Dear BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

This was forwarded to me: A 15 year old girl's letter to BET. Brought tears to my eyes.



http://www.blackvoices.com/boards/entertainment/entertainmnt /entertainment/ms-janitra-patrcik-dear-bet/271067/1?utc=true

Ms. Janitra Patrcik: Dear BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

 

Dear Debra Lee,

 

I’m Janita Patrick, a 15-year-old African-American female from Cincinnati. Recently, I watched the 2009 BET Awards and felt the strongest urge to reach out to the program. My family is of the typical middle-class variety; both parents and four brothers. See, I’m a junior in high school (got skipped), so naturally EVERYBODY in my age group watches BET. I’m used to seeing the sagging pants, tattoos, lack of emphasis on reading and respecting women that makes up your videos. People in my class live this out everyday, while teachers tell us that we’re acting just like the people in your shows.

 

In your shows. That struck me as odd, because I would think that with your show being the primary outlet for black entertainers and musicians, and considering the context of blacks in this country, there’s a social responsibility factor to consider. I would never blame BET alone for the way a great deal of my classmates act and talk and dress. Everybody makes their own choices. However, if anybody is aware the power of television on impressionable minds, it’s the people running the television operations. If you are not aware, then perhaps you shouldn’t be running the operations.

 

Guess who watches your network the most? Not those who are intelligent enough to discern foolishness from substance, but those who are barely teenagers, impressionable and believing. It’s awfully cruel to plant seeds of ignorance in fertile minds. You know it’s really bad when the co-founder of BET, Sheila Johnson, said that she “really doesn’****ch it" anymore.

 

I am constantly fighting against the images and messages put forth on your program. What made you think that it’s okay to bring my classmates on stage to dance behind Lil Wayne and Drake to a song talking about boffing “every girl in the world"? Why does reality train wrecks have to thrown in our faces? Are you aware of the achievement gap going in inner-city African-American communities? A report from America’s Promise Alliance, a non-profit group started by Colin Powell, recently stated that 47 percent of high school students in the nation’s top 50 cities don’t graduate. (Fifty-four percent of males of color in Ingham County graduated from high school, compared to 74 percent of white males). This isn’t because of BET per se, but I don’t see any episodes on your show doing anything to counteract this disturbing trend. In fact, your show is a part of this cycle of media depicting us at our worst.

 

My older brother told me something about profit being the number one goal for every business. I’m not sure I understand what that means, but I do know that your shows have to be entertaining enough to generate viewers, which is how you make your money. But surely our culture is rich enough to entertain without anything extra to “boost" ratings; why the over-the-top foolery? I listen to classmates talk about Baldwin Hills like it’s the Manhattan Project. It doesn’t take much effort to produce a throng of degenerative reality shows, nor does it take much to eliminate socially conscious shows off the air. MTV isn’t much better, but since when does two wrongs ever make a right? It’s one thing for white television shows to depict us in a particular way, but for black television shows to do it is baffling.

 

Why do you hate us?

All of the values that my parents seek to instill in me and my brothers seems to be contradicted by a more powerful force from the media, and your show is at the forefront. Your network is the only network that features rap videos and shows exclusively to children of my color. I know that you have no control over the music that the artists put out, but you do have influence as to how you air these videos. I’m sure if a stand was taken to use the talent in your organization to actually crank out thought-provoking entertaining shows and videos, then artists will follow suit. Being that they need you as much as you need them.

 

There was one awkward segment in the BET Awards when Jamie Foxx singled out three black doctors-turned-authors, but the introduction was so powerless that many of the viewers had no idea who they were. Had they been introduced as Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins, three brothers who overcame major obstacles to become a success without the use of lyrics that berate women, the sell of substance that destroy communities or through raps about loose gunplay, then maybe my classmates would have come to school talking about more than Beyonce, T-Pain’s BIG ASS CHAIN and Soulja Boy Tell Em’s hopping out the bed.

 

But they weren’t introduced like that. It seemed like a throwaway obligatory tribute to appease some irritated fans. It missed the mark. Big time. Ask Michelle Obama if she watches BET or encourages Sasha and Malia to do so. Ask President Obama. It’s a reason he is the leader of the free world, and it isn’t because of Buffoonery Exists Today.

