They need to call it Trife in America.
There is nothing that I couldn't have learned from watching that show
that I wouldn't have picked up from living with Black people, talking to
my homies, and reading internet message boards.
That show should be called, Black Pathology: A Presentation
for White Folks.
Seriously.
All of us know a Single Black dad raising his kids and facing
housing issues, someone who is being evicted, a "successful"
Black woman who has decided to date white dudes, and a middle
class Black couple that has been married 20 years.
AND???????????
This, IS NEWS?
Why should we be excited about the hardships of the black
family being presented on CNN?
I think its because we expect someone else to save us. For reals homie.
C. Dubb and I go back and forth at least three times a day
trying to hammer out what the mission and vision for this non
profit will be and each day we get closer.
Do you KNOW how much more difficult it is to talk about a
SOLUTION than to go on and on about the problems.
Let me ask you again.
Do you KNOW how much more difficult it is to talk about a
SOLUTION than to go on and on about the problems.
The bugged out thing about the entire show is that I knew
every "talking head" they interviewed.
The academics, the Hollywood writers, the magazine editors.
How much more effective would the series had been if it were focused on
on who makes money off of our poverty and how the every day person can
contribute to changing the situation.
Would they ever make a White in America show?
Why not?
13 comments:
They're not going to do Chinese in America, Native American in America, etc. I skipped the CNN programs because it is not news to me.
It has to be very difficult to come up with a solution because many pundits, academics, etc. love to discuss the problems and issues ad nauseum. I understand that the views and writings of the intelligentsia influences public policy in many ways. At the end of the day, real change, concrete solutions at best work on grassroots, local levels. I've read accounts where the efforts of one woman simply cleaning up her neighborhood and planting a garden dramatically improved a dire situation.
It has to be very difficult to come up with a solution because many pundits, academics, etc. love to discuss the problems and issues ad nauseum.
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DUDE. You don't even understand. TODAY I learned that, while researching the preschool to prison pipeline, the reason why Black boys get dispropo suspended is because of a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY which is the result of the f=cking 1994 GUN FREE SCHOOLS ACT.
THAT SH-T is like MANDATORY MINS for 7 year olds.
You feel me. LETS GET A SHOW ON THAT OCK...
Adults get 3 strikes and Rockerfeller.
Kids get the Zero Tol.
Its not a game.
I don't think the reason for creating it was to attempt to come up with solutions to many of the problems you're addressing.
"All of us know a Single Black dad raising his kids and facing
housing issues, someone who is being evicted, a "successful"
Black woman who has decided to date white dudes, and a middle
class Black couple that has been married 20 years."
I believe it was created for all of those that don't know all the above different types of people within the black community. "Those people" doesn't necessarily include just non-black people. It also includes black people who don't know or choose not to associate with black people not within their social circle.
I thought it was interesting even when I consider that there was really nothing new for me to be learned, it's interesting that a special such as that one is even being done at all. I'm sure Barack Obama's presidency has something to do with bringing black America's issues to the forefront.
Solutions are absolutely more difficult to come by, but its Soledad O'Brien's responsibility to fix any problems (nor CNN's for that matter) within our community. You're doing the right thing with this grassroots organization making an EFFORT to try and make positive change. Too many times people criticize EFFORT from the sidelines and criticize results without taking any action themselves. Oddly enough, I think I remember Janet Jackson saying something along the lines of, "No one can tell me I wrong for doing something without also giving me some idea of how to be right." That's not a direct quote, but that's the general idea of the comment.
I'm the equity trader by the way, who participated in your survey. I'm a relative rookie in this biz, this is my first job out of college (only 25), so my understanding of board presence in relation to shareholder ownership isn't as good as it should be (I just trade stocks and I know that's a poor excuse, but it's true nonetheless), but I think it would be difficult to gain a seat on these boards...difficult, however certainly not impossible. Thanks.
