How is there a BET channel?

The only kind of people I hate, are the black\'s that act like a "gangster."  Calling their friends niggers and whites crackers (which is a good thing really).  I seriously think some blacks are cool, but the others that act like their bad ass are just stupid pieces of ****.

[CHIZZY]

didn\'t stronger African tribes enslave other tribes that they had conquered? Didn\'t they then sell their fellow Africans to the europeans?

Just a thought...

Originally posted by CHIZZY
didn\'t stronger African tribes enslave other tribes that they had conquered? Didn\'t they then sell their fellow Africans to the europeans?

Just a thought...

They did, but that is irrelevant. WHat does slavery have to directly do with this conversation.?

[CHIZZY]

"JUST A THOUGHT".......

It was just an observation in response to kimathi\'s posts about the "ignorance and self-hatred that was created as a result of slavery". I personally have no problem with what anyone has said so far. I think it\'s all very interesting. People from all over the world discussing an issue that causes a lot of different emotions.
Sure, people can say some stuoid things, but I think they\'re entitled to.    

Originally posted by kimathi
You were making a comparison between the [KKK and BET], and what I\'m saying is that there is NO comparison.

...an organisation that promotes hatred, violence and White Supremacy...

...a network that promotes Black culture and awareness, but not at the expense or detriment to other cultures...

Well said, I think that answers the original question perfectly.

And to add something that I thought of earlier: If they had called it something else like just ETV for Entertainment Television, I doubt anyone would have a problem.

With the name, though, they showed their demographic and some people took offense.  Like if MTV was called Teen Television, would people over 30 have reason to complain?

Anyway, kimathi did a great job there.

-Eik

Originally posted by kimathi
There you go again, that is only your POV but you are not the one that determines how a group chooses to define themselves. There is no "correct" way that those two terms must be used together it is all a matter of choice and a majority of blacks in America wish to be called African American, when you refuse to do this in a sense you disrespect their choice. Africans that immigrate from Africa do not consider themselves African American, they consider themselves just African.

Why do you call yourself American? This country was named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian. This country was called something else by the original indiginous ppl that were here first. Why don\'t you call yourself that? Are you a descendant of Vespucci? Why don\'t you use the "correct" term? You call yourself an American b/c that is your choice, why can\'t others be respected by being called what they wish to be called.

The country I live in is called America:  FACT
If you are born in America, you are an American: FACT
Africa is another country: FACT
If you are born in Africa you are an African: FACT


Do you challenge any of these as facts?  So I disrespect you by not agreeing with your incorrect use of a word?  Then call me and all other white people "WHITE THUNDER" or you disrespect us.  See how that sounds?

You are claiming that you were born in Africa by saying you are African-American.  I won\'t claim to be European-American, b/c I was born in America and no matter how far up my family tree my relatives from Europe are, that does not make me European.

[Living-In-Clip]

Originally posted by ViVi
The only kind of people I hate, are the black\'s that act like a "gangster."  Calling their friends niggers and whites crackers (which is a good thing really).  I seriously think some blacks are cool, but the others that act like their bad ass are just stupid pieces of ****.

What I am about to say may sound harsh. Infact, I know it is harsh, but it\'s true. You need a tragic thing to happen to you and then the only person there for you to depend on be a black / african-American. It\'ll change your perspective on a lot of things in  life and maybe take some of those youthful naive opinions away.

I say this, because I speak from experience. When my mother got cancer, a lot of people never came around to bring me food while I was sleeping in the hospital with her (I was 13) . Do you know who did? A black man named Mark, who was part of the religion my mother and I  was in . I had never really known a black person before, so I didn\'t have a lot of respect for them at the time. I was young and dumb. He showed me a lot though, not only about how to be compassionated and put color aside, he also showed me character. He was a black man, who came to live in a town in Kentucky that was still extremely racist and he never once acted like a victum nor did he let it get to him. Instead, he went about his way and done nice things for everyone he could. He never once formed the opinion that because some white people are racist , that all of us are.  

Because of him and all that, I now have quite a few black friends and feel completely comfortable around them.

You can come up with any stupid excuse for not liking them, but they are still just stupid. You can try to make them legit complaints, but they aren\'t. I mean, look at your quote. What does it say? It is you complaining about how some black people are nice and some act like "gangstas" and are "complete ****". Do you think some white people don\'t do that? If that is what you think, I am positive you need to get the hell outside and have a reality check. There is terrible people in every race and you can\'t judge a complete race by a couple.

Wake up, kid. The world isn\'t that simple.


As for the actual topic of the thread, BET (that is the topic, right? ). I don\'t personally see anything illegal about it. It is aimed towards a certain group of people, just like the LifeTime Movie Network is aimed towards women - hell it even says , "Television for Women". Is that sexist? No. That is just a channel aimed towards a certain demographic / sex. To make it even simpler, it is no different than the cartoon network being aimed towards kids. Does that mean kids are the only ones allowed   to watch it? No. I know plenty of adults who watch it, including myself.

