"If you ain't part of the SOLUTION, you're part of the problem" means to me that if you view something as an issue that needs changing, then if you don't do something to change it, you are simply one of the problems purveyors. Disagree with that interpretation? Ignore it. Guilt is only accepted by the guilty.

Onward...

"So black folks have to be ashamed of being themselves because someone else may or may not be watching? Misperceptions that are already well ingrained into the psyche of others as well as black folk have to be taken into account everytime a show is to be aired? I say hell no."

You can say what you like. No biggie. You're fully entitled to your opinion. I say that perception can be strenghtened by observation. If BET shows 90% videos, booty shows, and wack movies and then represent themselves as "what Blacks wanna see" then they are misrepresenting. Similarly, it ain't just the "outside" folk I'm worried about recieving the messages that all young black folk care about is money/hoes/and clothes. I'm worried about my nieces and nephews who get part of their image of the Black world that's beyond their neighborhood from watching BET. They go to school and get little to no knowledge about themselves as a people or as an individual, and then come home and see CITA? They listen to the world describe them as a million and one things things of little or no substance and then watch people who are JUST LIKE THEM share the same thing? WTF? Like I said. They have no excuse for being so damn low-budget. They have been around for 20+ years and they can simply do better. You SAID your agree. If you don't agree to the point where you feel a boycott is necessary, then dammit don't boycott. WHAT??!

>Desperate times call for desperate measures?

Sure do.

>This ain't Vietnam. The Shuck and Jive network? >Based on what? Black people being themselves. How >elitist.

You know what? You can call me an elitist or whatever you like. I don't care. The point remains that BET can do better than those same tired reruns of 227 and Amen. Yeah, they were cool, but wat about Frank's Place? The Cosby Show? The White Shadow? Fat Albert? Julia? The Mod Squad. Why has BET never shown Roots, Eyes on the Prize, or Africans in America? Why do I find out the stories about Black artists like Dr. Dre, Hammer, Barry White, and whomever else on VH1? Instead of Arabesque, why not make a movie about Harriet Tubman/Assata Shakur/Nefrititti? Why is Teen Summit only on once a week? Why not have a show about Black health care issues? Remember when they used to show Black College GAMES every weekend? What happened to that. Definitely not expense, cause I know for a fact that Black Colleges fell all overthemselves to get the publicity of having their sports on TV gave. As a result, BET got off dirt cheap. When BET first started it was mostly videos with one or two news shows, and Bobby Jones on Sunday for a hot second. Guess what? They still doing the same damn thing.

Don't the above ideas encompass "Black folk being themselves" too? I literally just came up with all that off the top of my head, do you mean to tell me that after 20+ years, somebody who works there couldn't have thought thte same damn thing?

You're neither my enemy nor opposition, why resort to attacking ME?

>BTW if this is a call to arms for supporters only >then I apologize. I thought this was a discussion >about a possible boycott of BET.

It is. If you don't think boycotting is the way to go, rather than rant and rave with me why not suggest something else? Yeah I read your "addendum". That was cool. But isn't a boycott of their advertisers, or merely the threat of a boycott is still taking action right? THAT'S what this post is REALLY about. Taking action. Period.

Stay blessed
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