roday are a great team they have great chemistry. Then there is Law and Order, Special Victims, I love me some Law and Order, I love watching television.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 02:22:22 mary burrell

Sumner Restone own Viacom, which is why BET is the train wreck that it is.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 02:31:41 mary burrell

OOPs! typo: Redstone*

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 03:08:04 King of Trouble

@ King, just watched ABG and had a few laughs. Yet, sometimes painfully raw to watch.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 05:53:51 Pay it Forward

A while after the animated show “the Simpsons” came to TV, a girl I knew told me that she had always thought the show was about light-skinned Black people because of the yellow skin tone of most of its characters.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 06:34:08 Brothawolf

mary burrell,

I heard the same about the show “Skins”. They say the British version was much better than its American counterpart.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 06:41:30 Brothawolf

Salon published an article about whitewashed TV: http://www.salon.com/2013/12/09/whitewashed_tv_isnt_just_racist_its_boring/

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 15:31:13 Jayis

@King

there is NOTHING to stop any creative person from putting their own stories on the internet these days. I say this not as an accusation, but as an encouragement to the creative. African Americans have been so pivotal in entertainment, it would be great if more of us took on the task of writing, directing, and filming our stories, now that the technology makes it so much more practical to do so.

What I’ve heard from blacks is that some of the positive series about black peoples lives didn’t draw a large black audience or that black people usually found them boring. They say that black people like “drama” or “ratchet.” White people will obviously watch “boring” shows about white people because a lot of white people won’t consider those shows to be boring.

Even if more black people start writing their own stories, I think that they will still present stereotyped images of hypermasculine or violent black men and beautiful black women as whitewashed, or not looking like Serena Williams. The black shows I’ve seen whitewash black women just like WET. I was surprised to read here that some of the black men don’t think that Serena is beautiful. I didn’t read where any black man here disagreed with that opinion about her. I don’t think that a lot of black people see themselves any different than the way white people see them and some black people see themselves even worse. I’ve never heard a white man say that Serena Williams is not attractive.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 15:37:41 phoebeprunelle

was surprised to read here that some of the black men don’t think that Serena is beautiful

Although beauty is subjective, most Black men offline think Serena is the ideal Black woman–at least those i know personally and professionally. Going to the “right” Black sites will yield these results as well.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 16:51:12 Jayis

most Black men offline think Serena is the ideal Black woman–at least those i know personally and professionally. Going to the “right” Black sites will yield these results as well.

What are some of the “right” black sites? I would have thought that this was one of those sites. That’s why I was surprised that there wasn’t disagreement when someone put down Serena’s looks. I mean, didn’t I read here where someone (a black person) said that Serena looks like an animal? That’s incredible to read on a black site like this. But my black girlfriends get hit with putdowns similar to that everyday from other black people.

So many black people accuse the worst in white people but so many of them think the same way the worst white people think. I think that black people need to be a lot more interested in how black people think about other black people. From what I experience, that’s where the biggest problem is. Has Abagond done any posts on black on black hatred?

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 17:30:12 phoebeprunelle

What i mean by “right” is Abagond’s site attracts lots of trolls–especially when the discussion is about Black women’s lives. A few of these voices tend to override common sense or knowledge since we know MOST heterosexual men of all colors would not overlook Black women as potential partners.

There are several Black sites that i have visited on the blogsphere and youtube that frequently lists Serena and various other Black women (of all shades, nationalities body types (except obese/overweight), hair textures and lengths) as desirable, preferred and appreciated. There may not be lots, but there are some.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 18:54:21 Sharina

@jayis

I woulf not be quick to assume the person making hateful commeys are black. Abagond’s blog attract a boat load of trolls (some of which who claim yo be black) and if you are refering to who I think you are in regards to the serena comment then he was white and banned.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 18:55:38 Sharina

Excuse my many typos.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 19:02:26 Sharina

Only watched sex and the city. The remainder of those shows were frankly boring. Then again I don’t really care much for American tv.

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 20:10:40 phoebeprunelle

@Sharina,

It has become increasingly hard for me to follow the logic of many of the shows popular now…

With the exception of PBS, American entertainment on television is a joke.

Much of what i watch are international films (i think “foreign” is too insensitive and offensive as a description), and television shows. I mean at least the BBC still shows Dr. Who.

If someone wants Black, Mary mentioned web series such as “The Unwritten Rules” and there is another that is yet to release its fourth season “Black Sister Wives” (freakin hilarous as the the polygamist is a Black man living in Utah with his three Black wives under the same roof)…the wives have much more say over their lives than he does.

I think they are trying to push Francesca Ramsey into prime time and i sure hope it doesn’t happen! She will lose the locs, the voice and progressive perspective if they hire her as a cast member on SNL. I have a funny feeling that they will offer her a spot (just to prove they want to diversify).

LikeLike
on Tue Dec 17th 2013 at 21:25:22 Sharina

@phoebeprunelle

“It has become increasingly hard for me to follow the logic of many of the shows popular now”—Agreed! We are an international film family, so I understand where you are coming from.

I love Dr. Who but am a bit partial to Korean Drama. I will however have to check out “Black Sister Wives”

LikeLike
on Wed Dec 18th 2013 at 04:01:05 Alicia

I agree with Brothawolf because I avoid the news as well, not only is it negative however focuses so negatively on Blacks! I hate seeing how they focus on Black men and we always see Black men’s picture so large as a perpretrator in the news. It’s will always be a large photo. Nevermind that it’s whites whom are the aggressors and do so many evil, cruel things. White crime doesn’t get reported, the mainstream news outlets are not just a tool of white supremacy but also are incredibly negative and depressing.

LikeLike
on Wed Dec 18th 2013 at 04:02:07 Alicia

Why is there no reliable, mainstream Black news source ?..that is the real question! That’s vital to combating White Supremacy!

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 08:09:25 melody

Ok, first of all, I watched a lot of TV Land as a kid, so don’t hate on Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, and Star Trek. How can you even dislike Star Trek when it was breaking barriers in the 1960s? Uhura has inspired many black girls since the 1960s. Also Sulu. What’s your beef against The Flintstones, too? I enjoy watching older shows, and aren’t bothered by things like, why there weren’t any black people in Bedrock, because I understand how a show like Scandal wouldn’t air on TV in the early 1960s. TV is just entertainment. Do you honestly watch such shows with a scowl on your face? Growing up I lived in a diverse community, and had no hatred for any ethnicity. I looked at people on TV like Lucy from I Love Lucy with the same love I viewed my teachers with. I can’t imagine having hatred from such a young age. It contributes to who I am today, and why I laugh when people say silly self affirming things like “everyone’s a little bit racist”.

Also, the majority of networks you say “whites have” pertain more to me and my family than BET, or TV One (which I’ve never even heard of). But I’d be interested in getting African channels through my satellite broadcasting, though I’ve only heard of a few. The Nanny was funnier to me than the BET Girlfriends. Heck, it’s still funny. I’ll order a DVD of the series when I can. When my cousins, who grew up in a more urban environment, would come over and put on BET I’d cringe cause I’d hate the stereotypes presented. If anything I felt more unsettled by BET than even TV Land, with shows even in black and white. I felt BET was part of a machine showing how a “black person should be” or just plain stereotypes.

Your “white channels” are so ridiculous that you even include the kid channels, like Nickelodeon, Cartoonnetwork, Disney, Sprout, and PBS (early in the day). What would any typical 4 year old, regardless of ethnicity, rather watch: The Bernie Mac Show or Spongebob Squarepants? Kids don’t need to be bombarded by a channel only showing people of their ethnicity to feel special. I went to schools where there would often be 0-2 other black people in any given class, but I never had self hate because of not seeing many others that looked like me. Heck, I’d often be the only person in my school of a particular culture, but why is that something to feel self conscious about?

Most, if not all the channels you mentioned have shows with black people on them, too. So basically I don’t get whatsoever what you meant by the channels being “white”. I’d love if someone, if not Abagond, could explain that one.

