True Black Television

In response to my post about BET, someone pointed me in the direction of True Black Television. The original programming needs a bit of work (still in webisode form) but the ideas behind the shows are nice. It is definitely worth checking out. The more diversity we see in black television the better you know

“Dorm Life”

Alright, so I am extra late on this one, but my friend showed me this web show and I just had to share. The show is called “Dorm Life” and it’s a comedic mockumentary about college life. I think it is hilarious. They only have two seasons and it looks they are going to keep it that way. Daniel Benjamin is my favorite character on the show. I am going to post one of my favorite episode here but you can watch all of the episodes on the Dorm Life Website or you can watch them on Hulu.

Absence, Judges, and… Paddling?

First of all, sorry for my long absence got really busy really quickly.

Congratulations to Sotomayor for her conformation and special thanks to Suter for all his time on the bench. Suter, you were a help to liberals everywhere.

On to something a little bit more serious, a recent report compiled by the ACLU shows that students with disabilities are actually MORE likely to face “corporal punishment”. For those of you who don’t know, corporal punishment in a school setting, usually consists of paddling, and is still in effect at many schools, most of which are parochial. Think of the Nuns that used to carry rulers around (regardless of whether they were teaching math or not).

Turns out that these forms of discipline, when directed at students with disabilities can substantially worsen the condition. In fact, “The report found that some students were physically abused for conduct related to their disabilities, including students with Tourette syndrome being punished for exhibiting involuntary tics and students with autism being punished for repetitive behaviors such as rocking.” (Impairing Education).

The full report (70 pages) is worth glossing over, but it leads to the bigger question… should corporal punishment be allowed in school at all? (I want to know what you think so check out the poll.)

I went to a school that made use of corporal punishment, but the actual instances of that kind of discipline being used were so few and far between that the punishment itself really only served as a deterrent.On the other hand, I have many friends who have horror stories about the same thing… To each their own but this report should get some national attention.

Friendship and Such

Friendship is one of the few relationships in our life that we actually get to choose. Like any relationship, friendships have the potential to be positive or negative, good or bad, healthy or unhealthy.In my life, I have had some very unhealthy ones. I think the biggest problems people have with friendships is knowing when to end them…

Unhealthy friendships are a tax on your life. They cause stress, anxiety, and they inhibit your social growth. We might keep negative friendships because we were close to that person at some time, or they really did something to help us out once, or just out of habit. Believe it or not, none of those are reasons to keep an unhealthy friendship. Those are just the excuses we make to justify our actions because, really, it is harder to end a bad friendship than it is to let it continue.

The only real solution is to remove that friendship and if necessary that person from your life. If they are taking more from your life than they are contributing then it is time for them to go. Re-evaluating your friendships regularly is one of the best ways to keep them from going south. Remember friendships are the relationships we choose, so make sure you choose wisely.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

No spoilers here!!! I am a Harry Potter fan, and I read the books too. Anyone who is a fan will love this movie… though as usual much was left out, what made it into the movie was portrayed excellenty. If you didn’t read the books and have no idea about the plot, then you are going to be left hanging at the end. Actually, I read the book and even at the end I wanted them to start up the next movie right then! Go See It! You’ll Love It!

Happy Bastille Day

Taking some time out to say Happy Bastille Day to all my friends of French origin or decent. July 14th, patriots stormed the Bastille looking for arms for which to start a revolution. One day, I really want to go to France on this day…

Boyfriend Number Two

Now that the song is fresh in your mind… Who would really want to be this guy? Boyfriend #2? Why? If things were the other way around we would not call her Girlfriend #2, we call her a “Bust It Baby”. I mean really who wants to be “the other man”. You might spend some money and time on her, and maybe even some… well I wanna keep the blog clean but you know… but at the end of the day yall are not dating… you’re just some dude she’s messin with on the side… she is not gonna claim you and when people come around she’s not gonna know you! Since when are men happy to get played?

And another thing… why is infidelity becoming acceptable? How many songs can you think of now that have some line about cheating? What happened to staying faithful? Maybe I’m losing it?

—yeaaaahhh this comes from a recent personal experience—- lol gotta be honest right?