Solutions are not the goal of that type of programming. There's good money to be made trafficking pathology among the p.o.c and the american dream if you believe to the whites. as far as I'm concerned the white version already comes in two programs (can't think of the name of the shows but I think I saw them on A&E). One is about millionaires who worked their way up from nothing and now just work cause they love it or are afraid they'll lose it all and the lotto winners who lose it all cause money won't make you happy. It's all about the money. There's very little difference between the masses of people's economic/family situations no matter what race they claim and now that the economy is shattering the illusion for real the moral issues will be front and center so the minority of the population can still keep the majority of the wealth and the majority of the population can keep fighting and pointing fingers over who is making the best 'choices' and doing the right thing, too distracted to pay attention to the laws/policy that criminalize kids/the weak, financial institutions bleeding people dry, advertisers pushing products, churches hustling people etc keep working on that movement so those of us who already are committed to doing things can add it to what you have planned. action speaks louder than t.v.
gmllz
Thank you for responding.
I DON'T Presume that ANY corporation is responsible for setting for solutions to our shared problems. I asked that question as a rhetorical device to get us thinking about SOLUTIONS versus.
For the little bit that I watched, I immediatly honed in on all the NEGRO commercials and how CNN probably sold the commercials, THEN pitched the show, THEN SOLEDAD got the green light to do it.
A SHOW FOCUSED ON SOLUTIONS would have the net effect of EMPOWERING people.
IF they profiled 10 people in 10 hoods doing ten things it would a.) make us feel like WE AIN'T have to do shit. b.) make us want to join.
EITHER WAY. Better then The WIRE Lite. You feel me?
As I said, seat on the board no, a shareholder voice yes. There are entire "green" funds that people invest in. In fact the Muslim investment vehicles and some Christian ones as well b/c they can't mess w/ Alcohol/Cigarette company's. So yeah. Its there for us for the taking.
girl...we are of the same mind. i watched because i am a documentary fiend, but while watching i texted my girl like..."yo, this is for white people...we already know this shit." what i would like to see more of is the work that Roland Fryer is doing. i think a lot of his work is extremely interesting and is at least a pathway to some semblance of solutions. he seemed to be the only one on the program offering any type of solutions for some of the issues. i need to talk to him.
what i would like to see more of is the work that Roland Fryer is doing.
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I been planning on reaching out to roland...but I got some words for his ass because he won't do labor.
You can't care about the kids and not be advocating for the financial health/labor jeb secrty, of the family.
It just is counter productive.
I told my woman straight up that the series was going to be effed up because it's on CNN. Also, I've never seen a show called "Irish in America", "Chinese in America" or "Natives in America", etc. Just saying "Black" in America includes who exactly? "Black" isn't any land I've ever heard of. And the show was divided from the beginning (a woman and child show and a man show???). Would they do that if the show was titled "Japanese in America"?
Vincent
thimk.wordpress.com
That comment about the commercials is probably very accurate. Smart on CNN's part I would say.
The shareholder voice situation needs to change anyway, so whenever the movement begins, I look forward to the struggle and being involved.
Part of me wanted to believe they were going to do justice to the black experience then again the other side of me knew this is the mainstream media and everything will prolly remain same ol' same ol. The more I keep reading about ppl's opinions on the piece the more I don't regret missing it.
"Black" isn't any land I've ever heard of.
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Black was created for White to exist.
One necessitates the other.
So of course their isn't a Black Land.
Black is, and is not limited to, but largely is a social construction,
Real Spit. You see that Dyson segment. Some educated negro's had it on TIVO *wink* and it was incredible to see DYSON, but so uncomfortable sitting next to is life sentence serving brother.
THAT WAS A DOC I would like to see.
Vincent: you need to watch more PBS. just about every ethnic group has had their "_______ in America" special. or something focusing on _____________ experience.
Vincent: you need to watch more PBS
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Uhhhhh. You KNOW you old when you be watching PBS AND BE TELLING OTHER PEOPLE TO.
HELL NAW.
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