Its true, arent you amazed at how BET is so full of it and hypocritical?? I mean when I was seeing all the efforts they were coordinating around Jena 6 or Katrina and then turn around and promote degrading images of our men/women it baffles me. I dont watch BET- well if I happen to pass the station and something stands out I will briefly stop- but other than that, I avoid BET. The real irony is that early morninings you can be engrossed in Creflo Dollar or Pastor John Cherry and then by the end of the program a$$es are popping all over my tv screen. There is nothing of value or substance being produced by BET and I understand that they want to make $$, but obviously from a majority of the posts I see, people are looking for something different with a little more substance. I dont know what majority networks are referring to when they suggest that the audience wants booty, drugs, murder and self- degrading materials, I am not hearing that at all from the people I communicate with. They are selling us smut all day and telling us we like it and that’s all we want b/c that’s all we’re worth. We are being fed garbage and forced to like it, we have tolerated lower standards in our entertainment programming and given up on appreciating variety. The one station that is charged with representing us exclusively, takes the first blow at destroying our minds, development and the potential to produce capable, mature and competent individuals. What we and our youths see glorified on BET brainwashes us to accept what is bottom barrell. I’d rather give my money to CBS- a network that hasnt supported Black images at all, but it is better to watch and see what responsible and variety programming looks like rather than to see our own images portrayed daily in the worst and most negative ways possible. Screw BET and boycott that mess!! Until they bring us programming that represents more than one demographic, we shouldnt deal with them, PERIOD!!

We have to start teach our children to say NO to stuff. I just buried a boy that was set to go to college and he decided to try to rob a dollar store security guard. He and another boy got 11 rounds of a AK47 in them for that. And you will be amazed at how many (BLACK) adults laughed about it.

We do need to stop coddling criminals. It was digusting to see all those blacks defend Michael Vick. We need to call out BET and tell them if you want to show buffonery, show some educational stuff that counters that.Same with these radio stations, I don’t want to hear Soulja Boy 24-7, how about some Rahsaan Patterson or Jurrassi Five? What good is it being number 1 in the black market when you’re 10th in the market behind stations, who will play every black artist you don’t?

Maybe some black folks wouldnt like to hear this, but I dont know how much sympathy I can have for this Mychal Bell character.

News article: “A judge decided the fight that thrust a teenager into the center of a civil rights controversy violated his probation for a previous conviction and ordered the boy back to jail, the teen’s attorney said.

Mychal Bell, who along with five other black teenagers is accused of beating a white classmate, had gone to juvenile court in Jena on Thursday expecting another routine hearing, said Carol Powell Lexing, one of his attorneys.

Instead, state District Judge J.P. Mauffrey Jr. sentenced Bell to 18 months in jail on two counts of simple battery and two counts of criminal destruction of property

”

So if this fool was already on probation, why was he even getting into this later fight, beating up on this white kid?

I’m tired of making excuses for young black men that do dumb stuff and acting like they have no fear or respect for the law. This kid had been in the legal system multiple times as a teenager. He knew better. This kid was just a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe jail is the best thing for him, since he cant stay out of trouble.

No more coddling of criminals, especially repeat offenders. Most crime by black men is against other blacks. If this kid doesnt get some jail time, maybe he’d end up shooting or raping some black man or woman one day.

Next!

There are many of troubled black men, but for some reason I am not convinced with the #’s. In NYC I see soooo many professional & educated Black men to the point that it is intimidating, I mean some serious dudes. And not just here, in most Metropolitan areas D.c., Charlotte, Jersey, Chicago there seems to be a contingent of Black men in positions of influence and authority. We dont see a media representation of that as we do our troubled men. I have gone to conventions for Black professional associations {trying to network} and the number of successful Black that I witness is astounding to the point of embarrasment b/c I had to admit my ignorance. I thought they were ALL drugged out thugged out or YES rapper dudes…

@ LaLa

I agree, Clinton has been all talk and empty promises.

Wake up people. No one is saying they shouldn’t take responsibility for their actions, but, the system is not equal. And justice is not blind. She sees color very well.

Do you understand what it means in this country to have a felony on your record. That means that illegal immigrants have more rights than you do.

I know we would like to believe that everything is fine and well, but, it is not. Stop sleeping.

I don’t know what kind of sermon you trying to preach but not everyone as you say “we all have the conviction that we are on the wrong course” feels this way. There are some but if you go back and read these threads and some from previous posts and topics you will see that there are plenty doing what they need to. The only person I have control over is me. I will help any and everyone who wants my help and is helping themselves.