I wasn’t going to watch CNN’s series “Black In America 2,” but at the last minute I decided to tune in against my better judgment.
By the time the airing was over, my blood pressure was up & I had a major headache. Why? Because I spent precious time watching some bullshit vs. completing a project.
I know CNN’s Mammy Soledad O’Brien is trying but I’m just not, nor will I ever feel her, her style, & her all of the sudden uber Blackness.
As I stated last year when “Black In America 1” aired, this program may be about SOME Black Americans but it is not intended for a Black audience nor does it dig deep enough to paint a halfway decent portrait.
Lets not get it twisted; I think we all know the collective issues that plaque our community. Sure, we may not have exact statistics but we know that the Black family is & has been in jeopardy, we know that our children are not academically on point like their counterparts, we know that AIDS/HIV/Poor sexual behavior is killing us, we know that Black men make up roughly 72% of the prison population while WE only make up 12.8% of the US population. And we know that we can catch Tiny & Toya on BET Tuesdays at 10pm. Need I go on?
Who is the audience for “Black In America?” White America! Why? Because CNN found it important to introduce the nation to Negroes since one was running to become the Supreme leader of the land; the same leader running this bitch now.
With this said, I only watched because I wanted see if CNN would do another fucked up job portraying Black life in the US. Here’s a clue; they did!
After wasting my time last night I can say that I did not see anything that represented my socioeconomic status, education, life style, family, neighborhood, associates etc. What I did see was the bottom of the bottom & the top of the top in Negroness.
As a middle class Negro, I was like is this all CNN thinks of Black people. Are they saying that Black people are either from a broken home, can’t read or write, living on aid, have ghetto names or are so rich that they do not necessarily consider themselves to be a Negro or are somehow better but yet face racial tension? Well maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but still.
I really saw a big disconnect. Yes I know that they are trying but I think the effort needs to be abandoned if they desire to show a one dimensional platform. If you want to tell the story of Black like in America, you need a 2 week long series to examine it all. Yeah, that’s a start.
So while watching, I was Tweeting live along with many other Blacks in America. Here’s my micro analysis.
- Maybe I will watch Black In America just so that I have something to bitch about. I’m in the mood to be angry + I’m sick of CNN’s Mammy.
- I may be Black man in America but I hate watermelon, peach cobbler & getting arrested.
- CNN is acting like Black in America is the biggest thing for Negroes on TV since Roots.
- Honestly, I grew up in the ghetto & I can relate to some of this shit on BIA but my kids cannot. They have it good & are far removed.
- My kids have both parents, middle class neighborhood, good school, productive activities etc. We all ain’t hood w/no daddies. #blackinamerica
- I’m watching! I feel shame!
- RT @jovanmiles: feels like shows like BIA are often decidedly one sided. @bygbaby WORD!
- Look at that monkey boy play them drums.
- White people gone think all we do is sing, dance, play drums & have HIV/AIDS.
- Great, more dancing.
- Parents need to be arrested for having illiterate children.
- That nigga ain’t gone get serious about school. Soledad please.
- What about helping kids in their own neighborhood or elsewhere in America. I’m just saying.
- RT @MizJJ: I hope they do more than shop as their way of doing service in South Africa. Seriously. #blackinamerica #CNN @bygbaby POINT!
- Damn. Latino in America is next. Soledad is working! What’s next? Jewish in America/Muslim in American/Gay in America/Broke Bitch in America?
- Maalak’s weave is on point in SA as so many suffer around her. #ilikebeingcritical
- RT @ButtaBaby: Loving this hashtag: #blacksinsoldeadsamerica (via @laidbackchick)
- RT @womanistmusings Can these kids learn that there’s intelligent Africans doing well. Why is Africa always presented as the savage continent?
- Jeremy needs to know that a bright smile will only get you so far. Just ask Chris Brown.
- Steve is representing for the light skinneded brothas. We are coming back bitches!
- RT @jovanmiles is about to get a can of pomade and slick down my waves so I too can be like Steve Perry!
- The best grilled cheese sandwiches are made with government cheese. Let’s not act siditty now! #blackinamerica
- Women will be throwing all kinds of pussy at Steve Perry tomorrow.
- @jnez that’s a tight hairline on your man too. Steve Perry #blackinamerica. Perry has an excellent barber @bygbaby Ain’t that shit tight? My hair line was never that precision.
- Soledad seems to be great at finding the most fucked up Negroes on the east coast.
- She may be accepted to 4 schools but she ain’t get no play with “Glorious” on her resume. #negronamegames
- Oh Soledad is gonna flip the script. Negroes with money & status?
- Hmmmm, Black separatists. #sidittynegroes
- @buttababy I have yet to see myself or practically anyone I know represented on this CNN Black In America 2 mess. @bygbaby Me either. Sigh! I love how they went from one end of the spectrum to the exact opposite without stopping in the middle.
- I could not fit in with any of these negroes. I’m too earthy & so not mainstream.
- Black in America showed us tonight that there are only extreme have nots & Negroes with it all wanting more. Hmmmm
So the funny thing is, well I guess not so funny because I partially expected this; none of my associates felt a connection to the program & the term janky & bullshit came up more than once.
I wonder how CNN or their PR firm will feel about me now after reading my review. They have been sweating me for weeks asking me to watch & sending me promo info. I don’t know how many times I had to tell them to back up off me.
I guess I will tune into part 2 of BIA2 tonight just to see. If I feel my pressure start to rise again, I will have to turn away.
By the way, if you are not following me on Twitter, you really should be!
