Blacks, BET and Boycotts

In Cita's World, an afternoon program on Black Entertainment Television, most blacks drive Range Rovers and Porsches, wear expensive jewelry and live in fabulous mansions. Cita, a computer-generated, streetwise black woman, hosts rap and R&B videos that usually showcase the bing-bling lifestyles of the black rich and famous.

Shows like Cita's have become the backbone of BET's programming, even though many within the black community feel that its emphasis on materialism is too much. According to a recent BET/CBS survey, 68 percent of African Americans polled felt that black people put too much emphasis on possessions, while 48 percent said that rap music and hip hop culture have a "mostly negative influence" on young blacks (the survey did note an interesting discrepancy, however: only 28 percent of blacks between the ages of 18 to 29 viewed hip hop as negative, compared to 55 percent of blacks in the 30 to 44 set.)

Black attitudes like the one in the poll are one of the reasons why the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the umbrella organization for the nine major black fraternities and sororities, was considering leading a boycott of BET to pressure the network to change aspects of its programming. Members of the Council met with BET CEO Robert Johnson on September 27 to discuss their concerns, but left the meeting unsatisfied. On November 2, the Council drafted a letter to Johnson threatening to boycott the network, although it was never sent to him.

"As discussed with you and your staff, we believe that BET does not operate in the best interest of the African American community," reads the letter, which has been widely circulated on the Internet. "Your responses to our concerns were not only unacceptable but were also insulting. We raised concerns with you about the type of videos shown on BET that have a negative influence on our community, particularly our youth. We believe that these videos are an exploitation of African American youth."

The letter goes on to denounce BET's perceived failure to support black businesses and institutions, calling the network's relationship with the black community "woefully insensitive." Norma Solomon White, the Council's chairwoman, said that if the letter is sent to Johnson "there will be revisions" to incorporate ideas discussed at the North American Inter-fraternity Conference two weeks ago.

While the boycott was called off, it is not the first time BET has drawn fire. Since its inception, many African Americans have been put off by its racy videos, risqué humor and reruns of old black sitcoms, and accused it of perpetuating black stereotypes.

Aaron McGruder, whose nationally syndicated Boondocks comic strip has made mocking BET a staple, says he feels that the network has let black people down. "What's frustrating is BET's potential," said McGruder. "We all see enormous potential that is being squandered every day ... When you're in a position to change people's lives ... and you choose not to because you've taken the lazy way out with cheap shows that pander to sex and violence and money, it's just inexcusable."

Harrison Chastang, a media analyst and board member of Media Alliance, a San Francisco media watch group, said that many prominent African Americans and black organizations helped support BET at its inception by calling cable providers and demanding that they carry the station.

"When BET was first created, African Americans envisioned a network that would reflect the true perspectives of black people worldwide," said Chastang. "But in reality, before it was purchased by Viacom, it was little more than a vehicle for the recording companies to push their products via black videos."

According to Chastang, since Viacom purchased BET in the fall of 2000 criticism of the network has grown.