What you see is never what you're really getting.
- The Gentleman Esquire
- Dec 17, 2015
- 3 min read
To start I must say....I'm really thinking about moving up to the 70"
Television.....TV....The Boob Tube....The Box
Everybody has one, and has had many others.
The box was big, now they are thin, flat, curved, or in your pocket.
Broadcast, Simulcast, Streaming or whatever, everything finds its way onto the box.
Cant afford to go to the game?.....Catch it on the box
Missed the movie at the theatre....Catch it on the box
Don't want to drive to Washington to hear the boring, double dealing politicians?....Catch it on the box.....etc
Everything that is allowed on the box is done so for a reason. From Tv shows, to movies, to commercials, to the sports broadcast, everything is done for a reason to convey a particular image, do you agree?
We hear all the time about the millions on top of millions spent on advertising, marketing, etc. You think these things are being done for no apparant reason? Luck and Happenstance? You think the advertising field would continue to be profitable if it was not working and meeting certain objectives?
When speaking of objectives, one of the areas in which particular objective promotion and advancement could be seen to be very evident is when watching the nightly news.
What is the objective? Think about this. Most people when engaged in an activity have been found to remember the first and last parts of that particular activity. Generally caled the Primacy and Recency effect.
The ironic part of it is that when you think about the nightly news in those terms of primacy and recency, first and last, it is possible to see how African Amreican men are grafted an image of explotation.
PRIMACY
What is generally the first part of any news cast....CRIME, DEATH, FEAR, SUFFERING, DANGER, TERROR....... What do you think?
Shocking the senses. Now I admit that the Arabs and Muslims are being used to perpetuate the foreign sense of fear, but domestically that is reserved for the brothers.
You see crime perpetuated by black people on the news to the extent that maybe it might be possible that some people might think thay black people are the only ones that comiit crimes?
I mean you see criminals of all races and nationalities in the movies, the supposed fantasy world, but on the news, the supposed look into reality, it seems the criminal reporting is slanted one way don't ya think?
So the first part of the news is to perpetuate the Big, Scary, Violent, Uncontrollable, Unreasonable, black man image.....and they do a good job at it.....(in reality only because we give them the help they need)
RECENCY
What is generally the last part of the news? SPORTS
That's right...the Big, Dumb, Better be grateful, take this white girl and shut up black man.
This is also to calm those fears generated in the first part and generate the "Aww shucks, i guess those ones aint so bad, look at him (sing, dance, or play with this (insert ball))" mentality that keeps the stadiums packed and sold out, jerseys bought, etc.... I mean think about this, do you really think there isn't some racist white dude out there in Jordans or with a jersey of a black dude in his house?
Given the propensity to just promote these two images, it would seem that things must be done by the community for the community, to put down their promotion of both these images. That means to denounce the dumb, ass, community destroying elements while not elevating the athlete and entertainer above all of our dedicated people who work hard for a living doing all the things our communities need...teachers, doctors, engineers, merchants, organizers, contractors, etc. Images of these things are what are needed to balance the negative bombardment.
Every person who watches The Box has a choice....believe what you are told to think you see, or think for yourself....you may reach the same conclusion either way, but at least then it's YOUR conclusion.....
If you want to think all African American men are savage, ball bouncing brutes, because of your limited exposure to the crafted image from the media and the news, that's your prerogative. It's cool, but just remember that simply beause you choose to ignore the countless documented, reported, and sometimes painfully and reluctantly admitted, ways in which the current African American man and his ancestors have influenced, developed, advanced, cultivated, and cared and nurtured this planet and his fellow man, damn sure don't mean it didnt happen and it gonna keep on happening !!!!!
Till next time...
Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him. --- John Locke
