Whew! I loved the simplicity of today’s class. We finished viewing and discussing FX’s Emmy nominated show Black.White, as well as viewed an episode from MTV’s The Real World: Denver. The two shows are very different and are viewed by different demographics.
Let start with Black.White. Considering it was a social experiment, the families were forced into situations that would ignite conflict, while they portrayed the opposite race. Brian (the black father turned white) buys a pair of shoes, while in his white makeup and insists he was treated better because of his TV-created race. The things that make you say “Hmmm.” But can you learn anything of importance from one man's single experience, particularly when we have no idea how he behaved before or if he's even being honest about his history. Isn't it possible he was treated differently because he acted differently — something he himself acknowledges?
What do you think?
Do you agree with Bruno (the white turned black father) who says that “If you look for conflict, you find it?”
Have you found yourself anticipating an altercation based on your past?
Something else that was said on Black.White that I can personally relate to came from the black family in the pilot episode. They said that they did not need to learn how to act white because they were used to white people and could adapt. I have been taught to adapt to all types of people, but from personal experiences, I have noticed that white people do not adapt to black people as easy. For example, I have white friends who talk using slang when talking to me. And I cannot lie; I don’t use slang when talking to them.
Is this what one would call “acting white?”
Or would you say that adapting to different environments is acceptable?
Last but not least is The Real World: Denver. Tyree (aka Black Clark aka The Incredible Hulk) is immediately confirming the stereotype of the “angry black man.” He is visibly upset when on his way to confront Davis (a drunk, southern, gay Baptist) about a situation that happened earlier in the night that initially didn’t involve him. As the situation intensifies, Davis provokes Tyree in hopes that he would hit him and get sent home. At the end of the night, a drunken Davis requests to be put in a hotel for the night because “a *igger is trying to beat him up.” This statement now upsets everyone else in the house, particular Stephen (a graduate of Howard University, who is black republican); however, Stephen is the first to accept Davis’s apology the next day.
Do you think Tyree brought the situation upon himself by being the “angry black man?”
Do you think that at times, we as black people take racial prejudice too lightly and should take more of an active job when fighting against prejudice?
By: Amber
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Come Over To the Dark Side
Today we talked about the dark side of reality TV. The dark side refers to the negative moments or situations someone goes through while being filmed in front of an audience. Reality TV is not always a place that a person would like to “escape” to. For example, in the show “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, both Chloe and Courtney find out that their boyfriends are cheating on them. What type of guy would do such a thing? This is an experience I would personally hate to go through in front of an audience. TV has caught many people at vulnerable times in their life. I know that they signed up for the show, and they knew what they were getting themselves in to, but did they really? When they signed the contract, they were signing all their privacy over with it. Sometimes I feel like when people do reality TV shows, they sign over actually being a “person” because we all sometimes forget that they are REAL people and not characters in a movie.
Also, today we watched clips from the reality TV show Black.White. I had never seen or heard of this show before, and I thought it was very interesting. This show was about an African-American family and white family switching races. The African-American family turned white, and the white family turned black. Each member of the families got to go out and experience what it was like to be a part of another race. These families also lived in the same house for a couple of weeks. Some differences I saw were that when the white family turned black they were very happy about their appearance, while the black family was not so impressed. Also, the black family had to give the white family lessons on being “black”. When the white mother asked if the black family needed lessons the black mother declined because they knew how to act like white people because they have had to interact with white people their whole life. Ms. Murray went on to talk about how the white man who was turned into a black man was declined from getting a loan. I thought this show was different because it put these people in the other races shoes and helped them realize that there was still discrimination in the world today. A few questions I thought would be good for every one to think about are:
How do you think your life would change if you were on reality TV? Would it be for the best?
What are some negative aspects you would have to face if you were on TV 24/7? Is it worth it?
