Birth of a Reality Nation

There is one truly consistent ideal running throughout America’s reality shows, but to us who are used to it everyday, it’s no real surprise. Now I doubt I’m the first writer to comment on it, but I still want to talk about it because it’s annoyingly disgusting.

During the 1960’s, the non-violence movement begun by Dr. King and his associates imagined a world in which it wasn’t the color of your skin but the content of your character that determined how people treated you. What those forefathers didn’t figure out was that: 1. Because of such heavy mentally instilled racism, non-blacks continue to assume the worse about Black folks, regardless of societal status, and 2. Because of those centuries long attitudes, we Black folks stay angry – at the world and the people within it – especially ourselves. It’s all part of what psychologists like the renowned Dr. Jeff Gardere call Post Dramatic Slavery Disorder (or Syndrome) which is similar in scope, but not time, to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

Reality shows are abundant these days and many times (Okay, not with The Bachelor) they are truly reflective of the society we live in. A primary highlight is the dreaded Black villain – the often lone black man or woman (or one of each) in the cast of real characters that is often used as the scapegoat for the groups problems. On The Contender this past week, the lone black boxer left was Ishe Smith – an admittedly bull-headed fighter. No one else liked him and they blamed his attitude for the bad feelings within the house they all shared. They also were upset that most critics were projecting him as the winner. So lets analyze this, shall we: Not only does he think he’s better than everyone else – every one else thinks he’s better than anyone else there. This past Sunday he was defeated by the lightning-quick Sergio Mora, an intentional pairing by that week’s challenge winner in order to get rid of Ishe and his bad attitude. Or at least that was the excuse given. Why couldn’t all these Caucasian and Latino men just admit that he is a solid fighter. No one would give him his due, nor get to even know him well. He’s just another “angry Negro.” They would never say it out loud, but any Black man who has faced the same energy throughout his existence can ‘see the pattern’.

Ironically, many of these cats on “The Contender” have either Black or dark-skinned girlfriends. But then, so did Mark Furman (see the O.J. Simpson case) and one of the cops who shot Amadou Diallo 41 times here in NYC, killing him in the vestibule to his apartment building. So our women are good enough to bang, but the man with the muscle is trouble.

The same thing applies to Craig, one of the “street smart” applicants on this current season of “The Apprentice”. Okay, we all know that Craig isn’t going to win…the Donald loves an educated guy and that’s whom he’s going to go with. But once again this past Thursday, Craig proved how creative and business-savvy he is by winning the challenge as the Team Leader…but he is seldom given his due. In his previous foray as “Team Leader” he created a storage box during the Home Depot challenge that the store began using and selling in their stores. This week he helped create a supply caddy that Staples will begin selling in their stores. So why is it during the Home Depot challenge did all his teammates conspire against him to fail…something they hadn’t done with any other one? Gee, I don’t know Daaavvveeeyyy. Granted, Craig can be a smidge indecipherable, but one team gave hefty Southern lawyer Bren’s homosexual advertising idea a go in an earlier challenge…and what was worse than that one?

And don’t forget Stacie in season 2 of “The Apprentice”. During a hectic challenge, she tried to cheer up the all woman group she was part of by suggesting (strongly) they play with a ‘Magic 8 Ball’ and they deemed her too nutty to have around. She was ganged up on and discarded, something I think the Donald even regretted in hindsight. Just another scapegoat.

And we won’t even start up about Omorasa. Even though she was a bit of a scapegoat too, her detestable persona is a big part of her.

But that’s part of my argument. Being a Black man or woman in this society, unless we act JUST LIKE our counterparts, in the kindest way that is, we are subjugated to scorn. But as much as I’d like to blame the contestants of these shows, I think the main culprits are the casting directors. They pick people that will conflict, of course, because conflict creates DRAMA. However, they often pick Black folks that are, well, really contentious, which creates a stronger carry-through in society. As always, there are exceptions, but they are not the norm. Just as we are perpetually evil in movies and tv dramas, so we are in reality shows and thus…the world.

I should research whether D.W. Griffith’s descendants are the creative forces behind these shows.