CNN Sums Up The Black Experience

Posted on July 23rd, 2008 - By Bossip Staff

Categories: News, Uncategorized

Posted by Bossip Staff

CNN will be airing the first of its’ 2-part ground breaking documentary “Black in America” tonight. It would seem as though they think a topic this complex can be addressed in just two episodes. This could be rather interesting, but we can’t help but to wonder who exactly their real target audience is.

Click HERE for a glimpse of the two part series.

  • I’m Just Me (GIVE ME A QUARTER AND I’LL TELL YOU YOUR FORTUNE)

    FIRST

  • shesofine

    First…. they’ve ben talking about this on the radio

  • I’m Just Me (GIVE ME A QUARTER AND I’LL TELL YOU YOUR FORTUNE)

    LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS. WANT TO SEE WHAT THEY BRING TO LIGHT AND COMPARE IT TO HOW I FEEL

  • shesofine

    ^^^been^^^ Damn you I’m just me… I though I had it! :)

  • I’m Just Me (GIVE ME A QUARTER AND I’LL TELL YOU YOUR FORTUNE)

    Sorry She Is So Fine :(

    First Runner Up Maybe :D

  • Aunt Viv

    I’m looking forward to this

  • Aunt Viv

    I respect Soledad O’Brien as a journalist

  • Ms.FSU/504

    I agree…I hope this is good.

  • Link9

    @Aunt Viv

    “I respect Soledad O’Brien as a journalist”

    Not to mention she fine as hell.

  • Shavon Denise

    Im glad someone is finally acknowledging that being Black or even being a minority in America is really a dichotomy about it. Like you really have to be bi-polar in order for you to be successful AND be able to go back to the people you grew up with. You can be from Baldwin Hills and your parents can teach you to maybe “fit in” and be as close to white as possible but you will never be looked at that way to the white people. So then if you’re completely hood, and one sided with the blackness you will never be successful. All the true successful Blacks who are in touch with the “Blackness” know that they are going to have to act one way in the streets and another at the office. You cant go back to where yo momma stay and talk corporate talk to the people on the streets because you goin get got. You still are being yourself, Im not saying you have to talk like Bryant Gumble but just knowing the proper language to use. I love the fact that I have to be muiti-dimensional because I feel like I can go ANYWHERE in America. The average white kid isnt taught anything other than his culture because that all he/she needs but as Black people we need to know how to play both sides if we are going to be truly successful AND still not forget where you come from.

  • MrBossMan

    Here We Go Again!

  • MrBossMan

    Treating black people like tourist attraction! But hopefully it has a good outlook to it! I am going to watch!

  • Aunt Viv

    LOL@Link9,

    Glad she will enhance your viewing experience lol :)

  • Link9

    After watch that clip it looks good. It looks like they are going to talk about all categories of blacks in it: the black woman married to a white man, the upstanding father, the low down man, the strugging woman, etc. I’m going to watch. It’s a damn shame that this is not an every day show. SMH.

  • dayg715

    well, at least it’s not the Faux network doing it, or BET (which would use comedians as the “commentators”, and turn the whole series into a big joke). CNN is pretty unbiased (for the most part) when they report the news. should be interesting.

  • southern sway

    I am looking forward to this just to see what they came up with to make this. I think it will be very interesting on how they will perceive us on T.V and I hope they get the real people out there that goes through and still come out better then most that already have.

  • What the…

    just cause the Black experience is dynamic don’t mean the problems are that hard to explain. good a show without 5 segments of arguing who’s not keeping it real (*hip hop vs america*)

  • Suga Mo

    LOL@ hustleman

    “Negro friendly”

    They do a pretty good job considering… They are real careful to innovative without being extremely sensational. When the Iraq war started the had there cameras in battle on the front line….I was offended so I called up there (Im sure others did to)…. do you know they pulled the coverage off the air…Kudos to them. I simply explained that some people dont hear from there loved ones or can…so imagine if you were see ur loved one in battle on air or hurt. They try to be responsible to there viewers.

  • Suga Mo

    ” some poeple dont hear from there loved ones or CAN’T”

  • southernbella

    Why do we have to wait on CNN to tell us what we already know about ourselvs? Black people are alway waiting for something or someone to help them. They cant show us what’s going on with our own community in TWO episodes. It would take at least a month to talk about how slavery is the reason for the mindstate n@*gas is in today. (I’m saying we should make this an excuse, but it needs to be mentioned.

    CNN is only doing this to help white folks who are undecided about how to vote, vote. This will help them understand a portion of why we are they way we are. The only problem is, white folks are still not going to accept responsibility for their part.

    The cycle will never end.

  • Amazed

    This is a year long series. Its good CNN is reporting on different topics. We (as in Americans)spend tons of money and energy on foreign issues while we ignore the problems that need attention here.

  • http://lcrump127@optonline.net lolo127

    LOOKING VERY FORWARD TO WATCHING CNN TONIGHT,

    ALSO ANOTHER PART IS GOING TO BE ON TOO

    ON THE 24,JULY IF I’M CORRECTED..

    NOTICE THERES NOT MANY REPLYS ON THIS TOPIC

    THAT;S REAL TALK, MAYBE AFTER THEY SEE IT

    THEY WILL REPLY,,,,

  • original1

    hmmm????? With all due respect to the late great Martin Luther King Doc. I hope this is not another Martin doc. I love him but our history started before the civil rights movement. And our future is not based soley off of what happened in that time.