By: Christina
Also, today we watched clips from the reality TV show Black.White. I had never seen or heard of this show before, and I thought it was very interesting. This show was about an African-American family and white family switching races. The African-American family turned white, and the white family turned black. Each member of the families got to go out and experience what it was like to be a part of another race. These families also lived in the same house for a couple of weeks. Some differences I saw were that when the white family turned black they were very happy about their appearance, while the black family was not so impressed. Also, the black family had to give the white family lessons on being “black”. When the white mother asked if the black family needed lessons the black mother declined because they knew how to act like white people because they have had to interact with white people their whole life. Ms. Murray went on to talk about how the white man who was turned into a black man was declined from getting a loan. I thought this show was different because it put these people in the other races shoes and helped them realize that there was still discrimination in the world today. A few questions I thought would be good for every one to think about are:
How do you think your life would change if you were on reality TV? Would it be for the best?
What are some negative aspects you would have to face if you were on TV 24/7? Is it worth it?
By: Christina
Monday, May 25, 2009
What does "Being Black" Mean?
Today, we finished our focus on black families in reality tv. We watched Coolio’s reality show Coolio’s Rules, and compared his family to Snoop Dogg’s and Rev Run’s. The differences are obvious compared with Rev Run’s family. Coolio’s raps are about his life his in the streets. He admitted on his show that he used to be a womanizer, and just recently he was arrested for cocaine possession. Rev Run is a reverend; his music is positive and suitable for all ages. Coolio and Snoop share a lot of similarities; they are two rappers trying to show the world, they are trying to raise their kids to be better than them, and not to make the same mistakes or have to struggle like they had to. I don’t know if this is true, but from watching his show, I get the sense that Coolio wasn’t always the father figure that he portrays. His kids have no respect for him, and it seems that he hasn’t always been an authoritative figure to his kids until now. His kids are all grown, and he’s basically talking to a brick wall when he tells them to do chores. You can’t talk to an adult like a child, but the problem with his kids is that they are spoiled and disrespectful. They don’t want to work, but they expect everything to be handed to them. Coolio’s family does not seem true to reality. I believe his kids are living with him just for the show, the connection he has with them seems distance, not like he’s a father.
Self-reflection was the main highlight of the day. Everyone had something different, from oppositional gaze to autoethnography. My self-reflection starts with the question what is being black? Every since, I was a child I was always told that I act white. In high school, I’ve witnessed many black kids who worked hard academically or had a lot of white friends thrown in the white category, for not acting black enough. But what is being black? Do you have to listen to rap music or talk in slang, are you from a predominantly black neighborhood, or do you embrace your African heritage by wearing your hair natural or in braids? Why do black people scrutinize each other for being different, and try to create a standard image of blackness? The beauty of being black is that we are all different. We are able to change our appearances and achieve many different looks. You will never see two black people that look alike. We’re all different skin tones, have different hair colors and textures, and our facial features vary from person to person. How do you act black? If a black person hangs around a lot of white people, and speaks in non-slang, or if a black person chooses to listen to rock and pop music, rather than r&b and hip-hop, are they not acting black. Do I need to shop in stores like Citi Gear and Citi Trends, and go to all black events and clubs? What exactly is being black? You know what, I don’t know. I interpret blackness as a culture full of diversity, and rich heritage. It expands to different countries, each with its version of blackness. How do you interpret being black? Can you even interpret blackness? Do you find yourself pointing at the black person who listens to Green Day or Led Zeppelin, and say they’re not black, or do you embrace any black person as they are?
By: Ashley McCants
Self-reflection was the main highlight of the day. Everyone had something different, from oppositional gaze to autoethnography. My self-reflection starts with the question what is being black? Every since, I was a child I was always told that I act white. In high school, I’ve witnessed many black kids who worked hard academically or had a lot of white friends thrown in the white category, for not acting black enough. But what is being black? Do you have to listen to rap music or talk in slang, are you from a predominantly black neighborhood, or do you embrace your African heritage by wearing your hair natural or in braids? Why do black people scrutinize each other for being different, and try to create a standard image of blackness? The beauty of being black is that we are all different. We are able to change our appearances and achieve many different looks. You will never see two black people that look alike. We’re all different skin tones, have different hair colors and textures, and our facial features vary from person to person. How do you act black? If a black person hangs around a lot of white people, and speaks in non-slang, or if a black person chooses to listen to rock and pop music, rather than r&b and hip-hop, are they not acting black. Do I need to shop in stores like Citi Gear and Citi Trends, and go to all black events and clubs? What exactly is being black? You know what, I don’t know. I interpret blackness as a culture full of diversity, and rich heritage. It expands to different countries, each with its version of blackness. How do you interpret being black? Can you even interpret blackness? Do you find yourself pointing at the black person who listens to Green Day or Led Zeppelin, and say they’re not black, or do you embrace any black person as they are?