 

You’d be surprised how smart young black children can be with the absence of Blacks Embarrassing Themselves. If your goal is to deter engaged, forward-thinking articulate black minds, then consider your goal fulfilled. It’s hard-pressed to think that your shows are working to promote cultural betterment. However, it’s quite easy to conclude that the destruction of black children through the glorification of immoral behavior and rushed production is by design. Poison is being swallowed by every viewer who adores your network, and the worse thing is, these viewers - my classmates - are not even aware what they’re swallowing.

 

There is nothing edifying for black women on your show. I don’t judge people who do throng to your programs though; I mean, if a jet crashes in right in front of me, I’ll watch it too. That’s why I don’t flip by your channel…I don’t even want to be sucked in.

 

I have aspirations of acquiring a law degree and possibly entering the public sphere, so I can counteract conditions in my community perpetuated by the images on your channel. So I should thank you, because in a weird sense, your shoddy programming is the wind behind my back. And it is my hope that I can accomplish my dreams despite BET’s pictorial messages, because Lord knows it won’t be because of them.

 

Sincerely,

Janita Patrick

Her point is very clear and concise. She is a fictional character made up by Zettler Clay. He wrote the letter from the viewpoint of a 15 yr old teenager.
I couldn't agree more with her.

Tia

Oh thanks for the info Tia....man...just think the impact it would have if a 15 year old did write it. I was in tears....now I feel duped....but it still has a lot of very good assertions! Have a good one.  

hey lis!  gurl outta everything in that letter the one sentence that jumps out at me is:

My older brother told me something about profit being the number one goal for every business.

a while back black enterprise featured bob johnson in an article with other black captains of industry.  in the article he's telling why bet as a stand alone network wasn't as big as one of the major 3.  he said there was a pretty consistent  struggle between his vision for the network and the board's (viacom owns bet).    i've never attended a board meeting so in my head there are 8 pink dudes and bob around the conference room table tambout BET's ratings vs viacom's other network holdings.  stuffy balding red cheeked white guy voice:  "listen bob it's not bringing in ad dollars like it should be, we need you to make it more mass appealish, more urban see this demo right here (points to powerpoint graph of viewing audience) we need more of this group, have a meeting with your programming head, drop ed gordon's interview series cuz nobody's watching that anyway and give the kids more of what the wanna see"  <--- polite version.  

again in my head:  he sold his shares b/c he got tired of being the only man at the table fighting for social consciousness when all they wanna do is satisfy the stockholders and bring in the $.   buffoonery is cheaper to produce and brings in more viewers. 

edited to make font smaller, not tryna loud talk! lol!! 

Yeah Marlo T,
 

It all comes down to the mighty dollar.....never mind they are corrupting the minds of our future leaders. All I can say is there is going to be a lot of black folks in nursing home in the future. Unlike the way the older generations were brought up to take care of mom and pop in their old age....shoot this misguided generation is going to be too busy getting their party one (living up to the videos and such)...to give a damn about grandma....rotting up in the home. SMDH!

Bob Johnson must have changed his tune near the time he sold out.  He always said that he didn't start the network to enlighten or to entertain... it was to make money and nothing else.  He was the one who fired Donnie Simpson, Bev  and Tavis Smiley.  If anyone got too influential they were removed. 

"If anyone got too influential they were removed. "

No, not too influential.  If they wanted too much MONEY.  I soooooo agree with the writer.

smh.  dayum shame.   LOL @ near the time he sold out.   tell us how you feel for real gurl!

Yep...when they took the NEWS off...I knew it was going to be down hill from there! Thats exactly the time, I stopped watching on a regular.

I was thinking about this the other night when I saw a preview of "Frankie & Neffie" and "Tiny & Toya". I told my husband that BET is making black people look really bad. When I watched CNN's "Black In America 2" some critic said that Tyler Perry's character of "Madea" has set black people back hundreds of years and I thought that man must not have seen BET lately because their programming has done that, not Madea.

I agree with the letter and can't support what I see on BET, MTV or VH1 because it's just silly.