Black Entertainment Television

For years BET has been the only network geared specifically toward African Americans. [although an argument could have been made for the WB] BET was founded by ex-cable lobbyist Robert Johnson and aired for the first time in 1980. The original network line-up was mostly sitcoms and music videos, but BET News was also on the air at the time. In 1999, BET was purchase by the mega conglomerate Viacom.

After that, BET was never the same. BET began to carry shows that we basically the Black Versions of those on MTV (also owned by Viacom). BET/Viacom added 106&Park akin to TRL, College Hill akin to The Real World, Critics would argue that Viacom “fixed up” BET. “Uncut” was removed from BET’s line up, and care was taken to eliminate offensive language from the network.

So why are African American’s so upset? Those all sound like good changes! New programming, no profound language, and a new parent company with a vast amount of resources. What is left unsaid is that Viacom removed BET News, flooded the program with more music videos than ever before, and switched from any show with acting to primarily reality TV shows and negative ones. While BET did retain some positive programming, the publicity those programs receive is minimal at best, with some not even receiving a promo. Much of BET’s Lineup the viewing audience will have never seen before, I know I was shocked to see some of these programs. Here’s what does get publicity: Frankie and Neffie, Tiny and Toya, 106&Park, College Hill, and Hell Date.If you are not one of those shows, you are just filling air time.

Still don’t see the problem? Let me elaborate… Frankie, of Frankie and Neffie, is a crackhead (literally), Tiny and Toya is a showcase about the wives/girlfriends of hip-hop stars, 106&Park, BET’s most successful show, is merely back to back music videos, Hell Date is basically a show where people are duped into dating black stereotypes. Most importantly to me, College Hill shows Black college students at their worst. You will not see them study, have any meaningful discussion, or even go to college. What you will see if them fight, portray stereotypes, get drunk and party. If you are Black and you are in college, you don’t relate to College Hill at all. It is missing many of the key aspects of black college life.

Now you are thinking… “So just watch something else!” For the longest there was no other network that marketed and catered to African Americans, but that is no longer true. I am advocating TVOne a new network that is attempting to revamp the black image in a positive way. There is no reason for us to attempt to change BET. Other networks are trying to capture us as an audience. If we want change we have to take action…

Big Brother 11?

I have to ask… is anyone even watching this show anymore?! Big Brother premiered for the first time when I was 10 years old and one decade later this show is still running with the what has to be the smallest reality TV show viewing audience. Not to mention, every reality show has it’s own formula, but Big Brother doesn’t even try to change their’s. Old Guy + Gay Somebody + 3 Bodybuilders + X Amount of Big Tittied White Women + The Black Person = Big Brother…

Really who is watching this?! Big Brother is like the middle aged version of the Real World! Only much less interesting…

Lock a bunch of regular people in a house and let them vote each other off? So it’s almost like Survivor for the less outdoorsey types… I will not be watching but I have to admit I am dying to know who will!!!

More on Sonia Sotomayor

Confirmations for Sotomayor are finally coming under way. Sonia Sotomayor, an appeals judge from New York, was nominated by President in May as the replacement for Justice Souter who announced his plans to retire. Since then a swirling controversy has surrounded Sotomayor, not only because of her race (self identified Latina) but also her gender. Sotomayor would be the first Latino judge on the bench and one of only two women on the bench if she is confirmed and it is her remarks about her race that have sparked the controversy.

In 2001, Sotomayor remarked that she would hope a wise Latina could bring more to the bench than a white male without the same experiences she has had. These remarks are specifically problematic to Senate Republicans who announced that they will “question her ability to be impartial, based on previous statements she has made about her background”.

Currently, 7 members of the G.O.P. and 12 Democrats make up the Senate Judiciary Committee. While Democrats have said the expect confirmation with ease, as a nominee, Sotomayor is facing the larger opposition from the minor party than any recent nominee. The reason for this opposition does stand on her “bias”, but the American public doesn’t seem to mind.

Sotomayor does represent a completely different viewpoint. She believes her experiences, in her race and gender make her a better judge. This ideology is completely different from the only other minority Justice Thomas. Clarence Thomas has done his best to completely and utterly separate his race and experiences from his court rulings.

I personally hope for her quick confirmation. She has an excellent record and the court needs some new perspective and a strong fighter for the “liberal side”. As for her ability to remain impartial, Sotomayor has recused herself from cases brought to her courtroom more than any justice currently sitting on the bench!