What's up people! Welcome, once again, to my social commentary posts. You already know, if it's not controversial, it's just boring. Hope everyone's having a splendid 2015 thus far, and hopefully you're sticking to that resolution you made. Boy do I have a good one up for discussion, and as usual it may ruffle some feathers. With that said, let's go!!
One of my first posts was about the controversy over Adult Swim's show Black Jesus, in which people wanted to protest over the show's content, which depicted a Black man who stated he was the Son of God and was going through Compton streets doing miracles and bringing people together, albeit complete with weed usage and explicit language. The Christian community was in outrage over a show that, to them, was blasphemous and mocking their faith. I had stated then that it was stupid and hypocritical considering there were plenty of other shows that were worse that pretty much these same people were co-signing. The show wasn't meant to be taken seriously. It was a satire, but in spite of this fact, there were also deeper meanings within each episode. Aaron McGruder, former genius behind The Boondocks (an almost equally controversial show) knew what he was doing when he made Black Jesus. Thankfully, the show made it through the rest of the season without a hitch. Right now, one show isn't as lucky.
VH1's Sorority Sisters, another brilliant (sarcasm) show created by Mona Scott, has met its demise due to protests and sponsorships being terminated. The show was about a few young Black women who were all a part of Black sororities such as Alpha Kappa Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, and Delta Sigma Theta. The show portrayed these ladies in typical ratchet elegance as the rest of Mona's shows, only this time these women represented prestigious organizations within the Black community. To much dismay, the channel decided to cancel the show and let it finish up the last three episodes on Friday the sixteenth of January. Clearly the outcry, negative press, protests, and petitions to get the show removed worked and VH1 had to do what they had to do. Which now brings a couple of interesting points.
Let's start this off by saying I'm not Greek-affiliated, nor do I have anything against Greek organizations so this is NOT a bashing to any Greek organization, fraternity or sorority but this is my two or three cents anyway. With all the clear misrepresentation of us as Blacks on television, people feel the need to throw all this ill will towards a show like Sorority Sisters? Listen, I get it. I get that these women were part of highly respected and distinguished Greek organizations, therefore representing these sororities nationwide. However, as one person eloquently put it, "Once we start putting Greek letters over our culture as a whole, we're in more trouble than we thought". We've clearly shown that with enough voices and outcries, we can strike blows to these stations about what we will and won't tolerate in terms of representation. So, why not the rest of these shows that present us as drama-filled, fight-starting, foul-mouthed people? Keep in mind, that's just Black women. These same ignorant and ratchet people that we see on television week in and week out are seemingly put on pedestals from IG, Facebook and Twitter. Also keep in mind, two of the leading shows on network and cable television involve Black women positions of power, but being clear home wreckers and side chicks, three if you include Gabrielle Union's show on BET, Being Mary Jane. We celebrate these women, in spite of the characters they portray. Granted, I know these are fictional shows that if for nothing else, are excellently acted by some outstanding actresses so in many aspects they should be taken as grains of salt. However, we don't see any more positive women or women characters being presented. Gone are the Claire Huxtable-types and Elanor Emerson-types and even Gina Waters-types. Now we celebrate side chicks who just so happen to be powerful and chicks like Erica Mena and all these other so-called powerful women who are supposed to be representing Black women, or women, as a whole. With these reality shows, these are real people that are seen or at least portrayed by producers as certain ways. I think it's sad that the negative depiction of Black women on these shows as a culture take a back seat to those who are represented in Greek organizations. This is truly a problem. This is as bad or worse than the whole Black Jesus situation among Christians.
Let's do remember, this is still America. One can say, do, and present what they want because it's our freedom to do so. What in the hell is so hard about picking up the damn remote and changing the channel on your personal television? I understand that there's stuff that's offensive to you (and I'm talking to those that always feel the need to protest and raise hell about stuff they personally don't like and they feel it should be that way across the board for everyone else). You do NOT own these airwaves. Be fair. Greek or not. Yeah these women were acting as stereotypical as one would imagine on television nowadays, but this is one argument I got recently. One person stated that as soon as those letters were put on their jackets, they represented the organization as a whole. Here's the thing: when one works for an employer, no matter where they go, how they act in or out of that building is representing that company, especially professions within the educational, medical, and media fields. Also, as soon as you're born and become an adult, you're responsible for your culture and community as a whole. What's the difference? Has Greek life really taken the place of these truths? Let's see how many people protest upcoming shows like the show about the preacher who's on a dating show similar to the Bachelor or Flavor Of Love, but who's foul-mouthed mother will be partly responsible for picking out his "winner"? Let's see the Christian or church community come out to play for that one. When the subject of protesting this and other shows comes about...crickets. I do remember MTV did a show called Sorority Life, only dealing with White sororities. While there were similar outcries for that show, along with the show's spinoff Fraternity Life, they remained on for four seasons. People just stopped tuning in.
Keep this is mind as well. Mona, a Delta herself, won't stop her hustle of depicting us as imbeciles and idiots for the world to see simply because you protested her show and ultimately got her show cancelled. I bet the next show will be embraced with open arms that makes us look bad, as long as it's not Greek. PLEASE!!!! Priorities folks! Hopefully these same people who are doing the protesting and petitioning will start doing so with other Mona Scott shows in the future. Also, and this bears repeating over and over, you don't like what's being shown, turn to another channel people! Out of all these hundreds of channels and shows/movies to watch and you're blowing ass about one useless show??? Come on y'all. Should Mona be ashamed of herself, completely, but she she should also be ashamed of herself for how much buffoonery she's contributing to television.
That's all for now cats. I'm sure I'll get plenty of upset people either unfriend me or tell me off, but if that's the reaction this whole post has given you, then you're clearly part of the problem, not me. Check YOURSELF. If you're going to protest anything or anyone, it's Mona, period. ALL her shows are insulting to us, but you're playing into her hands and she's cashing in due to high ratings. Who are the real fools? That's it for now peeps. For those who are still hanging with me, check me out next time. Have a great Blessed week!
