Folks if you live in DC, Philly, Baltimore, seriously consider taking out a few hours of you day to go chill out in front of BET CEO Debra Lee's house with about 600 other people. For more information, you can go to the Enough is Enough website.
The story has been picked up by EURWEB.
At some point, the folks at Viacom might figure out that people who criticize BET might have some legitimate concerns instead of brushing us aside as "CRAZY" or detached from reality.
Yep, anyone who disagrees with BET in any way is anti-Black and CRAZY! Reginald Hudlin said as much on his message board in response to my argument last week that BET's executives "HATE BLACK PEOPLE." In case y'all haven't figured out, for as many BET haters that read this site, I can assure you that BET employees, fans and executives monitor the tiny little site as well. paranoid much? For those wondering how I would know that Hudlin has resumed his "She's A Crazy Anti-Black Cat Lady!" routine, I noticed that ONCE again, I am getting hits from his message board. So being nosy, I had to read the latest. Now to refresh y'allz memory, Mr. Hudlin was the chief public defender of THAT SHOW and was the one who said "THAT SHOW" was "so doggone goood". The AP disagreed. I believe they called THAT SHOW, "tepid" and "tired." That is ancient history, however. Let's talk about BET's latest attempt to "teach" Black America a lesson, "Read a m)$(^#@ Book!"
Per his usual M.O., Hudlin dismisses any criticism of BET as being completely without merit or a RANT. He then trashes the CNN piece ( which I kinda have to agree with him on. Tony Harris was awful, let the guests speak. Where is Soledad when you need her?) But anyway, I want to thank BET's minions for reading this site with devotion.... Your page clicks count too. I really do want a break from y'all till January, unless you do something else stupid, which is highly likely! I waited weeks before I delved into the whole "Read a Book" foolishness just to avoid the headache. Here's what Reggie has to say about us this week:
That woman [THAT WOULD BE ME!]is disconnected from reality. One of the first things Debra Lee did when she took the reins of BET is to cancel BET UNCUT. And she won't acknowledge it because it undermines her rant.
Yes, the director of the animated short and creator of the song were intelligent and well spoken...too bad the "moderator" was anything but. That was the most biased piece of reporting I've seen in a while. The low point had to be when the director was saying how he, like a lot of kids grew up reading MAD and CRACKED, so don't presume kids don't understand satire...and "host" jumps in and threatens to cut his mike off......
Malcolm X, Richard Pryor and Jonathan Swift could have appeared in support of READ A BOOK and it would not have made a difference.
Reginald Hudlin, From the Hudlin Entertainment Message Board
Oh poor downtrodden and picked on BET? It must be so hard to be you. Boo. Hoo. Let's review the record shall we?
“It was a great show for a segment of our audience, it was always controversial because it took videos to a different level,” said BET CEO Debra Lee yesterday at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, CA. “Because of all the new programming we’re doing, my view was it was time for that show to end.”
Debra Lee Speaking About the end of Uncut.
Took videos to a different level? Hmm is that what you call BET Uncut. So Debra Lee, Black Jesus' "What Dat Smell Like?" is your idea of taking videos to another level? Or perhaps it was " I got that Drank" that you thought was taking videos to a higher plane. Or Debbie, was it "Fresh Pair of Panties?" Folks, that is who Viacom has in charge of their 3 Billion Dollar Burro.
Note a pattern here. Even when they screw up, they won't admit to it. THEy are the ones who won't "acknowledge" legitimate concerns from Black people. When students at Spelman were in an uproar about Uncut and some of BET's other programming selections, Debra Lee was the one that arrogantly flicked the students' legitimate concerns aside and said BET was doing better than ever because BET was making more money than ever. She was still touting the virtues of Uncut even as she pulled the cord. Doesn't sound convincing to me? Notice she didn't say "BET Uncut was insulting and degrading to a large number of the members of our target audience and I find it inappropriate and it will not continue under my leadership."
Hudlin's posters, seem to think that I have said that BET Uncut is still on the air. I never said that and I link to the encyclopedia article indicating that it was taken off air. What I did say was that the decision-makers that aired Uncut for SIX YEARS are still there, INCLUDING DEBRA LEE. So no, I ain't gone trust the folks that brought us Cita's World and BET Uncut to be trying to encourage Black folks to read a book. You need to do a PSA called " Throw a Brick Through Your TV! So You Can't See our Tawdry Programming!"
Anytime Mr. Hudlin wants to take on the CRAZY CAT LADY from WAOD, he is welcome. We'll have a whole Special Edition of the Black Womens' Round Table where he can take apart each and every one of my arguments. Not. Going. To. Happen. Why? Because our arguments aren't CRAZY! They're valid. You might not agree with them, but they aren't completely without any basis and he knows that. That is why he keeps dismissing public dissatisfaction. That's why his supporters and employees stoop to libel. The bigger they are.....
Maybe BET would benefit from recognizing that those who disagree with their programming decisions aren't a bunch of crazy Black folks out to"bully BET," as one of their employees has stated. Maybe folks have a legitimate belief that your channel has done and continues to do considerable harm to the Black community. Maybe at some point you'll get that every complaint isn't a "rant". Probably not because up to this point, you haven't been acting very bright( Just for clarification, I just called him stupid y'all). But that just makes things easy for the CRAZY folk. BET keeps pitching 5 mph balls over the plate. Don't be surprised if someone takes a swing.
So when can we expect the next BET PSA Reggie? What is the topic going to be? "Don't Do Drugs?" " Look Both Ways Before Crossing?" "Stop Drop and Roll" " Don't talk to Strangers?"
Keep 'em coming BET Geniuses! But could you mind holding off until January 2008? I am sooo tired of talking about your lunacy, I really need more time to "Read a m&*$^*&@ Book!"
BTW. If We're all CRAZY, apparently your sponsors are CRAZY too, because they seem to realize, unlike you, that some of your programming decisions are well past poor. As far as being anti-Black, Who was it that thought it would be a wonderful idea to parade a bunch of poor Black folks on international cable television and brand them all with a derogatory label so that in their shame and humiliation they could learn to "DO Better?" Who was it that thought a blackface cartoon would make a good punchline? That would be YOU!
Until next time....I can assure y'all there WILL be a NEXT TIME.
P.S. I keep trying to tell y'all that this is the beginning of a movement. This is not going away, it is only getting bigger and the internet is helping to connect folk for change.
