“We have to make up our minds,” Dash said. “Either we want to have segregation or integration. And if we don’t want segregation, then we need to get rid of channels like BET (Black Entertainment Television) and the BET Awards and the Image Awards, where you’re only awarded if you’re Black. If it were the other way around, we would be up in arms. It’s a double standard. Just like there shouldn’t be a Black History Month. You know? We’re Americans. Period. That’s it.”
– Dionne, from Clueless aka Stacey Dash, who is now a FOX News personality.
Rapper Bun B wasn’t too pleased with Dash’s comments, and took to Instagram to share his disgust.
Thoughts?
While I do think there’s some merit to what Dash said, it’s important for relatively small segments of the community to show unity and support wherever they can. Unfortunately some of these groups lead to further divisiveness and conflict within their own particular segment, and outward directed toward other segments. As long as the Sharptons and the Jacksons are considered black leaders, and thugs who engage the police are considered martyrs, then there is no hope for the problems that exist within the black community. It’s important to look inward for areas to improve, as well as outward.
Bun B’s (idiotic name) comments would be more impactful if he actually addressed what Dash said. It would also be more impactful if he was able to stitch together a sentence without typos.
Steven is basically is saying, just make a black oscar awards.
Although he didn’t address what she said, I will. She is wrong. People of color want and need to be seen, heard and celebrated, but cannot expect others to do that for them. BET was created to give black people a place in an industry that is overwhelmingly white, BET gives black people a chance to work both in front of and possibly more importantly, behind the camera. To not have creative outlets like BET is to put the fate of black artists, producers, directors. in the hands of a people who don’t know about, care about, or understand what it means to be black in the USA. White media tends to only represent people of color as 1 dimensional flat characters, often used to be the criminal in their art.
So even if white people and organizations don’t see the need for a BET, or the Image awards, or Black History Month, black people do. Ask any psychologist about the importance of black role models for black children and you will find out why these things are important, in a world that is most definitely NOT color blind, children of color need role models of color whom they can identify with, because believe it or not, skin color plays a HUGE role in a persons life, in the USA and any and everything that can be done to ensure that black people don’t see themselves as less worthy, intelligent, or important just because of their skin color is something that is worth doing. So yes, Stacy is wrong, she’s wrong because the world and the USA are not color blind. She wrong because BET gives black people the opportunity to learn the back side of what makes media work, She’s wrong because the image awards highlight the positive and beneficial achievements of black people so that black people have role models who have had the same challenges as themselves but are still successful. She is wrong because Black History Month is a time to make sure that the contributions of black people to the building of this country are not forgotten or hidden. Until all of us are color blind, none of us can afford to be.
I totally agree with Stacey Dash! Good for her for saying that. I see guys handing out Black History month photocopies here in downtown Toronto every year at this time of the month AND throughout the year. I love blacks, Asians, Aboriginal people from around the world. But, hey, come on guys get a job and help the poor, the homeless, the hungry. That’s much better than trying to sell photocopies of lists of books. CK, Toronto, Canada.
His response was just an attack on her personally, he didn’t actually refute what she was saying. I don’t care for her at all, but she has a point. If inclusiveness is the goal it makes no sense to have award shows that exclude others based on race. It makes no sense to have a TV Channel that only caters to people of a certain race.
So he couldn’t refute what she said so he had to resort to personal attacks. Really impressive…
I could not agree more. Unfortunately, I doubt it will ever happen.