By: Ashley McCants
Thursday, May 21, 2009
There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home… Or is there?
What a day… After a short break we hit the ground running again. Mia Long, a 3rd year doctoral student at the University, came in and spoke with us about African American family portrayals in reality television. She began by asking, “What does family mean to you?” We came up with many answers varying from a primary support system and unconditional love to the place where our morals and values are formed. Yet, no one said it better than Arnesha with the statement, “You can’t choose them,” and in watching today’s T.V. clips and hearing personal stories there has never been a truer statement made. We were then challenged to think about what the important aspects of the Black family might be. Some people looked at positive stereotypes of bonding over food or dysfunctional yet supportive. Discussion took a turn with Amber’s thought that you “can’t forget where you come from.” We all have family history and tradition that make up a part of who we are, and the African American society is definitely in no shortage of history and tradition. Ms. Long continued by giving us a brief history of the Black family and why ‘family’ is so important. Slavery began with African American families being taken from their homes and forced to travel to a new land where they could not speak the language and were forced to work with no pay. I cannot imagine what that must have been like, and to make it even worse the families were auctioned off upon arrival, so there was no guarantee that a mother or father would be able to stay with their children. The runaway slave’s main goal was to be with their family again, and most would stop at nothing to make sure it happened.
There are three things that Ms. Long explained hold the African American family together: connectivity (not only through culture and family, but other African Americans), education (very important to all) and church. To help us better understand she talked about old television shows such as Rhoda, Good Times, That’s My Momma, and The Cosby Show. The first few named we see that the family is broken and the mother has to step in and fill the roles of both parents. But, with The Cosby Show it is different. Here we see an African American family that is doing very well, but as a family they are not dealing with many of the realities that many African American families were and are having to deal with. Another scary topic that we hit on was that many children today are learning about race through the shows that they see on television, and since reality television is the cheapest to make that is the majority of what they are seeing. Ms. Long then told us that there were three types of realities that we open ourselves up to when we turn on the television. First is ‘your own reality’, which comes from the “sum of your own actions.” Second is the sitcom reality. Here you take what you see and in some ways adjust your life accordingly, because some may never have had those things. Last is reality television, outside of the game show realm.
We ended class by watching several different clips that portrayed different types of family situations and related them back to the readings that we were given for class. We looked at the Keisha Cole Show and how she and her family deal with not only separation but dual mother figures. One thing that a lot of us caught was the stereotyping of the birth mother as a “Strong Black Woman”. In this show I don’t know if I would agree or not, but she sure did want everyone to know she was. We then watched Brandi’s Special Delivery. This was a good example of reality television in the beginning. Everything was choppy and it seemed very unscripted and not edited very well, but just like in so many other shows she was the stronger of the two characters and was constantly telling her ‘husband’ what he should be doing. Deon and Pilar: Prime Time Love was the next clip that we looked at. This to me was the show that showed a real family. Yes, they have money and fame but by looking at the children you can tell that they keep it real in the family and do not let things go to their heads. Last was The Real Housewives of Atlanta. This reality television to me is more like a real soap opera. Ever person on there is trying to out do the other and the characters are not what I would consider to be real. (Especially after the season ended and all their lies came out.) But throughout all the shows you could see the theme that the women were left alone a lot of the time to take care of the children, but I think that the article was proven true that the more successful the women the less marrying material she has at her disposal because they do not want someone that is ‘under’ them. So like other class mates I will leave you with a few question
1) What is family to you? Do you agree with our discussion outcomes?
2) Do you think that just because you are successful you can be choosy of whom you marry? Does money give you status or can you create it yourself?
3) How do you think the African American families are truly depicted in today’s “Reality” T.V.?
