Whos Your Hero? ... The VIBE Mag Rebuttal.
by
chuck d
September 20, 2006
.... When I was first asked to do an interview answering to VIBE's
concern about reality shows and the mismanagement of female images in
media, I straight out flatly refused. I'm neither arrogant, elitist, nor
bitter, its just that the problems with the topic are beyond articles,
sound bites, and special one off tele, broad, or even webcasts. It's
worthy of dissertation, educational curriculum, and books of new social
science containing cultural analysis yet to be published and exposed.
Quite frankly I had my reservations until Danyel Smith took over the
magazine (one which to me has had the tendency of coming off like a
cultural coloring book). I wish the mag and VIXEN a testosterone-less
good look and luck. And it's the main reason agreeing to the issue here
at hand.
With that said, the question of how blacks are treated in the world of
reality television is answered simply in that reality TV is not reality
at all. It's shot, canned, edited, and processed Amerikkkan style like
Mickey D fries, over 300 million served and told. The public should know
that Flavor's and other reality shows are shot five months beforehand
within a ten day span, so how stupid is it when people wait week by week
to find out something that at happened a half a year before? Pavlovic
eh? It's no secret when we don't control things, they can end up
governing our existence. Black ownership in media is nil and none. Maybe
there's some negrownwership in the house, because corporations (usually
a squad of white males) need them around to create and endorse 'niggers'
- this avoids the race tag I guess. Black media tries to justify
parallel programming by saying they need numbers to stay in business.
This is a root problem that quantifies black people in a rating system
of eyeballs and ears rather than the old school issue of 'quality' and
'feelin' it.
But the scientific effects go beyond race as most Americans generally
have a poor grip on geography and history (i.e. a shameful 18% of US
citizens own passports, and many Americans we're surprised so many black
folk lived in New Orleans after watching the news drunken-ality of post
Katrina). When one studies mass communication you find that each
situation broke a giant genie out of and busted the bottle with it.
Martin Luther (not the king or the singer) with the printing press,
Marconi with radio, and various events leading up to post World War Two
invention of television. Television is considered the most powerful
weapon/tool created to inflict influence. More powerful than a hundred
trillion bibles, Korans, or Torahs in the minds of the masses. The power
as far as black folk is concerned is like a snapshot of a gathering. If
you were in that gathering and the snapshot was passed around, the first
person you look for is yourself. This is the basic reason black folks
flock and suck to the tube. Take science, drop it in some perceived
culture, and you can have some millennium pied piper sht goin on.
Ok, before I lose you to whippings of ass distraction which is the
reality television credo; those powers that be move the M in 'the
masses', and consider 'them asses' - just consumers. In a land where a
village idiot reigns at the top, it's no surprise that many citizens
would be reduced to 'vidiots'. Anti-lectualism and mass dumbassification
puts big brother on blast, thus television across five hundred channels
comes across as candied stress relief away from the rigors of reality.
Thus reality gets created for mass consumption just like the black
entertainment and athlete gods are created by the 'godmakers' that the
public does not or doesn't care to know.
When one examines the positioning of women and especially black women in
the media, again it's reduced to whatever sells. We've heard that sex
sells for the longest time but the past fifteen years corporations
looking for numbers have perved their way into selling it to a severely
underage demographic. Just check the nearest sixth grader nearest you.
Reality TV, music, hip hop and their adult themes have indirectly
invited kids to the orgy.
This disturbance is Xeroxed, reflected, and re-emitted by hip hop in the
treatment of women. If mass media has basically been a locker room, that
women have had to find a safe corner haven, then hip hop is that
testosterone heavy, dude crib where the refrigerator's empty, rugs
filthy garbage overflowed, unkept nasty bathroom for all to trip over
the debris. Videos have captured the eyeballs for years, and now if they
can roll ten to fifteen hot chicks per rapper/singer, marketing teams (
I'm so sick of that wack term marketing 2006 = pimpin) can keep making
ugly the new cute...WTF!? This process has been followed by television
programming. To hell with an idea and script for the lowest denomination.
But Viacom and reality shows are inseparable, the real world jumped it
off in the early 90's. What's more disturbed is that Christina Morgan of
MTV Networks, Debra L. Lee of BET, and Cathy Hughes of Radio One are all
black women, and presidents of the most powerful portals of culture,
image - portrayals that tens of millions of black folk visit daily, and
at the same time black women's images have never been so low. ( a
shameless plug here is all female rap group Crew Grrl Order debut on my
SLAMjamz.com label, it'll be interesting to see the support of these
womens' recordings by these mega conglomerates come this October 2006)
Then again when Biggie told the crowd to rub your privates if you love
hip hop, and smart cats in fear of being called 'out' just did it cause
Simon said it, what do you expect ten years later?
This brings me to Flav's scenario. Yes, there is a problem but he's been
generally the same cat I pulled up from his humble beginnings
twenty-five years ago. Flav has always existed with a somewhat conscious
surrounding, and Public Enemy was a varied, diversified collection of
personalities, just as our neighborhood depicted. And we reflected that
black men we're still grouped in one boxed Amerikkan cookie cutter
category whether lawyer, clown, militant, athlete, mechanic, drug
dealer, drug addict, soldier, academic cat, thug etc. At the crest of
R&B (Reagan and Bush) black life was considered valueless in Amerikka.
