Reply #8: A friend of mine wrote this letter to the NY Times [View All]

[Sweetpea]

To the Editor:


Show some love MTV! Breaking free from the myths, lies, and past hurts that continue to oppress people of color in America is a collective effort. It requires a rewriting of the belief systems that drive our collective consciousness. We have many belief systems to rewrite in America and the media should step up to the plate and do their part. First, there is the belief system of White America that continues to exploit black talent and resources while vilifying our participation in the American tapestry. Even worse, is the belief system of Black America that makes it alright for Black men to dehumanize their black women, while White America watches and says, "See I told ya so." The latest example of this was the 2003 MTV Annual Music Video Awards Ceremony at Radio City Music Hall. I watched in total shame and dismay while Snoop Dog walked onto the main stage in a pimp costume accompanied by two scantly dressed, bootylicious, sistas wearing dog collars and leashes. Where was the American outrage? Where was the accountability to his mama, his people and our black women? What was he thinking? And I have to ask, what would have happened if he had walked onto that stage with two white girls?

The next morning there was no mention of this atrocity in the press, no chat about his behavior on the internet, and no dialogue about his lack of accountability to black women at the office water cooler. It proved to me that to become an object is to lose your humanity, your voice, and your visibility. Black women in America and even in Black America are still suffering from invisibility. They are still subject to the abuses of mythology that deny them voice, respect, and power, and a deeper love. This happens at the hands of men of all races, because we know they are strong enough to take it! Afterall, who knows a black woman better than a brotha? We know their secret places, hidden desires, hot buttons, and Achilles heal. We know them because they are our first environment. We call them bitches to make them weak, to bend their backs, and to make them comply. Then we tell them that they are too strong, to hard, to cold, to deserve our love, respect, and tenderness. So we abandon them, publicly, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Small wonder that many of our "self-loveless" sisters confuse complacency for strength.

So it is time to show some love by setting programming standards that respect the image and representation of women of all colors in the world of entertainment. Your influence in creating a collective American conscious that promotes self-respect, inclusion, and personal accountability is your greatest contribution. This year you missed the mark!


N.P. Thompkins