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 09:14:22 Pay it Forward

Legion writes:

“This was said by an adult with a straight face? When you say “a girl” you must really mean a girl, i.e. a small child. And children sometimes give answers to please questioners or the most significant person in a situation, you may have been that significant person in that moment.”
_ _ _

No, not actually “a small child”, but a girl of 11 or 12 years old; and, going by her facial expression, I think she was completely serious in making that statement.

I suppose, for her, it did not make any sense that whites would be represented by bright yellow-skinned cartoon characters. Light-skinned Blacks seemed to make more sense.

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 10:19:05 King

@ melody

Most, if not all the channels you mentioned have shows with black people on them, too. So basically I don’t get whatsoever what you meant by the channels being “white”. I’d love if someone, if not Abagond, could explain that one.

I think what Abagond is getting at is that there is often an augment that pops up among certain Whites that Black people have BET so why is it that White people don’t have a channel? It’s the mirror image to the, “Why isn’t there a White History month?” question.

So he’s pointing out that all the rest of TV is, for the most part, produced by people who mostly happen to be White. It is written by people who mostly happen to be White. It is directed by people who mostly happen to be White. And it is sponsored by people who mostly happen to be White. Therefore it is de facto, White Entertainment television that everyone else watches as well.

The main point is that there is no inherent unfairness because a BET exists… especially since even it to is:

– Produced by people who mostly happen to be White.
– Written by people who mostly happen to be White.

Besides, I accuse Abagond of being a Trekkie!

https://abagond.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/the-doomsday-machine/

https://abagond.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/the-four-kinds-of-humans/

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 11:36:38 ThatDeborahGirl

@ cleonette

Thanks for the heads up on these web series. I will definitely check them out. Might I also suggest, Ask a Slave and The United Colors of Amanin if you don’t watch them already, or to others who may not have heard of them. Azie and Amani are killing it : )

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 13:59:14 abagond

@ melody

The main point of the post was to show that the WET argument comes from a blindness to white privilege. Thus all the pictures of white shows to hammer home the point. And, yes, “Star Trek”, as much as I love it, is a white show too. Sprinkling in a few tokens hardly makes it multiracial.

To move Uhura or any black character from token to something more requires her to be fleshed out, to be more than a supporting cardboard character. We know nothing of her childhood, her family, her love life (apart from one forced kiss), her motives, her loves and hates, the quirks of her personality, etc. Not even a passing reference to her days at Starfleet Academy. She is a co-worker, an acquaintance, nothing more. In the cast photo in the post you cannot even see her whole face.

Good examples of fleshed-out black characters in white or mixed-cast television shows: Olivia Pope in “Scandal”, Gus Fring in “Breaking Bad”, Martha Jones in “Doctor Who”, Lily Harper in “I’ll Fly Away”, Jeanne Boulet in “E.R.”

The GOOD thing about Uhura is that she is not a stereotype. It is why Martin Luther King, Jr urged her not to quit the show. But that says more about the sad state of American television than anything else. Just because a man stops beating his wife it does not mean he is a good husband.

Zora Neale Hurston wrote about this stuff when television was just starting out:

https://abagond.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/zora-neale-hurston-what-white-publishers-wont-print/

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 14:16:30 Sharina

@ melody

Had you actually read the post I am sure you would have gotten it without two people explaining it to you. Some advice (take it as you will) read before ranting.

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 18:28:30 phoebeprunelle

Sonia Rolland (Miss France 2000) garnerd the same reaction from white French society when she was crowned.

The part i don’t understand is how people could be so hateful towards beautiful women?

*shrugs*

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 22:36:25 Mbeti

Reblogged this on Mbeti's Blog and commented:
I grew up watching television and now download most of my favorite shows from the internet for free – something I never even dreamed was possible ,and while I’m not interested in most of the shows in this post ,most of my favorites are still predominately but not exclusively white.

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 19th 2013 at 22:42:06 Mbeti

It hurts to be continually excluded ,disparaged and marginalized – but nothing last forever and its all interrelated – which may explain why shows (and films and books etc) I had limited access to are now free to me ,I didn’t have awareness and now I have a voice.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 00:57:02 Bulanik

@ Kiwi

I must admit that though I’ve always been into films, I watch television far less.
And even though the token black is usually male and the token (East) Asian is usually female, why is it that I remember, over and over, seeing black men dressed up as black women — and usually as FAT ones, perpetuating an image that we are meant to laugh at?

It’s a mockery.
It dismays me to see “women” this way. And, it humiliates the manhood of black men playing women. I find it unbearable to watch.

Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence comes to mind. There are others but I can’t think of.

So, real black women aren’t “seen” that much, and when they are seen, sometimes it is as…MEN! Something is very wrong there.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 00:59:53 Bulanik

@ Kiwi

I must admit that though I’ve always been into films, I watch television far less.
And even though the token black is usually male and the token (East) Asian is usually female, why is it that I remember, over and over, seeing black men dressed up as black women — and usually as FAT ones, perpetuating an image that we are meant to laugh at?

It’s a mockery.
It dismays me to see “women” this way. And, it humiliates the manhood of black men playing women. I find it unbearable to watch.

Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence comes to mind. There are others but I can’t think of.

So, real black women aren’t “seen” that much, and when they are seen, sometimes it is as…MEN! Something is very wrong there.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 01:08:23 mary burrell

@Bulanik: I do feel there is something very wrong going on where black women are portrayed by men and it’s insulting they are seen as fat and over bearing, I could even take it farther, it appears that the emasculation of the black man is at play here as well.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 01:15:55 mary burrell

The men in dresses business, I think that’s why Tyler Perry’s Madea character has so much hate tossed at it, it seem the black man’s masculinity is being attacked.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 03:32:38 King

What kind if a name is “Megyn?” Why do they do that?!! Isn’t the name spelled “Meagan,” or even “Megan?!” Why, oh why do Whites delight in misspelling their names!!!??? Is it because they so crave attention? I just HATE these made up spellings!!! Get a DICTIONARY already… OK, sorry… just had to vent 🙂

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 03:35:49 Jayis

@Legion

Could you clarify please? (I am not clear on the point you were making.)

I’m saying that based on what I’ve seen blacks label as beautiful in a black woman, black casting agents would most likely choose black women for shows or movies who look exactly like the “beautiful” black women that white casting agents choose.

Are you saying that black women on T.V. should often look something like Serena Williams? Are you talking face? body?

Serena has stunning looks and has a riveting screen presence. Are you suggesting that Serena’s facial beauty should be judged separately from her body? I’ve never heard anyone try to separate Kim K’s face from her body. They just say she’s beautiful.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 03:37:50 mary burrell

@King: She probably was Megan or Meagan, but she always knew she would be on television so she changed her name to this goofy spelling.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 03:41:36 King

Haha! Just flippin’ the script Mary… just flippin’ the script… 🙂

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 05:32:46 mstoogood4yall

@ bulanik and mary

yall are on point, they masculinze black women via the roles they give black women as well as giving black men roles dressing up as black women. And another thing i notice is they have straight black women playing lesbians or being the masculine straight woman like queen latifah’s roles always are.

And others have pointed out how black males that play the role of being gay or dressing as women will get action roles later on. jamie foxx dressed up as wanda then later on he got the action role of django. will smith played a gay man then later on got action roles. martin lawrence dressed as shennehneh and later on played in action movie. only a few i can think of haven’t had to be emasculated before they could have action roles, but usually they play cops or the bad guy.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 15:00:27 phoebeprunelle

(apart from one forced kiss),

Abagond,

That kiss between Uhura and Capt. Kirk seemed mutual to me.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 15:02:03 phoebeprunelle

Which leaves me to wonder–are the kisses between Black men/ww on television “forced”?

No. Most people are going to argue that they are in fact “in love”.

Go figure.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 16:30:41 King

That kiss between Uhura and Capt. Kirk seemed mutual to me.

You should rematch that part of the episode

It was entitled, Plato’s Stepchildren

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lThvEsP5-9Y)

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 17:38:56 Jayis

lol Abagond is showing his true feelings about black women/wm.

Abagond, do you feel the same about black men/ww?

