When Fools Wisen Up...

I am too through with hearing Negroes bitch and moan about how BET is degrading Blacks. These are the same people that don't understand how the entertainment industry works nor do they understand what exactly BET's purpose is. Here's the clue: it's not for you. If there ever was a period in your life where you did watch BET, ask yourself why. Was it for intellectually stimulating purposes? I'd be willing to bet it wasn't. Eventually, you either became disinterested or too defiant to watch anymore.

Every channel has a demographic it caters to. ESPN is for sports afficionados. TCM is for people who love old movies. Style channel is for fashionistas. BET is not for neo-soulquarians and old school Hip-Hop lovers, it's for Black folks who enjoy mindless entertainment. Don't tell me you're surprised that such an audience existed.

Consider this. Upon its inception, BET was the only one of its kind. Naturally, they wanted to appeal to everyone they possible could to build a viewer base. As is the case with any startup cable channel. As time progresses, they look to where the money is at. Who watches what shows the most. In 1995, BET's earnings were $115.2 million. Fast-forward 10 years later, after being purchased by Viacom, their annual earnings were $17.5 billion. So you see, money talks. It's not the folks in the boardroom that are making decisions, it's the financial books that are. Just in case you needed reminding, the entertainment industry is show business. Since when was it socially and morally responsible? And why are we just now cluing in and becoming outraged and appalled?

Because Black people seem to have this disposition to be complacent. Moreover, we tend to be reactionaries and not responsive revolutionaries. In the 20 years that BET was everything every Black person dreamed of, what other Black startup channels were there? New Urban Entertainment only lasted two years (2000-2002), and it wasn't but one year before BET was officially sold to Viacom that TV One even got out the blocks. If all these well-known, high profile, educated Blacks hate having BET so much, why aren't they pooling their money to finance another Black-owned television network? Because you've never seen a dog bite and bark at the same time. The battle with BET isn't a war on words. It's one that requires a counter attack. One that's inflicting blunt force.

Remember when Teddy Roosevelt said "speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far". Certainly Teddy didn't come up with that phrase himself, it's a West African proverb. ::Who knew our ancestors could speak to us through him?::

Perhaps we should take heed and set forth our own socially moral entertainment task force.