BET: Do Better

So here's my issue with the Black Entertainment Television network. First for years they have focused mainly on depicting stereotypical images of the same people they are supposed to be representing. The countless hours of music videos that are played (or that was once played seeing as I haven't been a frequent viewer in quite some time) is ridiculous. Videos of blacks glorifying sex, violence and drugs in the morning, noon, night and every where in between that.

I need the station to promote positivity while also showing an accurate representation of Black people. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy watching music videos from time to time but after a while it becomes overbearing. I don't even think BET has its news show any longer. Outside of short clips that highlight some major event every once in a blue moon the station doesn't educate its viewers on the news. Yea I understand it's Black ENTERTAINMENT Television but when you are rarity such as this network you have a bigger responsibility.

The entertainment is cool but educate, inform and inspire our people. Give them a reason to want to do something with their lives outside of becoming a rapper or singer. Stop glorifying and reinforcing the negative images set upon our people. Videos that constantly portray our women as sexual objects and men as violent thugs and social deviants. I loved the idea of College Hill but as I watched it I realized they seldom showed the students in school. However they focused on the drama and the beef between the roommates.

Lastly the lack of originality within the network saddens me. It makes it seem as if Black people don't have the power to create, invent and expound upon things because of their programming. "College Hill" seems like a spin off of "The Real World", "106&Park" "TRL" and even this new show I saw today "Tiny and Toya" looks very familiar to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

I applaud the effort of the station because at times it does seem to attempt to create positive but then there's the numerous images they depict that nullifies it all. BET stop claiming to be the "Black station"if you don't step up to the plate and act as such. The Black experience encompasses more than just an entertainment aspect, our culture is richer and runs deeper than that.