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 20:04:38 resw77

That’s funny how the only black co-star in any of the TV Show photos is partially blocked by Capt. Kirk.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 20:47:52 King

Speaking of Uhura again, its still amazing that the super rare pairing of Asian Male / Black Female was also seen in an early episode. Nevermind how hard Uhura pimp slaps Sulu back into his chair before pulling a knife on him. lol!

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CJdFppsHeo)

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 22:01:25 phoebeprunelle

You should rematch that part of the episode

It was entitled, Plato’s Stepchildren

Ok, i get that it was all acting, but i can’t help but notice on this blog that the only acceptable IR pairing is that of Black men/ww….

I have my theory about why though.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 20th 2013 at 22:05:48 King

I’m personally cool with I/R parings either way, just as long as the couples aren’t together for racist reasons.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 21st 2013 at 00:46:58 Netflix Racism Roulette | Awake Black Woman

[…] WET: White Entertainment Television by Abagond. He tackles television specifically, while I have dealt with mostly movies. Same difference, really. The results are nearly identical. Go ahead, click that link and read that blog post. You’ll be glad you did. […]

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 21st 2013 at 02:05:53 Pay it Forward

“Ok, i get that it was all acting, but i can’t help but notice on this blog that the only acceptable IR pairing is that of Black men/ww….”

_ _ _

From what I’ve read, the original concept was to have Uhura and Mr. Spoke share the first “interspecies kiss”, but that actor William Shatner insisted that if anyone would get to kiss Uhura that it should be Captain Kirk. IIRC, Shatner intentionally flubbed this scene several times, causing the need for repeated retakes.

Shatner also shared a kiss with Somali-born model / actress Iman in the film “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”. I recall reading somewhere that, according to Iman herself, Shatner’s hands were roaming all over her during attempts to film the kiss.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 21st 2013 at 02:08:20 Pay it Forward

*Mr. Spock

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 21st 2013 at 10:51:40 King

@ Kiwi

Yes, I agree that the Black/Asian hapa is much maligned, despite the many famously attractive Blasian hapas such as Amerie, Foxy Brown, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, Kimora Lee Simmons, Lou Jing, Chanel Iman, Denyce Lawton, La’Shontae Heckard, Lisa Wu-Hartwell, etc. etc.

The whole notion is ridiculous. But yeah the AM/BF combination is a unicorn for whatever reason.

LikeLike
on Sat Dec 21st 2013 at 23:55:59 resw77

@ “@ Pay it Forward

“That’s funny how the only black co-star in any of the TV Show photos is partially blocked by Capt. Kirk.”

LOL…should’ve been “blocked by Mr. Spock”…clearly I’m no Trekkie

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 23rd 2013 at 17:05:50 Ebonymonroe

Great post @Abagond

You perfectly stated the obvious to a question that shouldn’t have to be answered, but always is. The question is so offensive to me that I’ve never had the energy to answer it.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 23rd 2013 at 17:11:45 Ebonymonroe

@ks

Did you know “Sweet sweetback’s baada55555 song” is a porno? It’s not simulated. There’s even pedophilia, as Mario Van Pebbles (who was a little boy at the time) was forced to do the s-x scene by his dad (director Melvin Van Pebbles). He was terrified, and lost his virginity in the scene to a grown woman.

The set was plagued with STD’s/I’s. The story was told in the documentary style independent film “Baada55555!” starring Mario Van Pebbles (playing his father) and Nia Long.
If I would have known, I never would have watched any of the footage.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 23rd 2013 at 17:16:17 Ebonymonroe

^^^
*Mario and Melvin Van Peebles, rather.

He was like 11 or 12 years old at the time. His dad seemed rather sadistic.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 23rd 2013 at 20:56:20 ks

@Ebonymonre,

Yeah I knew before I saw the documentary you mentioned. What can I say? Great and influential movie made by a man of suspect character. Unfortunately, that’s not unsual.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 23rd 2013 at 21:11:14 ks

@Ebonymonroe,

If you really want to be shocked at how things went down on certain movie sets check out Leon Isaac Kennedy’s movies especially “Penitentiary”. You don’t need a documentary to tell you what was going on on that set. Heh.

Overall the guy seemed to try to bring to life the characters in the Donald Goines novels. Also, he was awful to his more broadly famous wife, Jayne Kennedy, who was a significant trailblazer for black women in the media. He was abusive and even sold a private sex tape of them supposedly to feed a coke habit.

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 23rd 2013 at 22:14:37 Ebonymonroe

Care to elaborate on this “Penitentiary?”
What is it?
And what happened on the set?

LikeLike
on Mon Dec 23rd 2013 at 22:42:26 ks

It’s a “back in the day” B movie staring Leon Isaac Kennedy. It’s your basic guy-goes-to-jail storyline. What happened on the set is what happened in the movie – straight buck wild F*****ing.

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 26th 2013 at 08:44:15 Uncle Milton

To Abagond:

It stereotypes blacks and other people of colour. Worse than lack of representation is misrepresentation. American television pictures blacks as
self-destructive,
dirty,
lazy,
unintelligent,
criminal,
violent and
ugly.

What fictional TV shows in the last 30 years have portrayed blacks in this manner..? The large majority of black fictional characters on TV that I have seen are in respectable positions. (Albeit I would agree there is often tokenism…) As for criminal portrayal the large majority of fictional violent criminals on TV are White.. this in a country where the majority of murderers and robbers are not White.

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 26th 2013 at 15:17:13 jefe

@U M,
You changed the focus of Abagond’s post, eg,
– he was pointing out how people overseas who never encounter American blacks receive images of blacks from decades of US television. In that context, most definitely YES – that is what they see and hear. I have never heard Asians in Asia who have never stepped foot in America envision American blacks as peaceful law abiding educated citizens. They usually envision them as wild, dangerous and destructive, if not musical and athletically gifted. (One of the slang terms in the Philippines for blacks is “holdupper”). If you cannot pick that up from watching US television, then you are watching it through a lens.
– he never restricted his comments to fictional TV shows. Some of the most biased programmes are the news, documentaries and reality shows.
– the tokens are just tokens. They are too cardboard thin to challenge the deeply ingrained stereotyped images that most of the media portrays.
– there are plenty of deeply developed sweet, romantic, educated, intelligent non-cardboard white characters to overcome the few images of violent white criminals. Those are not tokens like the black and other characters you see on TV.
– you don’t even have to have a black image appear to communicate those stereotypes. The fact that the white characters on TV FEAR black people and avoid the black areas of town already communicates to whites (who often live in 95% white neighborhoods) and overseas non-Americans that black people are something to be afraid of and to avoid.

I went with a friend (who has never been to the USA) to watch “Horrible Bosses” at the cinema. What is he supposed to think when Jason Bateman’s character asked the navfinder to take him to the worst part of town where people “kill people for money” and the voice said that he could direct them to the neighborhood with the most carjacks. The bar they find is all black and has a very different atmosphere from the white bar they depicted earlier in the film. The viewers think that the bosses are ridiculous caricatures but the bad mean nasty dangerous black part of town is for real.

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 26th 2013 at 15:31:05 Matari

“As for criminal portrayal the large majority of fictional violent criminals on TV are White.. ** this in a country where the majority of murderers and robbers are not White.” **

**********

Really?????

Are you stating this with a straight face??

There are no thieves better than those white men who are the chief executive officers (CEOs) of mega large corporations AND banks that exact policies and strategies that rob the poor and transfers their money to the most rich. And there are no murderers on the planet that can hold a candle to the biggest war/oil/energy/military industrial complex ever assembled on the planet (again, run by WHITE men).

And that’s only a slim slice of the fat criminal pie that whites eat, disproportionately.

Just because they’re trying to hide in the shadows doesn’t mean that many of us can’t see them for who they are and what they do.

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 26th 2013 at 16:40:27 jefe

Are you stating this with a straight face??

You know what, I think he did. 😛

LikeLike
on Thu Dec 26th 2013 at 19:38:24 Uncle Milton

Matari:

:There are no thieves better than those white men who are the chief executive officers (CEOs) of mega large corporations AND banks that exact policies and strategies that rob the poor and transfers their money to the most rich.

