Sympathy seeking versus Problem solving

Shoutout to my man Sergio Richardson for the link to the article. Like the author Tamika Mallory, I abhor reality television. Every time my fiancee tunes in to Real Housewives of Atlanta or Bad Girls Club I run upstairs into my sports viewing bubble. I too tire of the representations of Black women and all minorities. To clarify, when I say minorities, I don't mean just myself and my fiancee; I mean everyone who is not a member of the financial upper echelon. So I'm just as likely to condemn My Big Redneck Wedding or Duck Dynasty as I am Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. Where I disagree with Mallory is this focus on Black women. While it is true that Black women on these shows are often represented in a less than flattering light, the rhetoric many of them spew about how their are only negative representations of them on TV is counterproductive. It almost comes off as if those women are the equivalent of the kid with a cast who exaggerates his injury to garner sympathy. While I empathize with the Black women that are dismayed by the portrayals on reality TV, I would caution them to not just make it about them. While we are selfish individuals by nature, no one wants to hear about your laments at the end of the day. I challenge all of these women to come up with solutions to this growing issue. If little girls are emulating the women that they see on reality television, where does the fault lie? Why would television producers try to project a positive image of minority groups when we are the biggest consumers of this drivel? Solutions-oriented thinking is what is needed to combat this growing issue. Every week videos and news reports, posted all over the internet, poking fun at our ignorance and depravity are among the most popular. If we truly determine the lifespan of television programming, then it is a must that we do more than simply write in to the networks/producers. Getting the children involved in activities that get them outside of the house is a good start. Actually sitting down and coming up with positive programming alternatives may help as well. The common refrain I hear as to why these shows are so popular is that they are an escape from the mundane drudgery of everyday life. This is bigger than a Black/White issue or a Black Man/Black Woman issue, this is an international issue of the media making fun of our pain for profit. Instead of pointing fingers or simply writing letters to complain or boycotting Tyler Perry, let us get together to foster real solutions to provoke real change.









http://newsone.com/2533345/black-reality-shows/