On Gossip and Money

I wanted to write about something from a different angle.  I decided I'd tackle gossip and money and how it relates to racism. See, everybody in America comes in contact with  some form of media everyday be it TV, social media, magazine, advertisement,etc.  We have an idea of the purpose of media and how it works. We know the mainstream media outlets can be very bad, especially if you're Black in America. Black people  know the media is racist, but we don't really understand what the point of racism is and how it affects us, and why. I've gone in extensively on the blog regarding supremacy and how it's tied to respectability politics. Now I'm going to tie it in with gossip and money.

Take a look at this story, and watch the video.

This video has over two million views. I won't lie. I watched it too. But I noticed two things about videos like this:  The first thing is the fact that many people will see this and say disparaging things about her because of her presentation. Some people will turn her into a joke.  In fact,this could be why the video has over two million views in the first place. I used to see videos like these and get mad because they serve as joke material for people who express anti black sentiments. Then a light came on and I figured the following:

The people running all forms of mainstream American media are like children on the playground when it comes to Black people. It's like little kids pointing and laughing while huddled around a crude drawing of a penis. The crude penis drawing (which is represented by what they think Black people are) gets televised.   If you include money, then this is what the masses will get to see. And that's what gets them laughing.That's why things like that video become highly publicized "stories" . It's the same reason why videos designed to highlight so called 'negative characteristics' in Black people are just gossip dipped in money. That is their main focus. It could also explain why any time a Black person is put in the media for all to see, there will always be racist comments for viewing purposes at the end of the article or video.

This is also the same reason why WorldStarHipHop exists. The person who created it knew what the people want to see, and they wanted to monetize it. And unfortunately, a lot of Black people bought into it (there's that supremacy again!).

But the second thing I noticed was that the effect of this video is also the exact opposite of the first:
The woman in the video speaks like she's cool with everybody and anybody. She isn't afraid to be herself. So many people are afraid to be themselves, and that's why respectability politics exist. I can respect her for her candid-ness.  I can respect anybody who can present themselves as they are regardless of who is in front of them. 

So I'm glad I got to see the video. It gave me a chance to write this blog and shine some unpredictable light on mainstream American media and what they're trying to do. 

So if you're tired of negative images of Black people in the media, our only choice is to change our perspective so it doesn't match theirs, question mainstream media's motives, create and/or support our own media outlets designed to mold our own great narrative as a people, and keep it moving.