Yes,, no argument from me and I have stated more than once that I was very disappointed that no CEOs or any of the leadership of the financial institutions in this country were prosecuted..after the financial crisis – but notice I said: “large majority of fictional violent criminals on TV are White..”

And there are no murderers on the planet that can hold a candle to the biggest war/oil/energy/military industrial complex ever assembled on the planet (again, run by WHITE men).

The US military is less than 75% white and Colin Powell, Barack Obama, and a host of other US military leaders are not white.. and the US military is generally portrayed in a very negative light overseas. But the past or current actions of a military force often do not inform us about the nature of street level crime within a country.

Jefe:

You changed the focus of Abagond’s post, eg,
– he was pointing out how people overseas who never encounter American blacks receive images of blacks from decades of US television. If you cannot pick that up from watching US television, then you are watching it through a lens.

I suppose that’s why I am asking for examples….

To your specific example, Horrible Bosses.. was in anybody killed or assaulted by blacks.. ? As I remember no one killed or injured by blacks in that movie which seems to be (poorly) making fun of the stereotype and there are no shortage of white murderers or other violent white criminals on network television..and I’ve seen multiple portrayals of bad neighborhoods on TV where all the muggers and hoods were white.

If you cannot pick that up from watching US television, then you are watching it through a lens.
– he never restricted his comments to fictional TV shows. Some of the most biased programmes are the news, documentaries and reality shows.

Well yes.. but he only listed (or predominantly and selectively ) white fictional TV shows. Reality TV shows….? No shortage of white buffoons (Honey Boo Boo is not exactly a shining example of shining intelligence..) and they are generally something I don’t watch but I have seen positive black portrayals.

Then there are interview shows shows like the View, Oprah Winfrey which generally portray blacks in positive light.
The follow shows have prominent black characters: professions.
Grey’s Anatomy, House, M.D, Private Practice, Sleepy Hollow.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 27th 2013 at 03:51:41 jefe

@U M,

was in anybody killed or assaulted by blacks.. ?

I was trying to point out how non-Americans outside the USA who never encounter American blacks get impressions based on stereotypes. There does not need to be a murder shown on the screen — heck there doesn’t even have to have a black face — for the image or stereotype to be communicated.

For a non-American watching a movie like “Horrible Bosses”, they know that the white person killing the white person is supposed to be funny, not reflective of reality, but the stereotype of black people as wild, dangerous thugs is portrayed as though it was based on fact. Why don’t they have black people living in upscale suburban neighborhoods and drive around looking for the most dangerous neighborhood and end up in a place full of whites portrayed as wild, dangerous thugs?

A friend of mine who has never been to the USA tells me he imagines the USA to be like Desperate Housewives (or Friends or any of a number of US TV shows). In fact, so so many people I know tell me that they feel that they already *know* about the USA, its people and its culture even though they have never stepped foot in the USA. I constantly have to retort that “NO”, that is not how the USA is like – maybe some small sectors are like that, but that is not the USA. What do you think shows like that communicate about blacks (or about Asian Americans)?

I remember taking a friend of mind from Malaysia around New York City when I was living there on his first trip to the USA. He told me that the number of blacks was much higher than he imagined (based on what he had seen after decades of American TV and movies). I told him that New York City is higher than the National Average, but if he thinks it is high, wait until I take him to DC and Baltimore.

On a second trip I took him on a trip across Quebec and Ontario and we noticed that we never really encountered large numbers of blacks. In fact Asians seem to outnumber blacks by a large percent. But, as soon as we cross back into Buffalo, you know you are back in the USA – blacks appear again.

You don’t even have to be an overseas non-resident to get this skewed picture of the USA. My 2nd year college roommate grew up in HK and immigrated to USA at age 16 and lived and attended high school in Suburban Boston. I met him when he was age 19 (I was 17) and we talked a lot about his concept of American society. At that time, he even had a black roommate (1st year) in his dorm – one of the first blacks he had ever met, but he never hung out with him at all. Still, he used “American” to refer to white people and never considered blacks and Asian Americans to be actual “Americans”. Around his 20th birthday I took him to show where I lived in Suburban Maryland outside DC. He was completely shocked when I took him to a local crowded shopping mall the day after Thanksgiving to see 80-85% black people by the thousands packed in an enclosed mall. He felt that it did not seem like the USA to him and he was scared sh1tless. I explained to him that I had grown up seeing that daily and that is what seemed normal to me. I was shocked the first time going to university near Boston and going days without seeing a single black person. Certainly both are a bit skewed. You have to live in many different sections and neighborhoods in the USA to get a more rounded impression.

But WET does not present that. They present very selected views of the USA and the universe that appeal to suburban middle-class whites who live in neighborhoods apart from blacks and Latinos (and urban Asians and Native Americans). It is not merely a presentation of how America is, but how it sees itself. But, I always felt it was screwy and not that realistic.

One thing non-Americans outside the USA do pick up on – that US TV and film almost always depicts the USA as the saviour of the world and that Americans think their country is the greatest place on Earth. They do pick up on that yet do not take it that seriously and write it off as something “so American”. On top of that, the actual saviours are almost always white people. So, while they can write of the USA saviour movie as a bit unrealistic, they still get the strong impression that Americans think of their country as being “white”.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 27th 2013 at 05:07:20 Uncle Milton

To Jefe:

but the stereotype of black people as wild, dangerous thugs is portrayed as though it was based on fact…

And did you remember the black character portrayed by Jaime Foxx makes fun of that stereotype… the white guys assume he is murderer and hand over $5000 cash to a man who they think is a murderer (although he never states that he is..) . when in reality he is a avid movie fan who gave them an idea he saw in a movie..(albeit at the end he does help with their final horrible boss portrayed by Jennifer Anniston…) Foxx’s crime…? Video taping the movie “Snow falling on Cedars..”

My 2nd year college roommate grew up in HK and immigrated to USA at age 16 and lived and attended high school in Suburban Boston. I met him when he was age 19 (I was 17) ..

And this was perhaps more than 30 years ago.. (guessing your age..) perhaps a bit dated view..?

As King stated higher in the thread high quality digital cameras and editing equipment are dirt cheap. One can distribute films and shorts via Torrents or via YouTube (and get paid for the latter via ads…)

On top of that, the actual saviours are almost always white people.
To counter that multiple Will Smith films come to mind, same for Denzel Washington, Dwayne Johnson, and Idris Elba off the top of my head.

Not trying to be argumentative but can you give me a list of TV shows or movies made within the last thirty years that you feel portrays Blacks as the following:
“self-destructive,
dirty,
lazy,
unintelligent,
criminal,
violent and
ugly…”

Jaime Foxx’s character is non of the above except for possibly criminal which is really a joke since pirating Snow on Cedars is hardly thuggish.

I can think of one movie that at least have some characters that fulfill the above description… Menace II Society.. but the irony is that it was written, directed by Black people.

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 27th 2013 at 10:42:22 jefe

@U M,
Yes, it made fun of the stereotype in that film, but that is not what viewers overseas learn from that movie. The only murder in the movie was performed by Kevin Spacey, but an overseas viewer will come away from that movie with a reinforcement that blacks are wild and dangerous and at least very scary (partially because the white people act and think as though black people are scary and prone to violence).

LikeLike
on Fri Dec 27th 2013 at 13:16:46 Uncle Milton

jefe:

partially because the white people act and think as though black people are scary and prone to violence..

Even though the white people in that film are bumbling fools and the portrayal of the black character runs counter to the stereotype..?

Yes, it made fun of the stereotype in that film, but that is not what viewers overseas learn from that movie.

I can’t disprove what you say nor can you prove your claim so we have to disagree.

LikeLike
on Wed Jan 1st 2014 at 12:19:28 Ebonymonroe

ks secretly stared in “Penitentiary,” but doesn’t want to say. 😀

LikeLike
on Wed Jan 1st 2014 at 16:28:16 mary burrell

Leon Issac and Jayne Kennedy that is some 70’s nostalgia.

