Jump to content

Is The Intentionally Nefarious Hyper-Racialization of Television in 2022 and Beyond, Helping or Hurting the Future Prospects of Black America?


Recommended Posts

IMO, the dearth of intellectually heavy television and theatrical productions that (can and / or would) showcase and highlight the true and potentially enormous cerebral capacity and economic and social depth of the black community at large, only serves to perpetuate the adverse black-focused stereotype(s) of crime, sexualization, drugs, guns and worse, that are constantly promoted by the mainstream media, big tech, and other select(ed) segments of corporate America.

 

Thoughts and perspectives?

 

Some references, for general information only...

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/tv-shows-black-bipoc-creators-2021-2022-list-1234640512/

 

https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/g25693667/best-black-tv-shows/

Link to comment
Share on other sites


************************************************************************************
 

48 minutes ago, nels said:

 

Thoughts and perspectives?

 

 

 

I do not watch most of these Black television programs such 

as Black-ish, Empire, and whatever else.

 

Back when whitey wrote scripts and dialog, Blacks were mostly

given acting roles that portrayed us as hoe-ish women, gangster

men, single mother families, employed in menial jobs, and all the

other negative connotations that whitey thought about Blacks.

 

Now that Blacks have their own production companies and 

movie studios, and more Blacks are writing scripts and dialog, 

Blacks are still given acting roles that portray us in the same 

manner that I stated above.

 

The women are always out to get laid, the men are shady,

children come from broken homes, we are cast in some sort

of dancing or singing role, being funny, being the side-kick

or some subservient variation of driving Miss Daisy to the

Piggly-Wiggly.

 

I don't think that much has changed.  Film continues to show 

us as second class citizens, and then in real life we emulate 

how we see ourselves on the movie screen. 

 

Once in awhile there is a biographical type of movie that

reflects Black lives in a positive light, but not nearly enough

to make an impact.

 

It's a sick repetitive cycle that never ends. 

 


************************************************************************************
 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Black folks do not really own and/or control the outlets that feature TV shows and films.

 

As a result, black folks produce and deliver content their paymasters will accept.

 

I'm totally disenfranchised with the work of Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels because they only polish the same old stereotypical turds. There's also a reason these particular dudes are given a lane to produce their content.

 

Black reality shows are hot garbage too. They are to talent and creativity the equivalent of McDonald's when it comes to food and nutrition. 

 

Admittedly, I don't watch the sh8t.  I do a cursory scan to know what I'm criticizing by showing up in other folks' houses and seeing them glued to that BS...Love & Hip-Hop (pick a city), Black Ink, Fix My Life, etc.

 

Yeah, there's a whole lot of junk food for the eyeballs and brain on both the big and small screen.

 

Makes me even happier that I'm a musician. I've got a totally different retreat when it comes to entertainment. 😎

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, ProfD said:

As a result, black folks produce and deliver content their paymasters will accept.

It's definitely very sad that black producers like Tyler Perry, non-black producers and various other persons and entities, get rich off of the plight of black America's race-crippled history. Black Hollywood just like non-black Hollywood, is a corrupt and narcissistic tight-knit inner circle that is draining the consumer economically, morally and spiritually, in order to not earn a living, but to line their own pockets while peddling make-believe nonsense that does absolutely nothing to enrich the lives of the needy and disenfranchised.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/10/2022 at 7:14 PM, nels said:

It's definitely very sad that black producers like Tyler Perry, non-black producers and various other persons and entities, get rich off of the plight of black America's race-crippled history. Black Hollywood just like non-black Hollywood, is a corrupt and narcissistic tight-knit inner circle that is draining the consumer economically, morally and spiritually, in order to not earn a living, but to line their own pockets while peddling make-believe nonsense that does absolutely nothing to enrich the lives of the needy and disenfranchised.

@nels, the producers of the make-believe nonsense think they're enriching the actors, actresses, crew, etc., working on their TV shows and films. 😄

 

Of course, they don't see anything wrong with peddling a steady dose of mental bubblegum, burgers and fries, popcorn, candy and soft drinks to their captive audience. 

 

The real question is when will black folks reject the pseudo-escapism beaming through their screens and demand realistic, quality content. 😎

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, ProfD said:

The real question is when will black folks reject the pseudo-escapism beaming through their screens and demand realistic, quality content. 

 

For the majority of folks this will not likely ever happen.

 

I too find little pleasure in Tyler Perry films.  They are formulaic, low brow, and designed to appeal to the masses.  

 

Sometimes people will tell me that I think too much or that I need to turn my brain off to enjoy his work.

 

The reality is that Perry brings entertainment to a lot of people.  They can escape for a couple of hours.  Is that a bad thing?  I don't think so.

 

What is bad however is that the folks in power, who focus solely on profit will never produce regularly scheduled intelligent programing -- all of their resources will go to the Tyler Perry form of entertainment which generate more profit.

 

I'm old enough to remember programs by folks like Gil Noble, Tony Brown, and others.  This was smart TV you can catch videos on YouTube of this programming.  While folks will never produce programming like this, and it not because they are evil and want to keep Black people down -- that is incidental.  There is simply is not enough money to be made doing it. 

 

The digital age promised to remedy this, but has only made the situation worse.

 

Our system is simply not built to create the incentives for people to produce the programing that will nourish Black minds.  

 

The people who do this work, even people like me, are not driven by money, we want to inform our people.  There would be no sites like AALBC if money were the sole motivator to create and run them.  Indeed, a direct consequence of our system is that there are fewer book sites today than there were 15 years ago. 

 

It is a struggle to make money doing what I do.  In the system in which I operate there are many others ways I could make more money. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Troy, you're absolutely correct. 

 

Entertainment is money drivenIt's not all bad either

 

I'm a huge fan of sports like NFL football and boxing, some ignorant music and movies too.  None of it requires me to think.😁

 

However, there should be a balance in what we consume mentally.  No different from nutrition.

 

Unfortunately, there is less  incentive to produce entertainment content that also stimulates the mind.  We should not have to turn our brains off.

 

Networks like OWN, BET and TV One have enough bandwidth to produce and nclude intelligent content without losing money.  Instead, they will marginalize a dude like Roland Martin in order to satisfy their sponsors.

 

The digital age does provide a platform for folks to produce and provide intelligent content.  The challenge is that it has to sought out because there is no heavy marketing and promotion.

 

This awesome site and forum is proof positive.  I found it by luck.  I'm not a writer nor a publisher.  But, the dialog i've found here is right up my alley.  So, I'm here for it.

 

As content producers, whether it is literary or music or knowledge, etc., we just have to keep pushing it.  Often times, it will be a labor of love moreso than a financial windfall. 

 

At the same time, we have to encourage those around us to expand their minds too.  For every 2 hours of visual or auditory junk food one consumes, seek out at least 1 hour of knowledge-based and/or thought provoking content.😎

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, ProfD said:

mental bubblegum

Best description I've head in a long time.

 

Also, in this opinion, directly through his brand, Tyler Perry has become nothing more than THE master creator and purveyor of horribly condescending buffoonery that denigrates the very soul and integrity of black America. 

4 hours ago, Troy said:

The reality is that Perry brings entertainment to a lot of people.

IMO, the bad part is that people actually think that what Tyler Perry creates is beneficial to their personal condition, and it is not. Sans normal differences in perspectives, you have made some very good points, indeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...