Commentary: Negative portrayals of black women on reality TV By Shaunie O'Neal
I'll be honest, I love reality TV.
Actually it's one of my guilty pleasure past times. Even before "Basketball Wives" I had my favorites, and I watched them faithfully. There is something appealing about seeing people deal with real life drama as you're watching. Now, as executive producer of "Basketball Wives," I know that's not exactly how it happens, but it's still fun to watch.
What isn't so fun to watch, however, is this new generation of reality TV. It seems to be more about the drama and less about the storyline. That concerns me, especially now that I'm producing a reality show.
I have gotten both good and bad responses from viewers about "Basketball Wives," and I certainly understand the opinion that the shows portrayal of black women is beginning to look somewhat negative.
As you see on the show, I'm not a big supporter of the bickering, drink throwing and fighting, but when you put a group of strong, independent and vocal women who are going through or just came out of a bad relationship together, there's bound to be a little drama.
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Clip from Basketball Wives
1 comments:
Disclaimer: “I would like to approach this debate by using the term dramatic rather than being ghetto or anything of that nature. Also I am not saying that all black women are dramatic”
I replied to this same topic on CNN today. When I think honestly about the black women I have met throughout my entire life, only one I can think of was not dramatic at all. She had so much poise, elegance and class about herself that any man black or white would fight over her. I am sure that many people may disagree because they will argue the notation based on the black women they accoutered in their lives.
I do believe that your level of education, socioeconomic status, world view, and morals and values are the key elements in determining if you will be dramatic or not. For an example, if your drive in life is to make a difference in the world, create a new business, creating a new invention and just being striving to be innovative in general, in theory, it seems that you would less likely be dramatic over small things. Majority of the murders that accrue in black communities is because of this same phenomenon, being dramatic over small a thing which leads to greater consequences. I do not believe it is only isolated within the black female population; however, it is a phenomenon that is throughout the black population in general. Even as an American society, we are addicted to drama. For an example, people were seen fighting just to get a seat in the Casey Anthony trial, however, it is unfortunate that many black Americans seem to take drama to another level.
By looking at things from other people eyes, being willing to be wrong and learning how to take criticism and move on will help to curve the dramatic behaviors within the black population. But again, it’s an individual choice which adversely affects the whole.
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