LikeLike
on Sun Mar 23rd 2014 at 14:45:06 Odell Swecker

We need more white entertainment and white colleges in America

LikeLike
on Tue Mar 25th 2014 at 07:06:39 Jeobox – 77 Questions Black People Are Tired Of Hearing

[…] really like that in the movie? 56. Why do blacks have their own channel 57. Shouldn’t there be a White Entertainment Channel 58. Isn’t Bill O’Reilly the […]

LikeLike
on Tue Mar 25th 2014 at 14:00:19 Herneith

We need more white entertainment and white colleges in America

Okay Joe Billy!

LikeLike
on Tue Mar 25th 2014 at 16:01:52 Brothawolf

Then, go to Europe or Russia, Odell.

LikeLike
on Fri May 30th 2014 at 00:00:08 Legion

Abagond, if you watch it, then please do a critique on Game of Thrones. I actually like the show but I’d be interested in criticisms that you might have about it.

The show is in it’s forth season and latino actors are trickling in, talking about a gentleman named Pedro Pascal. He has a great role!

There’s a rumour that an actor named Adwali Agbaji may play a prominent role in an upcoming season. That name probably rings no bells for most people reading (it didn’t for me either) until one is reminded that he is the actor who played the terrifying, calculating and cunning criminal survivor-bad ass Adebesi, on that sort of Mamet like prison show Oz. I’ve heard some whites in internet forums are not pleased that the character would be shown as black, on the tv show–boo hoo.

What’s interesting about the show is the sort of embedded white universe (maybe even white supremacy) that is taken foe granted as perfectly normal. Plenty of nerds and killjoys like to talk about how this or that is “unrealistic” when viewing an action or sci-fi film. But I’ve never heard a white nerd break it down how unrealistic that throughout the galactic areas shown in Star Wars all humans were white. On our own planet most people are non-white but on the galactic expanse of Star Wars everyone was white, and no cries of “unrealistic” are heard.

In Game of Thrones we have a whole continent presented to us. I haven’t read the books but part of the continent appears to have quite a warm climate. It seems unrealistic that everyone would be white. However, I guess Westeros (fictional continent) could be white Europe (at some point in history, not now obviously): white in the north and swarthy down to the “mediterranean” areas and thus realistically not show any black faces whatsoever.

LikeLike
on Fri May 30th 2014 at 00:08:13 Legion

*for granted

LikeLike
on Fri May 30th 2014 at 01:29:40 Legion

Pascal looks white latino.

LikeLike
on Fri May 30th 2014 at 05:25:33 abagond

@ Legion

I have not seen “Game of Thrones”. I am not one bit surprised by what you are saying. It goes to show you how thoroughly segregated the US is.

LikeLike
on Fri May 30th 2014 at 06:58:19 Legion

You have a better grasp of how segregated the U.S. is than I do. But that is not my take away with the whiteness of Game of Thrones.

The author (it is a set of books first and foremost) is a white man. So he just writes white characters. He probably mostly knows white people and white history. It’s a rule for writers to stick to what they know, isn’t it? But then again shouldn’t the guy set up a society and be realistic about it. If he needs to have non white people in the book for realism, go meet some. From what I can see he (the author) really set out to make an authentic universe in the other aspects of his book series.

I could be faulting the author a bit too much. I doubt he specifies race often in the actual books. Some of the fan complaints are about how they never saw (in their mind’s eye) so and so as being black, yada, yada. So, when it comes to the books, I suppose one could view some characters however one wants. Realistically speaking the author probably did what a white writer is mostly going to do: create white characters.

Has Steven King ever had a black protagonist in any of his stories? Probably not. (If you know of one, tell me.)

LikeLike
on Sun Sep 7th 2014 at 21:02:48 Moanika

I remember back in my old school days, a group girls was talking about BET is dead. One white chick overheard my cousin and her friends talking about the truth of BET. The white girl went back to her crew to rant(Ungrateful bitches. Why the entertainment industry can’t make WET for us. We would enjoy and support our channel to the grave) (m.youtube.com/watch?v=M45ThMTJjHY&itct=CDsQpDAYACITCP-jotf_z8ACFc2OfgodWpMAKlIgbm8gYmxhY2sgcGVvcGxlIG9uIHRoZSB0diBNYWQgdHY%3D&client=mv-google&hl=en&gl=US)

LikeLike
on Thu Jan 1st 2015 at 16:48:27 jefe

This is a funny parody of Friends

MAD TV – Friends Parody
(http://youtu.be/fHuRe9geflc)

LikeLike
on Sat Mar 28th 2015 at 18:55:06 Speak Out

“As Multicultural TV Shows Succeed, Some Wonder if Diversity has Gone Too Far”

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/03/27/as-more-multicultural-tv-shows-succeed-some-wonder-if-diversity-has-gone-too-far/

“For some masters of the Old Hollywood universe, that shift represented a threat. “The pendulum might have swung a bit too far in the opposite direction,” wrote Andreeva. “Instead of opening the field…in a color-blind manner, there have been a significant number of parts designated as ethnic this year, making them off-limits for Caucasian actors.”

Social media — including movers and shakers like “How to Get Away With Murder” creator Shonda Rhimes and “Selma” director Ava DuVernay — exploded with incredulous reaction to the notion that a single season in which nonwhite actors were asked for by name represented an “overcorrection” to half a century of exclusion. But observers like Hunt point out that establishment recoil should’ve been expected.

“We’ve seen the same backlash against the reforms of the civil rights movement,” he notes. “You hear terms like ‘reverse discrimination.’ The ugly word ‘quota’ is trotted out, along with the implication that minorities have gotten their fair share.”

LikeLike
on Sat Mar 28th 2015 at 22:10:42 Mary Burrell

Well commenter Speak Out posted the link about Nellie Andreeva. They just hate to see black folks get their shine. Nellie Andreeva is one salty hag.

LikeLike
on Sat Mar 28th 2015 at 23:43:36 jefe

This is when I would say it has gone too far:

– when blacks and Asians play the cardboard bit white characters in whiteface.

LikeLike
on Sat Aug 22nd 2015 at 19:23:54 Legion

The Today show and NBC making sure to keep the white (and black, for that matter) masses “safely” coddled. And making sure that black artists forget that they are artists and just set the ceiling at being *entertainers:

http://pitchfork.com/news/60808-janelle-monae-cut-off-during-the-today-show-performance/

*entertainer = a kind of pet

LikeLike
on Sun Aug 30th 2015 at 11:50:39 Jabari Jones

Abagond, I was wondering how you felt about the show, Scandal, on ABC. It features a black woman named Olivia Pope–who in my opinion wants very desparately to be white. She lives in a white world–has white lovers and friends and fantasizes about living in New Hampshire–where there are hardly any people of color–where she would live as a powerless housewife with her powerful white husband. I think these are just the same stereotypes–Olivia is oversex jezebel who needs to be sated by a white man. All the people of color–even her mother and father–are either villains or get killed–all the white folks on the show are in positions of power and are benevolent. The show seems implicitly racist. Am I just imagining things?

LikeLike
on Sun Aug 30th 2015 at 13:50:35 abagond

@ Jabari Jones

LOL. I would agree, but I have only seen one or two episodes, which is why I have never done a post on it. It is great that the main character is Black, but it does seem to be White-oriented.

LikeLike
on Mon Feb 22nd 2016 at 21:58:06 Black Love and Pride Scares the Hell Outta White People - Madness & Reality

[…] Month“. You dislike that there’s a Black Entertainment Television station and no “White Entertainment Television“. Lately, you got upset with Beyonce’s performance at the last Super Bowl with her song […]

LikeLike
on Sat May 7th 2016 at 13:07:43 Ray

Blacks make up only 13 percent of the population yet want to be represented in every facet of life in higher numbers. This includes television representation. Its out of control. How about you (blacks) just be happy with the disproportionate coverage the media gives you on white on black crime. For a sect of the population that is so small you cause the majority of crimes (% wise), yet make the majority of the noise about how you are victimized. Now black peoples nonsense is attempting to spill over into this category.. Give us a break. Everyone is entitled to there own opinions. What they are not entitled to are their own facts. The facts are that blacks are over represented in all facets of American life considering they make up such a small portion of the American population. The rest of the country is getting tired of listening to your nonsense.