What some of you are missing is the line bewteen targeting an audience and being racist. It would be racist to make a BET channel and the ads on it saying "White people are not allowed to enjoy this channel". That would be racist. For there to be a channel that is just aimed towards the black audience, that isn\'t racist. It never says a white person can\'t watch it. It just has its own specfic audience. Big difference.

LIC..probably the best post in all 3 pages of this thread and  agree 100%

Originally posted by EmperorRob
Africa is another country: FACT

Actually.....


Africa is a continent. ;]

-Eik

Originally posted by EmperorRob
The country I live in is called America:  FACT
If you are born in America, you are an American: FACT
Africa is another country: FACT
If you are born in Africa you are an African: FACT

It is no different than when people with Italian/Irish/Greek/etc. parents call themselves Italian/Irish/Greek/etc. People that have parents or grandparents from different countries in the carribean say that they are that nationality. It is not a slap in the face to America. It is more like showing how diverse and rich the culture in america is. Americans come from every continent on earth and the people here like to show that. I don\'t like to classify myself as an African American. I have before, but I prefer not to.

Native Afrcans don\'t like us calling ourselves African-Americans either because they do not feel that we are African.

Yeah I think being called African-American is alot of bull.

You don\'t see white people everywhere being called: Polish-American, German-American, Italian-American, French-American, etc.

They are AMERICAN! And when one of my black friends went on a Safari to Africa, he thought he would have it made there cuz\' he was black, he was treated like nothing more than an American cuz\' those true African people don\'t consider so-called, "African Americans", African at all.

Originally posted by Vapor Snake
You don\'t see white people everywhere being called: Polish-American, German-American, Italian-American, French-American, etc.

Yeah they just say Polish/German/Italian without the "-american". If you see someone that has parents from Sicily, they will say that they are Italian, not Italian-American. Nothing wrong with that?

Originally posted by Gohan
Yeah they just say Polish/German/Italian without the "-american". If you see someone that has parents from Sicily, they will say that they are Italian, not Italian-American. Nothing wrong with that?

Nothing wrong, just personal preference.

Originally posted by EmperorRob
The country I live in is called America:  FACT
If you are born in America, you are an American: FACT
Africa is another country: FACT
If you are born in Africa you are an African: FACT


Do you challenge any of these as facts?  So I disrespect you by not agreeing with your incorrect use of a word?  Then call me and all other white people "WHITE THUNDER" or you disrespect us.  See how that sounds?

You are claiming that you were born in Africa by saying you are African-American.  I won\'t claim to be European-American, b/c I was born in America and no matter how far up my family tree my relatives from Europe are, that does not make me European.

Actually some of the things we are discussing go deeper than a debate about BET.

My philosophy is more akin to traditional African thought and beliefs. Those facts you brought up are indeed true but in keeping with African tradition, I am what my father was and what his father was to him and so forth all the way back to Africa b/c to us, what your ancestors are and think DO matter (yes I know I used the word think in present tense, that is a whole nother spiritual thing). I think most Blacks that want to be called African American are alluding to this belief. We are still connected to our past. It is said that a ppl that forget their past are destined to continue to make the mistakes of their past and I believe that.

If you want to belive that is an incorrect use of the word, then that is your POV but it is certainly not mine. Yes you do disrespect ppl by not calling them what they wish to be called and if a white person wanted me to call him WHITE THUNDER, then that is what I would call him. Why? Because it is a matter of compromise and that is trait that makes us human. If I want to have peace with my neighbor, then I will respect him/her. Personally, I don\'t care what you call Black ppl (do your own thing) it\'s no skin off my nose. If you choose to disrespect others b/c you don\'t believe in compromise then so be it and you deserve whatever reaction you get from them, be it good or bad. That\'s your karma. I prefer harmony first ,above all.

Originally posted by Gohan
It is no different than when people with Italian/Irish/Greek/etc. parents call themselves Italian/Irish/Greek/etc. People that have parents or grandparents from different countries in the carribean say that they are that nationality. It is not a slap in the face to America. It is more like showing how diverse and rich the culture in america is. Americans come from every continent on earth and the people here like to show that. I don\'t like to classify myself as an African American. I have before, but I prefer not to.

Native Afrcans don\'t like us calling ourselves African-Americans either because they do not feel that we are African.

Gohan, I totaly agree with most of your post except the last part. I used to think just like you about how Africans feel about African Americans. As I\'ve I stated before, I have several good friends from different nations in Africa and their attitude is just the opposite. I was given my name "Kimathi", in an African Naming Ceremony by Africans. To be totaly frank, by my experience, the brothers and sisters that I\'ve met from Africa wish we wouldn\'t call ourselves African American. They prefer for us to call ourselves just Africans also.