The Thin Red Line

Recently the Black Entertainment Television (BET) network premiered a short animated music video entitled “Read A Book” on their top 10 countdown show “106 & Park”. Within the roughly timed out two minutes and fifty seconds that this existed on the network BET managed to further drag their reputation as a credible source for Black entertainment through the mud yet again. The reinforcement of the stereotypes of Black men as totally irresponsible and women as solely sexual objects paired with the consistent use of the N-word left viewers with an unsettling feeling of anger, confusion, and overall disbelief.

According to a Fox News story in a press release, the network praises the video’s positive message: ” ‘Read A Book’ uses an irresistible beat on which to place the catchy, overly repeated lyrics. But instead of exhorting the listener to dance as much of current hip-hop does, he takes the opportunity to suggest ways through which people can better their lives.”

A BET spokeswoman goes on to say in the release: “This video a great example of how the best animation can convey complex messages with great clarity and humor.”

Several bloggers and news organizations have commented already. Some call this comedic satire with strong secondary messages that the Black community can learn from and laugh at, while others call it culturally insensitive to the Black community. On one hand the piece is packed with positive messages such as the importance of responsible parenting, conscious financial decisions, proper hygiene, and education. These things are all essential to the forward movement of Black America to equitable equality in this modern democratic society. And yes the instrumentals are catchy, especially coupled with the high quality animation. One is almost inclined to label this benign.

However as it is with most things it is not what you say but how you say it. All of these messages could have been conveyed without the condescending tone and total disregard for the intelligence of Black America. This type of presentation is counterproductive to its own cause by contributing to the reinforcement of and (in some instances) creation of stereotypes about Black Americans. The fact that the video displays books literally being forced down the throats of Black people assumes an inherent resistance of Black people to educate themselves. It appears that this assumption has seeped into the psyches of programmers at BET, thus allowing “Read A Book” to be approved and aired on one of the most popularly rated shows on the network. This speaks volumes about several issues facing Black America today but here are the most apparent:

1) Being represented by a national television network that sorely underestimates the intelligence and interests of its intended audience. So much so that it reportedly received a “Thumbs Down” award from the National Association of Black Journalists at its annual convention.

2) Battling internalized racism as a matter of public discourse on a seemingly disjointed one-way communication system. (Note: Internalized racism occurs when an oppressed group comes to use against itself the methods of the oppressor.)

3) Deciding whether or not this piece is harmless satire, strictly humor, or a personal attack while being viewed on a public stage. Laughing off such a blatant challenge to the character of Black America could prove dangerous and leave the door open for more severe forms of “criticism”.

4) The N-word. Having this racial slur, said by anyone (inside or outside of the community) in a piece about improving the status of Black people in America or anyone else is unfathomable.

5) Gendered race relations. The fact that women in this piece are present solely as booty-shaking billboards for the “importance of education” is truly disturbing. Considering that women in all social movements have proven to be the soul and the background of the majority of these operations it is interesting that they are relegated to such a role here.

There are several ways to educate and inform, to provoke thought and action, as well as entertain. Unfortunately BET decided to go the way of unintelligent stereotypical animation…one would ponder if this will ever not be the norm.