Everybody seems to love to criticizes black fictitious shows such as Scandal and Being Mary Jane. Most people feel these shows depicts black women in a negative way. A lot of black people choose not to support these shows created and written by black people but yet they are front and center to support shows such as The Maury Show and The First 48. I often say that if I was racist, I’d let my children watch those two shows and if I was a rich racist I’d buy a network and run those shows over and over again. Personally I feel that there aren’t two worse shows on television right now that depicts blacks in a worse way.

The Maury Show

Back in 2002, I watched The Maury show everyday at work. It was a part of me and my co-workers line-up. There were only 3 topics that Maury had: look at me now, am I a man or woman, and the infamous paternity test shows. I was glued to the TV. Minimum work was done during those paternity test days. My schedule eventually changed and my new life schedule didn’t allow me the pleasure to watch the show anymore. Over a course of years I was beginning my awakening.  So I decide to watch Maury one day and I was disgusted. Years had passed and the show was strictly about black women not knowing who the father of their children were. I watched one episode and I was DONE!

Scenario of every episode: there will be 2-3 black stories and one token white story. The 2-3 blacks stories read the same.

1) she says he is the father, he of course is denying it. She says she hasn’t been with anyone else. He says she has and in fact she is the neighborhood whore. (Why he is raw dogging the neighborhood whore is to be determined). Maury is sitting there listening to them argue, he is pointing out every feature that isn’t like his, while she is saying Maury my child looks just like him. Maury pretends to not be able to take anymore of the back and forth so he then reads the results. “YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER!” She screams and runs to the back, he does a dance and runs up and down the aisles through the crowd. He is now excited that a little black child is fatherless and we all find that entertaining.

2) the next couple will consist of the “Maury pro” she has been on the show searching for her child’s father as if she is looking for an actual husband on love connection. This is her 2nd to 4th time being on the show and at this point she is sure because she of course hadn’t been with anyone other than the previous guys that weren’t the father so he HAS to be the dad. And of course they do a split screen of this beautiful innocent black child that doesn’t know any better. It doesn’t know that the white man is making a fool and mockery and let’s not forget money off of its life which is ultimately deemed as its mothers irresponsibility. They guy comes out deny then the results are read and he is or isn’t the father. Now if he isn’t, it’s the same routine in 1. But if he is, the female runs up and down the aisle does a little dance shouting I told you, I knew it. And we are all suppose to be happy for her and upset at him for denying his child.

3) the white family,  Because that’s what they come off as, a family. This white woman has made a big mistake and cheated on her boyfriend/ husband and has gotten pregnant and does not know who father her child. Her significant other blames himself for the cheating and is crying because he wants to be the father. The guy she cheated with (most times it’s a relative or close friend) prays that he too is the father because of course they are one big happy family. Right? The results come back and a) the significant other is the father and they all hug and cry and ride off in the sun. B) the other guy is the father they all hug and cry and the significant other says it doesn’t matter and that child will always be his. Now the child has two fathers.

How does the black baby not have one father but the white child leaves the show with 2? The white woman made a mistake but the black woman is a whore and the man that’s brought on the show makes sure WE ALL know that she will give her body to anyone. But truthfully this show highlights one of the biggest problems in our community, too many baby mommas and daddies and not enough families. We all know it was in the plan to destroy the black family and since it was a successful project, it’s televised for the world to see.

The first 48.

I started watching this show because I kept hearing how good it was. I went to school at night so I would DVR it or watch on demand. I was addicted to the show for one full season. I noticed that the victims changed but the suspects remained the same. The victims were always a variety of race, age, and gender, but the suspects 90 percent of the time are young black males between the ages of 18-30. But why would this change when the first 48 target poor black communities: Detroit, Miami, Memphis, Birmingham, and Dallas. I wrote A&E and threaten to never watch their network again and to start a boycott in protest of their portrayal of black men. This was in 2008. I haven’t watched the network since and  my letter of course fell on deaf ears.

If I was a white person from West Virginia that has no blacks in my town and has never met one in person, and my only knowledge of them would be from these shows that I watch. What am I to think of black women? That they are uneducated very sexual and sleep with so many men that they don’t know who fathered their children. And of the black man? That he doesn’t own up to his responsibility as a man and that he is very violent. And that’s putting it nicely. Now we all know that these shows wouldn’t exist if we didn’t give them a reason to exist. I’m sure if you have read my article up to this point, we can agree that the problem is much deeper than these two shows. We have an internal disease that the system does not want to get rid of because they are making a Profit off of it from every end possible. In fact everyone is making money except for the victims (the black community).

While on every Tuesday and Thursday people get pissed at those watching Scandal ( a show created by a black woman) and Being Mary Jane ( a show created by a black married couple) we are pissed at the wrong shows. Both of these shows are much deeper than a woman sleeping with a married man and if you can’t see that just keep watching Maury. Because the only message or lesson I’ve gained form Maury is that the industry will go to ANY length to make the black community look lost. And please remember Scandal and Mary Jane are fictional shows that at least shows creativity Maury and The First 48 are reality shows that exploit the weakness of our community.