I believe that 1 million Black folks could prostrate themselves at Debra Lee's feet (or circle her home)and BET will ignore them, but let ONE advertising executive from a BET sponsor put in a phone call and then !PRESTO! things change.
Hmm. Have you been keeping up with our first campaign of 2008? The one where we pointed our that "family friendly" companies were being big ole corporate hypocrites by touting family values in ads running next to g-string clad Black women contorting their bodies in various sexually suggestive positions. The one where we asked "Why are McDonalds, Nissan, the Army, and the Navy Whoring Out Our Daughters?- BET is still a MESS!"?
We pointed out that these same companies would not DREAM of running the same ads on pages featuring similarly clad White women. So last week we challenged McDonalds, Nissan, the Army, Navy, General Mills, and Kraft on their use of Black women as props and prostitutes.
We don't know which one or ones stepped up to the plate, but all of a sudden, BET's B-girl page is MIA. Go look for yourself. You can still find remnants if you look for them, but they have moved the B-girls from the drop down menu. If you are savvy enough to know how to comb the BET site, you will find hilarity with a picture of gospel great Shirley Caesar's head shot being run next to the buttocks of a Black woman scantily clad in hot pink undies with 3/4's of her behind hanging out next to pastor Ceasar's face.
To all of you who called and emailed, thank you. Your efforts were not in vain. This is just one small glimpse of what Black woman and the men who care about them can do if we open up our mouths to the right people.
The truth is that the advertisers are responsible for the content they use to market their products. Repeatedly they claim to be unaware of what is being done with their corporate name and logo. Eventually, we will stop accepting that excuse. How many times is BET going to plaster you name and logo next to foolishness before you realize that they don't give a rip about you or your corporate name? I mean blackface cartoons and booty shots? Is that really what you want your cereal, kids meals, macaroni, mini vans, and military service associated with?
The lesson of Don Imus is that advertisers have the power to control what we see. Black women control over 60% of Black wealth in this country. We are more that 60 percent of African Americans who are registered to vote. We have entirely too much money and political clout to be treated as props, prostitutes, and pack mules for everybody else.
STOP FUNDING FOOLISHNESS!
Join Us Tonight for the Podcast
We'll be talking about this tonight on the WAOD Podcast, the Black Womens' Roundtable. Tonight at 8:00PM CST. Our topic this week will be BET's B -girl. Bob Beelzebub Johnson's foolishness. Oprah starting her own channel and the latest shenanigans in the election. Listen live, chat, or call in 646-478-4750.