By: Traci Rush
There are three things that Ms. Long explained hold the African American family together: connectivity (not only through culture and family, but other African Americans), education (very important to all) and church. To help us better understand she talked about old television shows such as Rhoda, Good Times, That’s My Momma, and The Cosby Show. The first few named we see that the family is broken and the mother has to step in and fill the roles of both parents. But, with The Cosby Show it is different. Here we see an African American family that is doing very well, but as a family they are not dealing with many of the realities that many African American families were and are having to deal with. Another scary topic that we hit on was that many children today are learning about race through the shows that they see on television, and since reality television is the cheapest to make that is the majority of what they are seeing. Ms. Long then told us that there were three types of realities that we open ourselves up to when we turn on the television. First is ‘your own reality’, which comes from the “sum of your own actions.” Second is the sitcom reality. Here you take what you see and in some ways adjust your life accordingly, because some may never have had those things. Last is reality television, outside of the game show realm.
We ended class by watching several different clips that portrayed different types of family situations and related them back to the readings that we were given for class. We looked at the Keisha Cole Show and how she and her family deal with not only separation but dual mother figures. One thing that a lot of us caught was the stereotyping of the birth mother as a “Strong Black Woman”. In this show I don’t know if I would agree or not, but she sure did want everyone to know she was. We then watched Brandi’s Special Delivery. This was a good example of reality television in the beginning. Everything was choppy and it seemed very unscripted and not edited very well, but just like in so many other shows she was the stronger of the two characters and was constantly telling her ‘husband’ what he should be doing. Deon and Pilar: Prime Time Love was the next clip that we looked at. This to me was the show that showed a real family. Yes, they have money and fame but by looking at the children you can tell that they keep it real in the family and do not let things go to their heads. Last was The Real Housewives of Atlanta. This reality television to me is more like a real soap opera. Ever person on there is trying to out do the other and the characters are not what I would consider to be real. (Especially after the season ended and all their lies came out.) But throughout all the shows you could see the theme that the women were left alone a lot of the time to take care of the children, but I think that the article was proven true that the more successful the women the less marrying material she has at her disposal because they do not want someone that is ‘under’ them. So like other class mates I will leave you with a few question
1) What is family to you? Do you agree with our discussion outcomes?
2) Do you think that just because you are successful you can be choosy of whom you marry? Does money give you status or can you create it yourself?
3) How do you think the African American families are truly depicted in today’s “Reality” T.V.?
By: Traci Rush
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Keep It Real Son
Today was a good day. After reminiscing on The Cosby Show, we circled up and compared 4 shows; Flavor of Love vs. The Bachelor and Run’s House vs. Snoop Dogg’s Fatherhood. Flavor of Love is one of my favorite reality shows for a couple reasons. Seeing a group of women fight over one of the ugliest people in the industry is pure entertainment, not to mention the fact that they are given nicknames like Bootz and Deelishis to take away their real identity and turn them into personalities. But not everyone is as cool and laid back as me, which means that some people can tend to take what they see on the show as real life and feed into the stereotypes of the angry black woman, the oversexed male, back-stabbers and so on. Therefore the show can be an embarrassment to the black community and hurt the perception that people are people regardless of race. The Bachelor, which I just looked up and watched for the purpose of this blog, represents the white race pretty well. The women are classy and are not over doing it to gain the love of the bachelor. With that being said, I think the show is extremely boring. The main fact being there is no real personality mixes on the show, in other words, every contestant is pretty much the same. The sad thing is that’s the way producers want the show to be, explicitly claiming identity immediately disqualifies a participant from the show (Dubrofsky2008). This technique is what I think divides the crowds/races from the show. It’s hard for me to imagine a black woman that doesn’t display her own identity, and I know black women well, therefore it can be hard to identify with the show and keep you interested in watching it. And no, I’m not saying that fans of The Bachelor are boring and have no identity; I’m simply saying that the contestants between the two shows are completely different which attracts completely different people to watching them.