LikeLike
on Sat May 7th 2016 at 16:19:36 sharinalr

@Ray

“The rest of the country is getting tired of listening to your nonsense.”—I doubt it, considering the over-representation of blacks is the result of white obsession with them. With that being said whites really just want to be thought of as the normal and seen as the best of the best, while still seeing everyone else as the other that should be happy with being or wanting less. Now because things are changing and the interest in “white” is deteriorating, whites are the biggest complainers ever.

LikeLiked by 2 people
on Sat May 7th 2016 at 16:40:19 Fan ...

“… . Now because things are changing and the interest in “white” is deteriorating, whites are the biggest complainers ever.”

.

@Sharina

Wunderbar!!! 😀

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Sat May 7th 2016 at 17:08:48 Afrofem

@sharinalr

“…whites are the biggest complainers ever.”

On the money, Sharina!

You wouldn’t know that Whites are:

☛ seventy percent plus of the population

☛ have over one hundred times the wealth of Black households

☛ live longer than every other group by up to a decade

☛ live in a media matrix that reinforces their belief in how wonderful they are 24/7/365

☛ able to shoot at cops and federal agents without being killed or even beaten

☛ get strung out on drugs and painkillers and have everyone go on about “compassion for addicts” instead of being labeled criminals and super predators.

☛ motivated to come to sites like this and moan about how downtrodden they are.

Seems like Ray has way too much time on his hands.

LikeLiked by 3 people
on Sun May 8th 2016 at 01:28:20 Herneith

Seems like Ray has way too much time on his hands.

He probably lives in his mother’s basement. What an onanist, that Ray!

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Thu Sep 1st 2016 at 17:09:52 Admiral

Star Trek had Uhura and Sulu.

Chekov isn’t entirely white either. Russians are very much Asian.

LikeLike
on Tue May 29th 2018 at 05:42:45 Anonymous

Those are tv shows. Not an entire channel dedicated to only one skin color every channel has diversity. Bet is black privilege. Is it not. Quit bitching about white privilege I’m white im broke af and so are all my white friends we’re poor in a poor town. The new fight should be those of us who struggle vs those who are multi millionaire/billionaires that are to greedy to want to help evenly distribute pay and wealth. Fuck this racist bullshit I’m tired of it.

LikeLike
on Tue May 29th 2018 at 13:00:45 Open Minded Observer

@Anonymous
BET is owned by Viacom. The controlling interest of Viacom is owned by National Amusements, Inc. National Amusements, Inc. is privately held by Summer Redstone. Summer Redstone is a 95 year old White billionaire who could rename BET and change the content of it if he wanted. He’d prefer to capitalize on the market instead. Send him a letter, he lives in LA.

I do not disagree that those with the money and power have more privilege than you or I. That doesn’t mean you aren’t less likely to be pulled over, profiled, passed over for what little hiring or promotional opportunities there are, charged higher interest rates for loans. If your son knocks on a door to ask for directions, the chances are near zero that he’ll be instantly suspected of criminal activity and shot at. If your son plays with an airsoft pistol in a park, ke’ll be scolded and disciplined, not killed. If you try to purchase a BB gun at Walmart, you will not be killed. That is the privilege you have and don’t appreciate. You just think of it as a regular, albeit hard and financially strapped, life. I know many people would love the privilege of simply being allowed to exist without fearing for their life. Let’s start there and we can work up to financial equity for all once we’ve leveled the playing field.

P.S. I’m tired of the racist bullshit too… but I’m pretty sure we don’t agree on what constitutes racism.

LikeLiked by 3 people
on Tue May 29th 2018 at 21:30:28 Helen

@ Anonymous

“Those are tv shows. Not an entire channel dedicated to only one skin color every channel has diversity. Bet is black privilege. Is it not.”

You did not include Spanish language channels and programming. As far as I know, there are no subtitles for non-Spanish speakers as an aide, or for the enjoyment of Spanish-speaking programs. In the cable packaging provided (as far as my experience goes) these channels are included, whether wanted or not, and are included in the price for cable tv.

LikeLike
on Wed May 30th 2018 at 13:07:26 blakksage

“Quit bitching about white privilege I’m white im broke af and so are all my white friends we’re poor in a poor town. Fuck this racist bullshit I’m tired of it.” – Anonymous

I agree; 400 years of slavery/captivity is bullshit and certain people should quit saying “slavery wasn’t that bad!”

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Sun Jun 24th 2018 at 08:39:22 d.Ike

It’s not about white or black etc. to me. My nephews and nieces are 50/50 and love them all as nothing but family. Shame on you BET to choose to have a TV channel that favors only but the other side. I understand your concept, but not to allow you to separate us all in a channel for your own beliefs. Whites, native Americans, Mexicans and Asians are only characters for which they are paid to do so agreeing but not to do in faith nor within of others concerns but just to get paid for but should only be their “own” beliefs …This is only my own opinion and pray that we can “all” agree that this channel is only directed towards somebody’s direct influences. I only ask, If they created a WET channel would they be known as an racist TV channel?

LikeLike
on Thu Feb 14th 2019 at 01:25:31 David Bogosian

What a bunch of bullshit. My favorite shows were the Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, and Good Times, amoung other Black primetime shows on Major Networks. I am a senior citizen and whiter than flour and I believe that their is no separation of the races when it comes to talent….I could go on and on but their is no need….by the way…let’s stop crying about discrepancies in opportunity… It’s 2019 and things have changed.

LikeLike
on Mon Apr 1st 2019 at 00:05:23 Jimmy jones

Its all BS, I watched Red Fox and all those old shows that had blacks on it even when I was young…But today I am 60 and all I see is black shows being forced on us, every single commercial has one or more or all black, alll the mentioned so called white tv stations show movies with blacks in them, thats still blacks on TV, plus you have OWN..You see the thing is racism wasnt recognized in my youth, in todays many want to relive the racist years and again the womens rights, which all happened years ago, but since liberal millenials missed out on it so they create it AGAIN, and their teachers are older democrats use these youngsters to generate the false lie I was raised with demos for poor reps. for rich..Thats BS then why are all the rich celebrities demos ? Why are mainly low and middle income in central states republicans, Why were democrats the slave owners and republicans against them,thats what is not taught in schools anymore,we need a real WET TV cause racism from the those who claimed to be victims is on the rise, its a blacks hate jews and whites world now..So if I want a break from the forced black take over, I go to CMT tv…I never thought bad of blacks but the new liberals make me stay away from them before I get called out for be a racist for saying Hi !

LikeLike
on Mon Apr 1st 2019 at 11:26:10 Herneith

Are you for real?

LikeLike
on Mon Apr 1st 2019 at 13:58:40 Open Minded Observer

@Jimmy
Wow! You got a lot going on in your rant there.
– You really believe all teachers are old? When was the last time you saw the inside of a school?
– You’re 60? You’ve voted the same party your whole adult life or did something shift in the 70’s for you when you started identifying more Republican than Democrat? Can’t quite put your finger on it… they just seemed to embody your values more right?

What you would call “black shows” aren’t being forced on you. This cycle has happened many times over in the music and film industry. Right now, diversity sells and Hollywood has discovered that. Does diversity sell because your so-called liberal millennials want to recreate movements of the 60’s? Who knows… more likely they’re just tired of all the BS and looking to create a better world, devoid of race-based animosity.

You could also try NRA-TV when you need a break… I hear that’s pretty exclusive… or FOX news. I mean, they have people with different skin tones, but they’re paid to say things that I’m sure you’ll appreciate. Whatever you do, stay in your bubble of confirmation bias. Actually, wait, you’ve posted here… are you looking to broaden your perspective or looking to narrow mine?

LikeLike
on Fri May 10th 2019 at 02:45:09 Sally

It is horrible all the quote white shows are over 10 years old or more . Being quoted mixed my white mother has no benefits favors nothing. So long as I check box African American I thrive my mother does not

LikeLike
on Sun Aug 4th 2019 at 05:27:35 J

Everybody can go ahead and stop crying about race bullshit.
And for the record just because I like my race (Caucasian) the most does not mean I hate yours.