  • always knew

    @Shavon Denise– agree

    @ southern bella- everything you say is about the ‘slave’ mentality, when really freedom period is a state of mind..free from stress, free from working a job you hate, freedom to be what / who you want, maybe you’re the one that’s caught up on slavery times, although I think that the CNN special is both good and bad, they have a tendency to show, more negative than positive, but nevertheless, a glimpse of who we are, and even then, it’s not the full range of us. We are not monolithic, as some suggest. We have morals, standards and ideals, as well. Sometimes, with the way things are, we give ourselves excuses not to succeed, but overall, I think it’s a good thing. You have to recognize the issues before they can be fixed. Bill Cosby has been talking about this same stuff for years..I agree with some of the stuff, he says and I disagree with some of the stuff he says, but the bottomline, is we all need to learn acceptance and tolerance of people, that may not always look like us. The stereotypes need to stop….

  • datdude

    We do not need CNN to validate what we already know. I am not going to watch it.

  • http://dyma.com Dyma

    I am watching it right now, but honestly i thought it would more fitting if a BLACK person speak for the BLACK people rather than Soledad friggin O Brian

  • http://dyma.com Dyma

    I am watching it right now, but honestly i thought it would more fitting if a BLACK person speak for the BLACK people rather than Soledad friggin O Brian

  • huh?

    Um…Ms. O’Brian happens to be part Black (as well as Hispanic and Irish). She is a stand-up journalist and probably told CNN it was her or no-one. She belongs to the National Assoc of Black Journalists as well as the National Asso.c of Hispanic Journalists.

    Yes, we should not have to rely on CNN to tel us what se SHOULD know…but how many of us know that we are seeing right now?

    I think it is vey refreshing to see us portrayed for such a long period of time on national television.

    Althouh I do wish they would fous more on purely positive stories – but hey – positive rarely sells in the media – no matter what race you are.

    Fo those of you who said you would not watch – you need to determine WHY..what are you ashamed of? Why would not NOT watch?

  • De

    Very disappointing show. Could not relate at all,but thanks CNN for trying.

  • cici

    I just feel a little strange that someone is keeping saying some celebrities and rich men joined the famous affairs site W e a l t h y L o v e s c om.. Did you notice that?

  • ray

    atleast cnn tried, more than I can say about the other white stations.

  • Justme

    I have to admit I thought it was lame. It was just too slow moving for me. I just expected a more vivid presentation. Hated the way they began the program. What the hell did one family having a “white side” have to do with being “Black in America”?? Were they trying to draw the white audience in or validate it with them or something?

    I was asleep after the first hour…ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

  • luvchild (I tried to be good)

    The program was kinda disappointing. I watched the program on Sunday w/ the discussion panel. And a lot of the clips that had been shown Sun were on last nights show, they just copy & pasted to the new show and added a little more. Its like they touched on subjects, gave examples w/o any real depth to it.

    There was no real cause & effect just a bunch of examples. I would have preferred to see how the slavery, discrimination (still prevalent), prejudice (still prevalent), the all white dynasty etc still affects black people.

    Something was missing.

  • http://GLADITSNIGHT.COM GLADITSNIGHT.COM

    I WASNT IMRESSED BUT IT WAS WORTH WATCHING

  • WhatsYoursIsMine

    @Capital Peach-

    I agree with you. I thought they’d at least tell the story differently, doing something more meaty. Who knows, maybe some other network or media person will see that and do something better.

  • Mochacola

    I can’t wait to see this. We struggle, we fight against racist people, we have alot of police brutality, where is the realistic parts in this. Like MLK said we should not be judge by the color of our skin, but the content of our charater, that what it is.

  • In other words…..

    A bunch of crap. Period

  • The In Crowd

    I agree 100% with Shavon Denise.

  • yeah I said it!

    Soooooo…….I watched most of pt 1 and 90% of pt 2. and I can describe this piece in one word, DISAPPOINTING! I was bored primarily b/c absolutely nothing NEW was addressed or brought 2 the forefront. It was almost as if 2 loosely reason or justify why Black America is in the state that it’s in rather than present an expose’. I generally appreciate Soledad as a journalist however, she dropped the ball on this one. Soledad had a unique opportunity 2 expose white america 2 the little known and positive truths w/in our communities. I expected her 2 show balance, 2 dig below the superficial, already iterated in main stream media b/s and uplift the power and perception of our culture. Is it 2 much 2 ask 4 CNN 2 show america the struggle of the duality of Blacks in this country as a blessing and a curse w/o playing n2 the already established misconceptions?

    I don’t know….

  • yeah I said it!

    btw CNN is planning 2 re-air this on Saturday, I suggest we demand they NOT!!! call write and email asap

  • original1

    Thanks CNN for nothing …. You guys could have found another way to get minorities around the TV to slip in Obama information. Reopening wounds is not the way to do it. It would have been great to walk away from that TV saying wow I learned something new. Instead I found myself saying, “Is that a new pic of Martin Luther King on the ground shot.” Light Vs Black issues through the whole show. …We are much more complex than these surface issues. It would have been nice to get some information about my cuban, haitian, brazilian, mexican black brother and sisters who were dropped off in these small pockets. Why do I feel like I dont know if the show was a empathy card to the rest of the world to vote BLACK (Obama) or a dont you dare put a NI$$A in the office because …LOOK!

  • http://casinobreak.net Adriana Leblanc

    I liked bumping into your story

  • Betty B

    Dont matter if its a whole year or a half hour. one of the most respected chanell is taking note. I couldnt be prouder. Now a days Black month comes and go and I dont feel or see anything to remind me to take note. Black history shouldnt be on one month only its everyday.

  • Betty B

    by the way I never saw the airing im a watch out for it on saturday. I hope I didnt offend anyone.

  • Betty B

    by the way I never saw the airing im a watch out for it on saturday. I hope I didnt offend anyone.

  • Dennis

    M3G5C6ozBoNxV

blog comments powered by Disqus