Moving on. Run’s House has been called the modern day Cosby Show and Shandrea hates that. I think the shows are close in comparison. They both have the successful fathers being the head of the household, and they give the appearance that “it’s all good when you not in the hood”… but that’s my opinion. The thing is, they don’t display any real “black” problems like economic perils, racism, and societal barriers (Smith 2008), which makes them unrealistic to some people. But Arnesha said that issues these days are more of a class issue instead of race issues which I agree with so… good job on that. Snoop’s show has a different feel to it, even though he is the head and provider for his house; he is more of a laid back parent. He takes the friend approach when it comes to him dealing with his kids. He doesn’t live in a spectacular neighborhood and embraces his hood(ness) which helps people better relate to it and see it as a better example of a real black family. I think they are both positive regardless of the ability to relate. To finish this up, just remember before you judge something on its “realness”, what’s real to you might not be real to me and what’s real to me probably isn’t real to you. Thanks for reading. Peace.
By: Antonio Mignott
Moving on. Run’s House has been called the modern day Cosby Show and Shandrea hates that. I think the shows are close in comparison. They both have the successful fathers being the head of the household, and they give the appearance that “it’s all good when you not in the hood”… but that’s my opinion. The thing is, they don’t display any real “black” problems like economic perils, racism, and societal barriers (Smith 2008), which makes them unrealistic to some people. But Arnesha said that issues these days are more of a class issue instead of race issues which I agree with so… good job on that. Snoop’s show has a different feel to it, even though he is the head and provider for his house; he is more of a laid back parent. He takes the friend approach when it comes to him dealing with his kids. He doesn’t live in a spectacular neighborhood and embraces his hood(ness) which helps people better relate to it and see it as a better example of a real black family. I think they are both positive regardless of the ability to relate. To finish this up, just remember before you judge something on its “realness”, what’s real to you might not be real to me and what’s real to me probably isn’t real to you. Thanks for reading. Peace.
By: Antonio Mignott
Monday, May 18, 2009
Is Reality TV 3-D?
After reading and discussing Dr. Robin Boylorn’s article, As Seen on TV: An Autoethnographic Reflection of Race and Reality Television, I can now perceive reality TV the same way I view Black women, multi-dimensional. Throughout the discourse of the class, thus far, I have come to feel as though I should be somewhat ashamed or embarrassed because the comedic enjoyment/fascination I find in the various reality TV shows. However, Dr, Boylorn has given me some sense of appreciation for the shows. Don’t get me wrong, I evoke the similar emotions of confusion, disgust, and intrigue as she, but I also can identify with facets of the characters that are represented.
In the beginning of her article, Boylorn recalls the images of Blackness and Black womanhood she encountered growing up. Reminding us of characters such as “Clair Huxtable,” “Weezie Jefferson,” and “Mary Jenkins,” Boylorn emphasizes that during the eighties, “Black women on TV were to be admired as role models.” Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “role model” as: a person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others. However, Boylorn explains that the lifestyles these characters portrayed, while admired, were not connected or linked to her reality. But the positive image these women portrayed not only provided an escaped from “reality” they also could give hope that one day the lifestyles of “Claire,” “Weezie,” and “Mary” could be attained. Just as these scripted roles provide for a means to escape reality, so does reality TV.
I concluded that there are three dimensions of reality TV, the three R’s. Represent. Relate. Resist. Boylorn explains through the comparison of Living Single and Girlfriends that the representations of Black women in TV are simply a reoccurring cycle of stereotypes, merely modernized. And while I feel as though reality shows with characters like those seen on Flavor of Love, Real Chance of Love, and College Hill are far from role models and most are inaccurate REPRESENTations of my reality, there are aspects of these characters that I can RELATE to. Some of their actions, behaviors, and outbursts are features that many viewers identify with. Whether it is reacting to gossip, responding to some other form of confrontation, or recognizing commonality in struggle, circumstance, or background, I believe that it is possible and plausible to identify with some of the responses and behaviors displayed by reality TV characters. Conversely, just as I can find characteristics that are identifiable, I think it is just as important to recognize the extreme exploitation or portrayal of negative stereotypes, prompting RESISTance. Boylorn demonstrates one form resistance by responding with an autoethnography. But the most important factor of resistance is having the ability to recognize the reinforcement of the extreme. This equips Black and White views with agency, while simultaneously eliminating the “danger that is the inability to distinguish between reality and fiction on the television screen.” With this in mind, I pose these questions:
1. Can you identify with or relate to characters or characteristics displayed on reality TV?
2. Are you embarrassed or ashamed because of this commonality?
3. Do you think by relating to or identifying with these characteristics, we are perpetuating the negative stereotypes that are placed on Black women?