LikeLike
on Fri Oct 11th 2019 at 13:00:18 Someone

Wow
I can’t even watch my shows without someone calling out racism. Like wtf. American is a white country. 65% of the population is white! Just like India the majority of them are brown. WTF dude. If whites call out colored people they would be considered racist. But it was vice versa it would be fine.

LikeLike
on Fri Oct 11th 2019 at 13:38:09 Open Minded Observer

I’m super curious, who’s calling out racism as you watch your shows? Spouse, kids, other inmates, people knitting in the day room, customers in the same Costco? Where are you watching shows and what shows are you watching that cause people to call out racism?

Also, who goes around calling out colored people or vice versa? …and who are you referencing with that term anyway? I think that term may still be used in South Africa to describe one of the races their society believes in. In fact, that’s how Trevor Noah was classified by his society as a child. Although in some areas he was White and in the US people think of him as Black. Either way, I would totally call him out if I saw him on the street! Not for his perceived race though, just because he’s awesome!

LikeLike
on Wed Sep 9th 2020 at 22:07:41 Slave Driver

This article was clearly written by a racially charged individual aimed at whites using quite a bit of misinformation. Not to mention, you fail to see the big picture. Every race supports themselves and each other in their respective countries but one and its only in america that anyone cries about it. There’s a reason ‘you people’ are in poverty on 2 continents. I for one will only support MY people just as EVERY race does. Stop crying that one race makes better use of effort over others.

LikeLike
on Thu Sep 10th 2020 at 03:14:23 abagond

@ Slave Driver

So what I failed to understand is that the US and Hollywood should be run by and for White people? Not just that it is but that it SHOULD be?

LikeLike
on Fri Sep 11th 2020 at 00:03:41 Afrofem

“Stop crying that one race makes better use of effort over others.”

A more honest comment would have read, “…one race [Euro Americans] makes use of other people’s talents, resources and efforts to benefit themselves and have done so for generations…

But honesty was not the intent, was it?

LikeLiked by 2 people
on Fri Sep 11th 2020 at 19:15:20 Holly

@ Slave Driver

“This article was clearly written by a racially charged individual aimed at whites using quite a bit of misinformation.”

What was incorrect?

“Not to mention, you fail to see the big picture. Every race supports themselves and each other in their respective countries but one and its only in america that anyone cries about it.”

Let me know how the White Americans fared during slavery, Reconstrcution, 100 years of Jim Crow, sun down towns, Black Wall Street, public lynchings, 13th amendment clauses that led to 100s of laws that mass incarcerated Black people, redlining, redistricting, the assassination of Black leaders, using Black babies as alligator bait, voter suppression, drugs being flooded into Black communities, police bruality, being considered 3/5 human, having Black people portrayed as lazy, violent or dumb in films, constant demonzation of Black people in the media, etc. I’ll wait.

“There’s a reason ‘you people’ are in poverty on 2 continents.”

There’s a reason “your people” looted Black bodies, looted treasures from other countries that didn’t belong to you, stole inventions and innovations that weren’t originally yours, rewrote history in your favor, continue to loot resources in Africa, continue to leverage systemic racist policies as a means of control.

“I for one will only support MY people just as EVERY race does. Stop crying that one race makes better use of effort over others.”

Who wines more than YOUR people? That’s why we have so many Karens and Kyles.

LikeLiked by 2 people
on Fri Sep 11th 2020 at 21:23:04 Afrofem

@ Holly

OH YEAH!

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Mon Mar 1st 2021 at 18:55:58 Elizabeth

White Entertainment television…. Specifically for white people… If we are all equal, this wouldn’t offend you.

LikeLike
on Sat Jan 1st 2022 at 21:59:20 vitongiotta

Racist Morons, have you even seen what color the people are on African, Indian, Malaysian, Red China and Korean TV Stations.

LikeLike
on Mon Jan 3rd 2022 at 14:33:24 Open Minded Observer

@Elizabeth
LOL… what would it have that would be more “white” than regular TV? One America news and NRA commercials?

@vitongiotta
No, because none of those are available over the air in my viewing area.

@Abagond
I just revisited this post and looking through the shows you cited made me realize how much things have changed. Now, there are several shows featuring Black faces instead of being all white casts. They’re still created for white audiences though. At least I assume they are. I’m not Black and therefore can only guess at how trivializing some of the content must be. But, every time I see a white person make a racial faux pas in front of their “Black friend/spouse” only to have the Black person subtly say “no” or shake their head for a laugh, I have to believe those jokes play to a white audience who get to feel good like they’re part of some inside joke. I’m not saying it’s bad, white folks are being spoon-fed content that they need and Black actors get paid and Black kids get to see some representation on TV. It’s just interesting how the more things change, the more they remain the same.

LikeLike
on Sun Jan 16th 2022 at 16:05:01 Patriot Pirate

Article claims I will respond to.
1. It is by and for white people.
A. American television is owned by Jews not whites. These jews target all races for different reason for their agenda.
2. Black characters lack love lives.
A. Miscegenation between black men and white women are shoved down our throats at every turn. I can’t remember the last modern movie or TV show set in modern times I have seen depicting a successful white family.
3. American television pictures blacks as
3-1 self-destructive,
A. Black on black murder is the second highest cause of death for blacks
3-2 dirty,
A. Their hair does smell different and they rub themselves down with cocoa butter which smells horrible.
3-3. lazy
A. While I know plenty of hard working black people, the ones accusing us of this are the ones with no jobs protesting they are oppressed and wanting more hand outs.
3-4. unintelligent
A. Read The Bell Curve by Murray. Any metrics used to measure intelligence shows East Asians to have the highest average IQ and blacks to have the lowest.
3-5. criminal
A. Blacks are 13% of the US population, but commit 51% of murders in the US as per FBI crime statistics.

It is so white that issues of race rarely come up. As if White Americans live in Sweden or the European Middle Ages or something.
A. America was founded by Europeans and based on European culture and civilization. It was not designed for or intended for any other group.

LikeLike
on Sun Jan 16th 2022 at 18:15:33 Mbeti

I recieved the post by patriot pirate
And I consider this a small opportunity to explore mental illness and racism
Donald Trump and his followers are a similar example.

What happens when a portion of our species due to the groups Phenotypic condition in relation to the rest of the species
Becomes extremely aggressive.
Many see white European esp American social dominance as a example of success.
Yet this “success” comes with a horrible price of lies and murder.
We can’t question religion particularly the two main ones
Yet they dominate our lives.

Specifically the commenter patriot pirate
Is coherent
Lists his/her points
However the error
the mental illness in general and specific to this individual
I can see it
It would take a bit of time to describe it accurately but it can be done.
However what I am unable to do among many things
Is get any kind of consensus or support for my conclusions derived from not just years at this blog ,but a life lived in a society

Where so much of this is just glossed over and ignored .
And so what could be healed and solved
Is allowed to grow and get worse.

I must ponder alone the nature of truth success and morality
As the majority of my species seem to naturally prefer lies
To truth regardless of the consequences overall.

But of course I must include my own limitation as I ponder
The contradictions
How can a human come to a blog , appear rational but is abusive
Based on lies.
Why after numerous historical epic defeats do white people support and espouse racism.
Why are africans esp African Americans still Christian and Muslim
After Generations of abuse
When today technology and science prove it was always all a ridiculous bunch lies.
I maybe an atheist and therefore scorned and isolated
But my rationality bears fruit.
We all share the same reality and the consequences of is rules.

LikeLike
on Mon Jan 24th 2022 at 04:37:51 Afrofem

“Why after numerous historical epic defeats do white people support and espouse racism.[?]”

White people love racism because they believe it gives their lives meaning and worth. What is racism, if not a belief system?

They don’t care how degraded their personal circumstances become. As long as they can look down on Black people, all is right in their worldview.

They’ve been socialized to believe that without racism/White supremacy, they are nothing.

They also fear they would finally have to face the consequences of centuries of abusing the rest of humanity.

So they brandish guns, issue loud threats, enact unfair laws and tell themselves (and others) daily falsehoods in an effort to forestall the end of White supremacy.

They forget that everything has a beginning, a middle and an end.

The universe itself will end someday.

So will White supremacy.

