Why do SOME white people feel that BET and other minority based channels are wrong?

Question

Some people just don't understand. Flipping through channels for the most part all you see is white people, so why complain? Some people even go so far that they say that there should also be a WET. There are a couple of those, they're just cleleverly masked as CMT (there are black country singers and I have yet to see some on there), VHI (for the most part, especially when it comes to videos) and MTV ( which didn't start playing urban music until BET came around, and most of those videos are showed on MTV2.

Answer 1

I think that BET is a poor representation of black entertainment...if this even exists. I don't know what that is or if it should even be all on one channel for that matter. But I am black and my entertainment comes from almost every other channel Oh and these Q and A's of course. It seems 'small' to have BET because it doesn't represent black people....just what the owner wants to be seen. I would feel bad for white people because it would class them and their entertainment as whatever was shown?? You know? Oh and like it was said before..it totally sounds like a porn channel! lol!


EDIT::: Lawanda said it just right!

Answer 2

I heard a topic on the radio about this, that is, minorities in country music. There have been a few black country performers in the past. But these entertainment channels do not keep minorities out by any means. In fact, they would love to expand their audiences. But most minorities have no int rest in country performing. People who are into music performing do so because they want to, and they work at it. Only the music sales determine if they are popular or not.

Answer 3

I don't care that there is a BET and not a WET. I don't want a WET because it sounds like porn. Anyway, I'm just sad that BET and some VH1 shows like the Flavor of Love, I Love New York and Charm School are the representatives for black Americans. I'm so embarrassed for the people I see on those shows/channels. It's also sad that some people in certain parts of the country have no real exposure to black people so what's on TV is all they see.

Answer 4

Most of the Urban music wasn't played because of the language. It wasn't accepted in mainstream society. It still offends most people.
I disagree with your statement about CMT. That's for country music and not all white people like country music.

Answer 5

amen to that, exactly how i feel. I mean, i generally dont care what color is on the screen, lol, but one afternoon bout a weekI was watching mtv (which is suppose to be a diverse channel now) and they had the hills on. And for 3 hours (ok i admit i was bored so i continued watching) i swear to god for three hours straight there were ZERO non white people of any sort. Including all the commercials! is that WET or what?

Answer 6

Possibly because if there were a minority-based channel for whites it would be outlawed. For decades, a thrust of the civil rights movement was that it was wrong for minorities to be marginalized in mainstream media and that 'sepparate' outlets, like black news papers or blacksploitation films, were no better. Now, 'minorities' (and, in some states, there is /no/ majority) are /insisting/ on sepparate media. If it's not wrong, it's at least ironic.

Answer 7

.

It may come as a true surprise to some people
to discover that the 'BET' cable network station
(just like that of the Latino-focused networks
-- such as 'Telemundo', 'Univision' etc.) IS
ACTUALLY owned, operated and controlled
by a largely WHITE-OWNED company
(this ‘ownership’ includes the majority of
the stockholders and board of directors);
some of it's largest subscribers are
*non*-‘blacks’; and that a huge number
of 'black' people have openly protested
it's existence and programming for years
(largely due to it's offensive videos and it’s
perpetuation of racist-stereotypes, etc.).

Many years ago the network actually was
owned by an 'black' man -- (who was
said to have started it as an ‘educational’
network in order to educate and encourage
the ‘black’ youth to seek to better their lives)
– but once he died, it was taken over by a
White corporation which totally changed
its’ original goal and a great deal of it’s
programs (such as the ‘youth’ shows, etc.)

After that, it lost a large percentage of it's
'black' audience and it began pandering
to the racist stereotyping of ‘black’ people
(in an apparent attempt to boost ratings).

Since the majority of it’s viewers today
are *non*-'black' and since most people,
mistakenly assume and believe that
’BET’ it is a 'black'-owned network
(when, in reality, it – much like “rap” and
“hip-hop” -- IS actually WHITE-'OWNED')
outside of the 'black' protests against it –
very little seems to be being done openly
about changing it; and / or removing it
or any of the offensive programming on it.

.

Answer 8

Would you be offended by the Aryan Brotherhood Channel?
How about the Channel for White History?
if your answer is yes, then you already know the answer to your own question.
if all you see are white people on tv you must be watching a different type of tv than mine.
I suspect a bit of an agenda or attitude in your answer.
Are you asking a question or complaining about all them white folk on Mtv?

Question for I'll Be Right Back...Who exactly is them, and who is us when you make that reference?

Answer 9

This quest has been asked before & from what I gather they feel that it's racist. I don't watch BET b/c I don't agree with the content, but a black channel is necessary in a society that floods TV with images of only white ppl.

There are ppl of all diff cultures & races yet they don't see themselves on TV in lead roles. They don't see themselves being the super-hero. They very rarely see images of themselves as doctors, professors, astronauts, etc. So I applaude the positive black shows that have allowed black ppl to see someone who looks like them in these roles (ex. The Cosby Show)

Believe it or not only seeing "white" ppl on TV sends subliminal messages to ppl of color that they are "inferior", and whites are "superior".

Answer 10

Some dont see it as that, they see different channels, but they probably think that it isn't made specifically for them.


All in all, I don't know.

To me, it seems as though the one who complain about BET have nothing better to do.