In Sunday's column, we talked about the critical need to somehow change the narrative around African-American men from drug-dealing criminals to hardworking family men who want the same things other men want.
The prevailing negative stereotypes were blamed on the media and the entertainment industry who care more about ratings than reality.
That reasoning has a kind of deja vu quality. The argument used to be that the people who called the shots were white executives who were obsessed more with ratings and box office numbers than reality.
That’s hardly the case anymore, especially on television.
From Tyler Perry's "The Haves and the Have Nots," to "Scandal" and "How to Get Away With Murder," "Empire" and the long list of "reality" TV shows, there are plenty of stereotypical characters to go around. Some would argue that having African-American writers and directors hasn't made any difference.
Say what you will about Bill Cosby, but his 1980s hit series, “The Cosby Show,” and its spinoff, “A Different World,” at least showed African-Americans in a positive light.
Many in the black community will tell you this is a difficult issue. They don’t want to be seen as unsupportive of the few who are making it in Hollywood and on prime-time television. After all, the argument goes, it’s just entertainment.
If only it were that simple. If only this were as difficult as they make it out to be. Is getting paid more important than creating characters that offer a more balanced view of African-American life, providing black children images worth emulating?
Get the full story here: http://www.myajc.com/news/lifestyles/empire-returns-next-month-but-not-everyone-will-be/nnLxn.
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