LikeLike
on Mon Jan 24th 2022 at 18:40:06 Mbeti

Afrofem
Thank you.
Your words give me insight
“They don’t care how degraded their personal circumstances become. As long as they can look down on Black people, all is right in their worldview.”

I experience a extreme example of this personally
And at first it was effective to a degree but the obvious error is in those whom are so desolate and abandoned that this is their one last solace.
That they dare display.
Much of the social Aggression known as racism is nonverbal and covert ,implied because in today’s world esp to openly admit and espouse such values is untenable.

Notice how even and esp Donald Trump and his followers try to avoid saying the obvious
– it was great for wealthy white men who when America was founded did not respect or value any other life but their, even their mothers sisters wives and daughters.
That he and they want to return the social order to that era
When wealthy white males ruled exclusively and white people in general where the only humans.
And even then where barbaric self destructive violence is power and the essence of male identity and of course anything gentle kind soft tender compassionate loving is considered weakness and irrationality.

My personal example is the several incidences where a homeless extremely dirty white person looked me directly in the eyes
And seem to take great joy in my temporary discomfort ( of course stiming from
my minds limitations and social conditions which neither I nor anyone else has ever nor will ever be free of)

Now when a healthy reasonable will dressed person looks at you with contempt and scorn and your struggling economically and therefore in many other areas
It might reasonably have emotional weight.

But when a destitute person does it ,while your situation is rapidly improving never mind what you already have and have accomplished.

Then I become more interested and curious ,
How it’s easy to feel compassion and care for the poor and homeless if their nice and weak.
But everyone gets angry and has strength.
It’s easy if they look nice.
The core of my life’s unhappiness in my mind
Is like the tale of spartacus a gladiator slave
Whose most cherish thing in life is not even freedom
But the love of he has for his wife and her for him.

I personally know at least three young beautiful African american females
Who like me ,
even said the words.
I have never been in a relationship with any of them.
Why
Because they are where all women I would desire a relationship with are
Beyond my reach due to circumstances I was born into and as yet not overcome.
Property of mind and method
How do I correctly love her as I should love myself
How do I provide for myself ,her our childern.
Can I ensure thier safety security and prosperity.

What about all the others
The men women and childern disproportionately African american
That like those three beautiful females I know
Are poor and homeless
Several show clear signs of mental illness.
According to contemporary social rules of a society founded on invasion conquest and slavery ,
I should continue to contribute to their abandonment.
They couldn’t hold it together like me
Oh well move on.
What if it was my mother or daughter?

Anyway I think things are going to get a lot better.
I certainly have a lot more now.
Indeed I see my particular fate as quite fortunate
Where I not born poor and now I m grateful not to be so unfortunate as to come across a job or business of great income,
I have the benefit of learning and growing to see what is really of value
And what is waste.

And as everyone can see
I never have scarcity of words.

LikeLike
on Mon Jan 31st 2022 at 16:00:14 John

Blacks are twelve percent of the population. They are totally overly represented on all tv networks.

LikeLike
on Mon Mar 14th 2022 at 13:29:58 Lateef Jones

This is the most racist bullshit article I’ve ever read.
Today In 2022 black and white have the same opportunities .
White tv black TV is still a divide of people. No topic of title should include race, otherwise it’s a motion of divide.

LikeLike
on Sat Apr 16th 2022 at 18:05:28 Jill Larson

If 13 percent is the black population in the U.S. why do the blacks outnumber the white announcers on ABC, CBS and NBC. Example….Robin, Michael and George! The same thing on all the other channels! Is it because of the past and now whites must pay? Not fair at all! Jill Larson

LikeLike
on Wed Jun 15th 2022 at 04:57:02 Lemmy

To Abagond:

A little out of date I realize since you wrote this almost 10 years ago but a few comments:

American television pictures blacks as
self-destructive,
dirty,
lazy,
unintelligent,
criminal,
violent and
ugly.

Which TV shows do you feel portray black Americans as you describe above…?
I’ve been watching TV since the late 60s and occasion you’ll a negative black character but overall I have mostly positive portrayals. Room 222, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, The Cosby Show, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, etc, I guess there is the Wire which I never watched but most of Blacks I’ve seen on American TV have been portrayed in a positive light (I can easily agree many Black characters have been one dimensional or basically served as a prop)

“We know that by asking people in the Taiwanese countryside, where knowledge of Black Americans comes mainly from American television shows.”

That seems like a non-sequitur — can you provide some examples of American TV shows distributed in Taiwan. FWIW I spent approximately 3 months in Taiwan in the early – mid 2000s — predominantly the shows I saw were either Taiwanese, Chinese (Hong Kong), or Japanese. Apparently now Korean shows are also quite popular.

When was this survey conducted and did they ask where those stereotypes came from…? There was a sizeable US Military presence in Taiwan from the 50s to the 70s, also there was a large number of Taiwanese immigrants in the 70s, 80s to the US many of whom opened businesses in lower income areas and probably had skewed experiences.

FWIW, I spent approximately a year overall in Northern and Central Europe (Germany, Denmark, Sweden) in the late 80s/90s – American TV was very common and the overall view of Blacks (Even more so for American Blacks) was generally favorable (On a negative note to some degree both Black men and women were fetishized – one can argue that as a negative but the Black American men I knew back then didn’t seem to mind.. ).

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Mon Jun 20th 2022 at 13:49:04 Tammie

Really, what era are y’all talking about ( what about Sanford & son , The Jefferson’s , soul train , Fat Albert , Chico & the man , facts of life , little rascals, The Cosby show , that’s just a few ) but I can tell you me and my siblings loved these show’s they were the best along with ( bewitch, I dream of Jeannie, Beverly hillbillies, land of the lost, little house on the prairie) back in my era the TV shows were the best and now most of it not worth watching with all the killing, drugs, sex, hate etc .. it’s in music, games and that’s what the children of today grow up with ! I am glad I grew up in my era and yes when I first started school races didn’t mix but outside of school it didn’t matter my best friend was black was there racism yes ( Me and my friend was picked on and bullied) by different races but if you are raised to be a racist then most likely you will be and that’s how it is no matter your own race but once you are old enough to make your own choices then it’s up to you to change…. I was raised poor , not knowing when are what we would eat at times , my mom made our clothes or we got hand me downs, ( at Christmas and birthdays you didn’t get toys you got what you needed and if lucky maybe 1 toy ) we moved place to place when no money to pay the bills, we lived in roach and rat infested homes, we had to bathed in same water as our siblings to save on water , we got BEAT when we got in trouble etc. it was rough but we were taught value’s, respect, manners, hard work went to church but the way I see it back in my era PEOPLE were raised pretty much the same no matter your race and I don’t understand today’s way of thinking when the human races blames their downfall’s , life choices, actions on racism, I believe a lot of people have experienced downfalls in life for one reason or another but that’s a part of life and I also think with all the RICH ( PRESIDENT, politicians,musicians, lawyers, judges, doctors , Sports player’s, etc… ( the rich and famous) would just rich in their deep pockets and gave just 1% of their money to help this country then things would be different but they are not about helping others ( some are ) but the majority don’t they want to become richer because it’s all about money, material things, look at me , I’m better than you , they look down on the poor , there is people of all races , creed , good , bad and indifferent that has , is or will suffer hardships in life ( this whole scenario has been going on since biblical times) I have seen both sides of the track and I would rather be poor because I am already rich in the things that really matter in life …. Hope everyone has a blessed day !

LikeLiked by 1 person
on Wed Sep 28th 2022 at 09:43:02 Nicholas Nason Hoyt

This is so racist there are black news people on those supposedly white channels also Jefferson fresh prince of Belleair what’s happening the weekly TV show that had character Jay Jay walker so typical to cause racism in United States

LikeLike
on Fri Feb 3rd 2023 at 21:41:17 Shea

You are so right – – it is sad where our country and world is when it comes to race – – all lives matter & some of the closest friends of mine are black and brown — if there was a white entertainment television channel it would be accused of being racist – – I guess the truth is the BET channel is being racist but they do not see that because they’re blinded to it – I give my love to all races because we are God’s creation

LikeLike