“Vignettes of negativity.” That’s how my oh-so-wise mother described last night’s “Black in America” special on CNN. I wholeheartedly agree.
Let’s see, there was:
One positive: The married couple who owned their own company and had six children – five of whom were in college or were college graduates and their youngest, a senior in high school who was headed to Southern Methodist in the fall.
One neutral: A black lady traced her genealogy and discovered (gasp!) a white branch of her family. Knock me over with a very small feather. I don’t claim to be a statistician, but come on now, don’t like 97% of black Americans have a white branch on their family tree? Is this really a surprise or news to anyone? Geesh.
Let the fun begin:
Some dude rapping between all of the segments. Because that’s what black people do you know – rap. Incessantly.
A story about a father being kicked out of his apartment, having to move his two children to yet another home, the son attending his fourth or fifth new school in as many years . . .
A boy rounded up and encouraged to go back to school to finish his high school senior year. The boy agrees, registers for school a month late, and never returns.
A 24 year old young woman with HIV.
A single mother of 5.
A young girl going in for a HIV test; admitting she has lots of unprotected s.ex.
The “marry your baby daddy” movement. I applaud the concept, abhor the name.
Paying kids to go to school and do well on tests since blacks score so abysmally low on all standardized tests across the board.
And on and on and on it went. I wasted two whole hours of my life last night, and I’ll never get them back.
I don’t disagree that there are problems in black America. I do however, have a problem with a program entitled “Being Black in America” that was totally skewed toward the negative. If you wanted to highlight all that negativity then call the show “Problems in Black America.” I don’t think the show should’ve focused only on positives either - because that wouldn’t have given an accurate picture of blacks in America any more than did last night’s program. Balance people. It is called balance. Last night’s program was not an accurate account of being black in this country.
My mother brought up an interesting point when we briefly discussed the program – and our disappointment in it – this morning. She thought that this was an attempt to discredit O.bama’s campaign for the Presidency. She mentioned that it has been years since she’s seen a special on blacks advertised and promoted the way this one was, that she couldn’t necessarily remember any special programming during black history month, and then all of a sudden in late July – BAM! A program on black America that only dealt with negatives. Definitely something to consider. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but Mama may be on to something with this.
Did anyone else watch the show? What did you think? Will you watch tonight’s episode which will focus on black men in America? I’m going to watch it. I can’t believe I’m going to watch it, but I am. I guess it’s like watching a train wreck – I should turn my head, but for some inexplicable reason, I’m going to watch until the ugly, bitter end.
I watched it, too. My thoughts were that all of the scenarios presented could just as well had been about somebody white. As if there are no white single mothers, no white men who have been evicted, no white children who are dropping out of school….those parts weren’t necessarily about being Black in America, they were about being poor in America.
I didn’t find any issues that I thought were specific to Blackness — besides dood that got shot around the end. And, um, I was kinda mad at him sippin on some drank while acting like “oh, well, I’m paralyzed from the waist down…doopdee doopdee doo…..lemme gone get in this program now” WTH?
I didn’t find it particularly eye opening. Problems were presented with no apparent solutions. Didn’t really see the point. I won’t be watching tonight, I don’t watch anything where the focus is on people in jail. Creeps me out for some reason.
Caught the last 45 minutes and was hoping that I got the “negative” side of the story and missed the positive hour. Geesh! What kind of special is this? A disappointing one. Torn about watching tonight.
No, didn’t watch, but glad I missed it. Tonight’s episode sounds like the kind of thing that makes my husband start yelling at the TV, so probably won’t see that either.
I think your mom is on to something.
Y’all – I changed my mind. I’m not watching tonight’s episode. I’m going absorb myself in a book (Free Food For Millionaires) and call it a night.
Psonya – I felt so slow – I didn’t realize the boy was paralyzed until his segment was about over!! And you’re quite right, nothing last night was particularly unique to blacks.
Non SW – Let me know if you watch tonight. I’m just not going to be able to do it.
Lisa – Keep your hubby away from CNN tonight – he would definitely be up in arms!
Totally agree with you. Vignettes of Negativity. Your mother is a wise woman indeed.
I purposely don’t have cable; but I am a blogger and it was so talked about that I made a trip to my neighbors to watch the horror of the video safari to the culture of power/White America.
I shouldn’t expect CNN or the medium of television to empower me. Cause it won’t. Only I can do that.
That’s a great way to describe the show Vignettes of Negativity. I was waiting for the ahha moment(s). Alas they didn’t come. My 13 year old son watched some of it with me. He was unaffected. He found the McDonald’s commercials disturbing- my 13 year old! And, we both laughed at UN-Common signifying between segments. Anyway, I missed (on purpose) most of the show last night. We did something more productive and more “positive” with our time- we went to the grand opening of Sanaa Art Gallery in Jackson. We had a great time. It was Vignettes of Positivity!
@ Get Togetha – Thanks for commenting! I stopped by your spot and think it is absolutely wonderful – would like to add you to my blogroll if that’s okay? I think my husband would literally die if we didn’t have cable. Me, not so much.
@ Girlfriend – I guess that’s what it was – I kept waiting for the other side and there never was one. UNCommon – I love it! Didn’t watch last night – wish I’d been at the grand opening with y’all. How do you find out about these things? Seems like I’m always a day late.
i watched. i think i understand what sol.e.dad was trying to do. we used it as a special to point out to our boys what people expect them to do, not what they actually will do. my kids just don’t get it, but now i wonder if we’ve made them paranoid and self conscious
who was that guy rapping in between segments…
I don’t have cable. I watched Season 4, Disc 3 of The Wire last night and from the comments I’ve seen on here and all over facebook, the blogosphere, op-eds, etc. I definitely made the better choice.
It also seems that according to CNN The Wire’s not a far cry from how 90% of Black Americans live, so I may as well get all my info from HBO instead. Much more entertaining.
I didn’t watch it. I don’t have cable and don’t want it (haven’t had it for 10 years) though my wife is getting the itch. My brother told me about it and he didn’t hate it. He said that it wasn’t a very good documentary but the stats were telling. For me I think we need to ve this kind of film, though I didn’t see it, if only to remind ourselves where we are and the white people/others who believe that we have ovecome. Certainly there are many positive things happening in the Black diaspora but until we see the promised land we will have CNN telling our tales of woe.