While visiting one of my fav blogs Necole Bitchie, I ran across an interview with TV One's Cathy Hughes from Miss Drama TV.
The station's front woman spoke very candidly and honestly about her thoughts on positive vs. negative portrayals of black women.
I'll let you watch the video before I say my peace.
Check it out here:
Ok, hopefully you watched it.
Now...
Half the time I was nodding my head in concurrence with Mrs. Hughes and shaking it in disagreement the other half. I too was displeased with the fact that the highest honor given to any entertainer (Academy Award) was awarded to Monique and Halle for two of the most negative portrayals of black women we've seen. I might not have felt this way when Hattie McDaniel received her award because, at that time, it was one of the only roles available for black women. But times have truly changed, and despite the difficulty I do believe black women have more options. I agree that we should be telling more positive tales of black women, a la the story of Michelle Obama. (Seriously, where's the script on that?) And while it's great to see black women being recognized for their achievements, its unfortunate to have one of the highest achievements stained with the black ink blot of knowledge that your role is one that perpetuates negative and villanous stereotypes of women you claim to represent.
The ironic thing about Mrs. Hughes' comments though, was that she failed to see how Tyler Perry has also fallen victim to this pattern of betrayal and how her own network is neither exempt nor blameless. More recently, many have come out to declare their disdain for Tyler Perry's works (*ahem* Spike Lee) and amid the criticism, he still remains thee top selling creator of black films. But while his films introduce topics of spirituality and moral consciousness rarely visible in today's media, they are also inter-laden with characteristics of stereotypical black life. His alter-ego portrayal of Madea is the epitome of a modern day mash-up of the historically derogative "Mammy" and "Sapphire". Yet, Hughes suggests that his ability to deliver a positive message through humor offsets the depiction of the "Angry black woman."
Do you agree?
Furthermore, Hughes expresses her feelings on BET's role as being #1 in black entertainment saying that she felt BET missed a lot of opportunities to showcase new talent, which she says is to her benefit as TV One is able to learn from the mistakes BET is making, thus delivering better programming and more positive portrayals of African-Americans, particularly black women. Again, Mrs. Hughes I disagree...in part. Has anyone seen "Love that Girl?" I know I have ranted on this show once before, and don't want to get into that again but it honestly is one of the most disappointing shows I've seen in a long time. The stereotypes extend beyond black women to homosexuals and I fail to see the point of it all.
Anyway...
I have been watching BET since I was young and since Bob Johnson's exit stage left, I have seen improvement in the network's quality of programming. Granted, they still have far to go, but they have eliminated disparaging shows like "UnCut" and have successfully introduced a positive spin on reality television with shows like "The Family Crews." Again, there were errors along the way. (I think we were all mad at Frankie and Neffe, but some see the positive in any situation.) At any rate, the network has indeed showcased new talent by joining the race to revive the black sitcom.
I don't want to come off like I'm taking sides because I definitely am not getting a check from BET nor TV One. But rather, I want to highlight the senselessness in the competitive spirit that often resurrects itself between two black entities at the top of their game. This "crab in a barrel" nature is what I believe is tripping us up. I am NOT accusing Mrs. Hughes of this, but her comments did leave me feeling this way. If ABC, CBS, and NBC can coexist for over 50 years than I have to believe the same is possible for BET and TV One. Has it not been established that our competition is not each other? The threat is the alternative powers that be that are trying to choke off our voices entirely or worse, speak for us.
Both networks have done a GREAT job of providing alternate programming geared toward African-Americans. TV One's "Unsung" is truly in a class of its own and BET has scored a major hit with the "The Game." Moreover, that both of these networks have women as the HBICs is esteeming in itself. (B stands for Boss, don't get it twisted) Debra Lee and Cathy Hughes are remarkable women for fearlessly taking on such as task. I hope both networks can continue to excel.
So now the spotlight is on you. What do you think about Mrs. Hughes' comments? Monique and Halle's Oscars? Tyler Perry? And BET vs. TV One?
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