In the beginning of her article, Boylorn recalls the images of Blackness and Black womanhood she encountered growing up. Reminding us of characters such as “Clair Huxtable,” “Weezie Jefferson,” and “Mary Jenkins,” Boylorn emphasizes that during the eighties, “Black women on TV were to be admired as role models.” Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “role model” as: a person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others. However, Boylorn explains that the lifestyles these characters portrayed, while admired, were not connected or linked to her reality. But the positive image these women portrayed not only provided an escaped from “reality” they also could give hope that one day the lifestyles of “Claire,” “Weezie,” and “Mary” could be attained. Just as these scripted roles provide for a means to escape reality, so does reality TV.
I concluded that there are three dimensions of reality TV, the three R’s. Represent. Relate. Resist. Boylorn explains through the comparison of Living Single and Girlfriends that the representations of Black women in TV are simply a reoccurring cycle of stereotypes, merely modernized. And while I feel as though reality shows with characters like those seen on Flavor of Love, Real Chance of Love, and College Hill are far from role models and most are inaccurate REPRESENTations of my reality, there are aspects of these characters that I can RELATE to. Some of their actions, behaviors, and outbursts are features that many viewers identify with. Whether it is reacting to gossip, responding to some other form of confrontation, or recognizing commonality in struggle, circumstance, or background, I believe that it is possible and plausible to identify with some of the responses and behaviors displayed by reality TV characters. Conversely, just as I can find characteristics that are identifiable, I think it is just as important to recognize the extreme exploitation or portrayal of negative stereotypes, prompting RESISTance. Boylorn demonstrates one form resistance by responding with an autoethnography. But the most important factor of resistance is having the ability to recognize the reinforcement of the extreme. This equips Black and White views with agency, while simultaneously eliminating the “danger that is the inability to distinguish between reality and fiction on the television screen.” With this in mind, I pose these questions:
1. Can you identify with or relate to characters or characteristics displayed on reality TV?
2. Are you embarrassed or ashamed because of this commonality?
3. Do you think by relating to or identifying with these characteristics, we are perpetuating the negative stereotypes that are placed on Black women?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Friday's Dish
Class on May 15th dealt with how women must negotiate with sexuality and womanhood in their everyday lives. Through television and other forms of media that portray women, women have a harder time getting started. Men have the responsibility for how women are depicted. In music videos women are objectified. They are shown as hypersexual, someone’s baby’s-mamma, just over all not usually respected. The reason that they are shown like that is because we have a very sexual culture. Males want to feel cool and the cool guy is always surrounded by hotties. These pretty women are shown to have their sexual desires fulfilled by being with the men. The problem is especially in rap music some of the lines about women are very degrading and then glorify the man. Then there are the women dancing to that music. There is now the question, are these women degrading themselves. I think that that should be left to them. If these women who are beautiful feel good about what they are doing I don’t think that there is a reason to get upset. They don’t have to be video girls. In America we can choose our jobs. The other side of it is that it is harder for women to make it in showbiz, there are more obstacles. The reason that they are brought down is because women are objects of male pleasure. Many black women artists are presented to the public under the guidance of a male sponsor. Men run the world making it harder for women to establish themselves. If women are being hurt by doing what they chose as their jobs then they should quit. If they like it they should keep doing it. The women that think that it is degrading and feel that there is only one view of women showed should figure out a way to band together. That would make it so all types of women are showed. An example of this starting to emerge is House Wives of Atlanta. The women show what it means to be a woman, they have their man but they also have their life. There are more emerging angles of women coming onto television because of the fact that the best way to depict something is by showing all the sides. When women are shown doing things besides acting in a hypersexual manner people can open their eyes and learn to show a little respect and not try to learn from the depictions of most music videos.
By: Grayson Goodstein
By: Grayson Goodstein
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