Little black girls sit and think that if they emulate the women in these shows, it will lead them to success

Contributed By:Sitting in for Dorothy Nevils, her granddaughter Allison Kemp, Andrean '17

Reality television has been around since 1973. The name speaks for itself. It literally is a television show that represents the reality of someone’s life. It was used mostly for educational purposes like documentaries but over time the quality and importance of reality television has deteriorated. It is now used more for entertainment purposes.

One of the best television channels is TLC. TLC consists of tons of reality shows but most of them are positive. They range from “Cake Boss” and “Say Yes to the Dress” to “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.”

Other channels broadcast reality shows but they’re more of the negative kinds of reality television. For example, MTV has a show called “Teen Moms.” The title speaks for itself. It follows the lives of about 4 girls who had babies in their teen years. Another show is “True Life.” Every episode has two different people who are either battling an addiction or anxiety, or just don’t know what to do with their lives. All these shows have one thing in common: They focus on the negatives of someone’s life.

The shows that top them all, however, are found on VH1, and consist mainly of black people. They are “Love and Hip Hop” and “Basketball Wives.” They have been around for some years, and have made a humongous impact that will affect the next generations to come.

Reality television in the black community was supposed to give insight to the world that the black community lives in. It’s supposed to demonstrate the success that black people have achieved throughout the years. In the beginning, having reality shows with black people in it was quite strange. Viewers were used to white washed shows, so black television wasn’t very popular. To get more viewers, producers had to spice things up. This is when quality started to decline.

The most popular black shows are “Basketball Wives,”“Love and Hip Hop,” and “Bad GirlsClub.” The titles are self-explanatory. “Basketball Wives” is about a group of women currently married to, have been married to, or who have dated basketball players. “Love and Hip Hop” is about upcoming Hip Hop artists dealing with their love life and their career. “Bad Girls Club” is just about a group of girls that have to live in a house together and see who is truly the “baddest.”

All these shows degrade the black community. The one main thing they have in common is fighting. Every single episode has physical conflict. Producers probably believe that this is the only way for black reality television shows to get views. These conflicts only emphasize the already terrible stereotypes of the black community.

What makes it worse is that, not only is there always a physical conflict, but there are always women who don’t respect themselves, and men who don’t respect the beautiful creature known as the black woman.

A perfect example is “Love and Hip Hop.” Most of the women have similar qualities: They wear ridiculously long hair extensions, have had some type of plastic surgery, and have constant drama. Most are business owners, but not of typical businesses: Some own strip clubs, hair and nail salons, or manage musical artists. Most dislike each other, and it’s usually because of a man.

Basically, “Love and Hip Hop” suggests that all black women are like the ones in the show: Loud, filled with hate, and their lives revolving around “drama.” The men are unfaithful, loathsome, and looking for a come-up. The women have no respect for themselves, and the men have no respect for them either.

There once was a time when black people were looked down upon. It was the age of racism and segregation. Through all the tribulations that black people endured, there was still a sense of respect and dignity that the black community had for each other.

Now fast forward about fifty years later. There’s absolute chaos and animosity seeping through the cracks in an already broken community, and shows are partially to blame. They are made for entertainment for the young, but they are making a huge impact on the young generation of today and generations to come.

Little black girls sit in front of their TV and watch shows like “Love and Hip Hop” or “Bad Girls Club” and immediately wonder if they could live their lives that way when they get older.

It may seem like it’s not true, but it is. Little black girls sit and think that if they emulate the women in these shows, it will lead them to success, fortune, and fame. The same goes for little black boys. Watching these sorts of shows will cause them to believe that degrading and disrespecting black women or women in general is okay.

Soon the stereotypes that black television portrays will become the norm.

Reality television will always be a popular hit on the television screen but will it go too far? Will black television cause the next generation to lose sight of what’s important? Shows like these need to be changed or discontinued immediately in order to sustain a well-rounded community. All they do is pollute the minds of this generation.

Story Posted:08/13/2017