“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.”
-Jim Morrison
The world was left in shock when it was announced that The Boondocks would return for its fourth season without creator Aaron McGruder. Users of social media were taken aback by the news. Many took to their profiles to spout their opinions about how the show “won’t be the same” and how the conscious element will be erased completely. Many of our grievances were addressed with the extended promotional trailer that started circulating around Facebook earlier this morning.
From my viewpoint, The Boondocks has lost that traditional socio-political satirical element. While it’s just a trailer, there are just certain things you can pick up. Especially as a writer myself! Maybe they’re saving the good stuff for April 21st but I seriously doubt it……
Aaron McGruder “stepping down” from the show sparked a rather storied discussion about black ownership. From BET and Essence Magazine to Def Jam and, now, The Boondocks, it seems as if we have a problem with keeping ownership over our content. This topic hits home with me because I’m an author who wants to expand the content I create to different mediums. Would mass appeal and visibility mean I have to compromise the integrity of my art? Would worldwide recognition mean that I have to “sell out”? Is it even worth the risk?
Well, if we had our own mass multi-media outlets to showcase our content this wouldn’t be an issue. But, because we don’t, we have to play with the cards we’re dealt. Let’s not accept the negativity.
All entrepreneurs and artists need to learn from the siege of The Boondocks! Let’s break down the lessons to be learned using The 48 Laws of Power!
Aaron McGruder’s meteoric rise to T.V. fame is linked to the success of the syndicated cartoon strip adaption of The Boondocks. Because of this, he was successfully able to barter with the powers that be.
Don’t expect to become a superstar overnight. True prosperity requires hard work and proof of concept.
Law thirteen of The 48 Laws of Power states that: “If you need to tum to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself”. When appealing to superiors, don’t beg. Show them what you can do. Back up your success with numbers! Aaron McGruder showed that his comic strip had the right support to become a T.V. series. When he stepped to Turner Broadcasting, how could they say no?
That brings up another law that should also be taken into consideration. Law eleven says: “To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you”. Obviously, the main heads at Adult Swim felt the need to crank out another season of The Boondocks. They were dependent on the show in that sense.
A part of me believes that they didn’t really want to do this season without McGruder. They know they can’t do the show like him! And they realize that. Look at how, along with the news that Aaron McGruder wasn’t coming back, it was announced that this was the final season of the show. Aaron brought a realm of authenticity to the project that couldn’t possibly be duplicated. He did create the show after all. Unless they got some impeccable writer to pick up the slack, we will know the complex mind of Aaron McGruder wasn’t a part of this new season!
However, our residential creative genius faltered on one major aspect. Law twenty states: “It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself.
By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others-playing people against one another, making them pursue you”. Aaron’s biggest mistake was forking over the intellectual rights of The Boondocks to Adult Swim and Turner Broadcasting. If he didn’t give those rights away, maybe he could’ve started a bidding war. 
Do you think that OWN, who is trying to build up a consistent fan base, would’ve objected to bringing the talent of Aaron McGruder on board? I know Tyler Perry is good friends with Oprah but business is business. Magic Johnson has a network as well. Maybe he even could’ve gotten in contact with Diddy and did something on Revolt TV. I couldn’t see him being black balled if he came and appealed to the self-interest of someone of the magnitude of an Oprah or Magic Johnson. He has a rather impressive track record after all.
The main lesson for today is that ownership is key! If we don’t own the content we create, we don’t truly control anything. If we don’t control anything, how can we dictate how we are perceived in the media? Media is mind control personified. And we’re going to make some changes in how our image is presented. Believe that!
Do you have a view on this topic. Respond in the section below and become a member of my social forum, Urban Fiction Daily!
http://urbanfictiondaily.forumotion.com/
Also, follow Young and Gifted Books today!
Instagram: @YoungandGiftedBooks
Facebook: Young and Gifted Books
Twitter: @TeamYGB25
Ask.fm: @YoungandGiftedBooks
Here’s the link to the trailer. Judge for yourself!
They have secrets: Stop and think about what that means. If your wife, husband, or your children kept secrets from you, how would that make you feel? People who have something to hide, generally tell lies. Even Santa Clause turned out to be a big LIE; deceiving children or training them to accept lies from their parents and the authorities.
Whether it be history, how Amerikkka came into existence, what happen to the people who were here before Columbus, why there was Slavery and what really happened to Black People, why countries go to war, or who really runs the show. The odds are there are more lies than truths being told, but people will spend their lives and fortunes to go to war over secrets, that are really LIES.
Seems the corner stone of any Society called a country with standing armies, weapons of mass destruction is based on Secrets that doesn’t mean anyone good fortune, not meaning to be mystic, but the mystery is covered with Secrets.
So who is “they”? That seems to be a big secret also, the ones that run the show, receive the rewards and profits at the expense of those who don’t know the secret, and those who want to know, seem to have a case of bad health if they find out what the secrets are…