News-Record.com

The BET thing is a powder keg and it horrifies me.

My freshman year at UNCG the campus cafeteria was split pretty evenly into black and white groups that sat and socialized together. In two of the three large rooms of the cafeteria was a big screen TV. In the predominantly black section BET played from breakfast until they closed the place for dinner. In the predominantly white section it was always some cable station playing reruns of Seinfeld. If you wrote a short story about it no one would have believed it.

But what was so offensive to me about BET playing all the time - and what I felt I really shouldn't say as a straight, white male - was that something called "Black Entertainment Television" was a constant feed of meaningless sex, crass materialism and glorification of drugs. The whole channel seemed to me like a bad, racist joke - the kind of thing Jerry Falwell would tell you would entertain black America. It was hard for me to imagine that black students weren't offended by the fact that they were SUPPOSED to be entertained by this.

But somehow it played constantly and the channel never changed.

Joe, as the ratings attest, unfortunately, more people are watching than complaining -- or perhaps some of the complainers are watching, too.

There's a great Chris Rock bit on his last album about how he loves rap music but is tired of having to defend it.

He says (heavily paraphrasing) that in the eighties and even the early 90s it was easy to defend mainstream rap as art that had social value. Now, he says, even the songs he likes are so misogynistic and violent he's ashamed to be listening to them. Curiously, he says, women love to dance to these songs. If he points out that the lyrics shoudl offend all women everywhere he says they tell him: "He ain't singin' about me."

CREEEEEEEEEEEPY.

Did you read how much she spent on that wedding? Nothing like excess...maybe that's something she learned on BET. How sad.

But to be fair to her, according to Pulley's book, Sheila Johnson was the conscience of BET and lobbied hard to add and maintain quality programming such as "Teen Summit." She even personally solicited sponsors.

you people dont know what the hell your talking about. I have meet this Lady on several occassion and she has been nothing but professional and courtess at all time. To say she got her job by having an affair is ridiculous. For godsakes this lady earn her Juris Doctorate at Harvard Law School.Why would you want to print such trash about this positive STRONG BLACK WOMEN. Who's next Oprah. B.E.T's ratings have done nothing but go higher and higher under the direct supervision of Ms.Lee. AND IT DID SO WITH OUT MS LEE ON HER BACK......Please Get A LIFE !!!!!!