Flav was Skittles and Starburst to Professor Griff's okra and beets, and
everything else we did was in between. Somehow along the way black life
and culture was deemed profitable, and the big great white male took
interest and fought over the seven seas of soul. Niggativity, which was
a minority element in the hood, had its DNA corporately extracted and
created the climate for a Flavor Of Love and others. It's called
diminishing returns. I'm glad Flav is busy, really not surprised at all
( been traveling and living with dude all over the earth 20 years
people, 56 countries, 54 tours....hello why would I be surprised?) But
it's a double wince at times when the stats say that its a well watched
program by the masses of blackfolk and the topic the next day amongst
blackfolk at school and work. Grown people mind you.
Personally I thought Flavor was the smartest cat in the room on Surreal
Life, and showed the heart he had in Strange love (although I
interjected when I heard a conflict was shot between he and his ex, and
I threatened VH 1 and the production company if they aired it, we'd have
problems...they were calling the conflict 'good TV'...... sht) When Flav
told me he was doing a Flavor version of the bachelor, I just laughed
and wished him luck. Flavor Flav is addicted to fame, he ain't never
changed. When he has had run ins with the law and some substance cases,
it's been when his fame was on the low. In that position I know this
magazine and other cultural mags, shows, blogs etc, would cover the
worst news unfit to print to get black folk's knee jerk consumer
response at the register. After continued run ins and possible boredom
in the Bronx, Hank Shocklee and I suggested he head to California.
Hollywood, the place where every time I visit and leave there I have to
take IQ rehab. You must understand twenty years ago, myself and Hank
formed a noisy rap vehicle in words and sonic assault. PE was to destroy
music as we knew it, because it was elitist from a position of black
complacency. We knew individuals in the form of Negroes and niggers
marionetted in black guise, for the sake of getting rich for self and
never thinking, we're running abundant under those blonde suits. At
least we knew Flav would be the loudest in whatever room, restaurant he
was in. In a twisted way perhaps he was an asteroid smash landed to
possibly change the terrain of imagery, and wake some people up.
The truth is that our image was forsaken in the 90's when drawing the
line was blurred, set back or didn't matter as much. Black folk started
calling athletes and entertainers 'heroes and legends' instead of
everyday people doing real and important things. Class clowns and thugs
were co signed and socially applauded and rewarded by lazier working
images and shielded by money. While teachers, and valedictorians were
being clowned, thus silencing the smartest kids in the room.
Corporation's millennium marketing big picture says Black people are not
asked we are told, and black women are simply just ordered whether it's
a demand or as virtual plate-side condiments.
We've gone from being laughed with to laughed at. Contrary to popular
belief things ain't gotta be hip hop or have streetcred to cut across to
us, but somebody better reverse this momentum that Amerikkan whitefolks
believe, or forever culture here will be petri dished in a boardroom.
Ultimately this is a wake up call to prevent the 'falling off of black
America.' It has little to do with how much money one has, when black
folks stop praising and weighing cultural and social success to things
and individuals just because money is made, then some of the climate
will reverse itself. When culture and news props up those with degrees
and key community profile instead of putting celebrity baby mama issues
on the front blast page and reflects cats who work everyday for our
people with no gloss, floss and glory then the climate will reverse.
Perhaps Flavor is an introduction to black folks killing off the nigger
in ourselves.
This just in....the rest of PE continues to do and contribute socially
nationally and abroad, we're balanced as a structure and expect no
coverage or publicity campaign costing 6k a month. But I don't do
reality TV and won't bend for it. Amongst many things I've been on the
Air America Radio network the past three years with a black woman
co-host, Gia'na Garel, boosting social-cultural-political opinions
nationally and abroad. We expect a minority of listeners, but also I
realize the glaring fact that if I'd merely robbed a gas station I
wouldn't need a publicist, I'd be put on blast on every black media
outlet possible and every black person beyond reading this would easily
apply my name to the negative, like what Eddie Johnson just went through .
So I would like this to be read, and thoroughly comprehended. If not and
it's fulla sht and too deep then there you have it. I'm glad you've made
it this far. Don't expect some reality show nearest you, I'm not for
sale and quick to telling people' nunya gd damn bizness...
Gone....
'I cannot teach you, I can only help you explore yourself' Bruce Lee
Chuck D [EMAIL PROTECTED] On The Real radioshow w Giana Garel
Airamericaradio.com sunday nights 11p-1est. HTTP://www.publicenemy.com
HTTP://www.SLAMjamz.com www.rapstation.com
http://www.publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page3
___
Stay Strong
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-"I testified/My mama cried/Black people died/When the other man lied"
-- chuck d
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"Be a friend to the oppressed and an enemy to the oppressor"
--Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib (as)
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"They want to see us breathless. We will not be. They want to see us
tired. We refuse to be. They want to see what our strength is. We will
not show it in advance. We will continuously surprise them." -- Julia
Wright
"We restate our commitment to the peace process. But we will not
submit to a process of humiliation."
--patrick o'neil
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"...we have the responsibility to make no deal with the oppressor"
--harry belafonte
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"...these people generate wars in Asia and Africa,...These are the
people who, in the last century, caused several devastating wars. In one
world war alone, they killed over 60 million people.... In the near
future, Allah willing, we will put you to trial in courts established by
the peoples...."-- mahmoud ahmadinejad
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http://www.sidebrow.net/2006/a047braithwaite.php
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http://cleveland.indymedia.org/uploads/2006/07
olivet___h.a.t.s_in_the_square___loud_ruffa1b.mp3
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http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/10/7255.php
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http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/olivet___h.a.t.s_in_the_square___loud_ruff.mp3
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http://ilovepoetry.com/search.asp?keywords=braithwaite&orderBy=date
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http://vancouver.indymedia.org/?q=en/node/1269\
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http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/en_fins__clichy-sous_bois_amixquiet-_lordpatch_the_giver__.mp3
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http://www.lowliferecords.co.uk/
