Skip CNN's Black In America; Keep Your Positive Focus Instead


CNN’s “Black In America” special is tired, tedious, and out of date.

Black In America logo

It’s what you expect from CNN: negative, fear-based, dumbed-down sensationalism. It’s a boring, depressing, uninspiring drag.

CNN started out on the right foot — the program was originally supposed to be called “Race In America.” It could have been so useful and valuable with that title, content, and thrust. Instead it was useless and pointless and limp.

By taking this approach, CNN missed one of the biggest untapped opportunities of the new socio-political era that began when Senator Barack Obama — with his speech on race in Philadelphia — effectively declared that open, frank, honest discussion of race-related issues in American is not only O.K. but essential for our nation’s progress.

It was with the original idea as a premise that at least some of the subjects in the program agreed to participate in the first place. There was excitement about a possible breakthrough program, akin to the airing of “Roots” by ABC in 1977.

But the notion of addressing complexities and honest, forward-thinking discussion was apparently nixed and re-engineered and edited out once the project got back to Atlanta. That’s disappointing.

Ryan Kernan on CNNs Black In AmericaDr. Ryan Kernan of U.C.L.A. Was his Black Fives cage shirt
more representative than the content and thrust of CNN’s program?

I’d much rather see a documentary which stays focused on all the wonderful positive things that are working in African American culture today, wouldn’t you? Why? Because showing those examples is precisely the solution that’s required to solve some of the most difficult challenges that exist.

I’m not ignoring that some black people have real problems. Those problems must not be ignored. And I respect and honor everyone participating in this program. But, for CNN, there’s a difference between telling, and dwelling.

CNN does show some positive examples of what’s going on inside black culture today. But they outweighed these insights with negative statistics, pessimistic outlooks, and implications of doom.

And CNN did a terrible job of “proving” that race had anything to do with most of these problems. In fact, in almost every negative situation they presented, it was really poverty and lack of education that were the cause. The program ought to have been called “Poor and Uneducated in America.”

But in reality, poverty and lack of education are most often symptoms too, not just causes.

When they talk about why “middle class” people succeed, they miss the point that people in so-called middle class settings are more often exposed to certain ways of thinking, which are reinforced more frequently and more vigorously.

So, why not instead discuss ways to expose more people to this way of thinking, and its reinforcement?

Instead, we are the intended victims of a hoodwink, that these problems are biological, or racial, and therefore inescapable. And that somehow these problems represent “everyone” who is of African descent.

Thus, for me, the title of the program was wrong again. “Some Black People in America” also could have been more apt.

Getting back to this series, I recommend that you skip it. Use that time more wisely instead to continue focusing on the wonderfully positive things you yourself are doing. You’re not alone!

Remember, if you (yes, you) don’t really thrive in your own life, then how can you possibly help inspire someone else? So keep your focus. Don’t let programs like this get you down. You have your own thing to do. Thrive. Then turn that around and use your compassion and resources to help others, with yourself as an example.

If you do plan on watching this “documentary” then at least know what to expect and be prepared with an antidote (like, your remote).

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Warren
15 years ago

What is Race? 2 “black” people from the same city in Africa are more genetically diverse than any other combination. So what is the black race? The genetic diversity among human beings is less than a HERD of zebras or a group of chimpanzees. So what is the other races? Race is a man made “superficial construct” with no true scientific basis. Differences amongst humans are the result of many different factors primarily resulting from our ability to adapt and survive various challenges from disease to environment to cultural.

I am not trying to justify / support / defend anything said or written by anyone else, but merely to express the fact that the media sensationalizes, individuals present pieces of facts to justify their position, and we live in a “Sound Bite” world. The media is and rightly so perceived by many as a tool of the power structure.

The Power Structure of this country, not the people of this country, but those who truly run this country have done many things to ALL people. They have deceived ALL people. They continue to use sound bites and media to divide “ALL” people. Part of the problem is the most exaggerated people or views are relayed to the public as sound bites and used to distract / divert / detract from the credibility of any real issue that underlies the “Outrageous” statements and perpetuates stereotypes. The true division in this country ,in this world for that matter is those with true power (.0001%) and those of us without ( 99.999% of the population.)

We are continually bombarded with sound bites and then told how to analyze them. “This comment is un-American”. “This comment is anti-white”. “This comment is anti-Semitic”. I personally hate “racial terms in the first place because race is a man made superficial concept used to divide the masses. But I digress.

Facts are often overlooked because pieces of statements are spun to be politically incorrect, divisive, etc and keep us away from the TRUTH.

For example:

1. Did the government at one time experiment on a group of people by deliberately infecting them with syphilis (Tuskegee)? Did the government on another occassion purposely give syphillis infected blankets to Native Amerrican tribes? The answer is yes. Is it that farfetched (true or not true) for people to believe that someone in this same government might use HIV / AIDS on a segment of the population?
2. Was it wrong that a large majority of one group of people were denied employment due to the country of their origin (Irish, Italians etc)?Does that make it more or less wrong than a group of people who were enslaved, subjected to Jim Crow Laws and couldn’t vote until the late 1960’s (African Americans)? In fact, many people use it as a way to promote their groups superiority or wear it as a badge of honor because they raised themselves up from this injustice. The fact of the matter is that the injustice is no badge of honor and should never be allowed to happen to any group of people.
3. Has our government ever support tyrannical regimes / dictatorships? The answer is yes. How would the people living under that dictatorship perceive our government for supporting their oppression? Would they be wrong to view our country that way? Don’t get me wrong, I am not supporting violent actions, merely making a point.
4. It is theoretically possible that you can have a Democracy or a Republic with a Communist economic system. It is also true that most Americans equate Communism with being anti-Democratic? This is due to government propaganda. Do you think that the ruling class of this country did not go out of their way to do whatever possible to make sure that communism could not survive? Granted, the implementations to date were under Totalitarian rule, but if one was implemented as a democracy, I am willing to bet that the powerful would do whatever they could to make it fail.
5. Why is it that educated African Americans, as well as other “minorities” are often described as being more white than black / hispanic / asian, etc or “articulate”. Does that mean that non-minorities are all articulate? Or that “minorities” being articulate is a recent trend? It is perceived by many African Americans to be a code word for “not really a black person or does not hold typical black person beliefs” or just plain condescending!!!
6. Why are people classified as liberal, moderate, conservative, radical, left-wing, right-wing, etc? Does that mean there is a prescribed set of responses that each group is supposed to have for every issue? I do not believe we all fit into these neat little boxes. I am against labels. These are also divisive and manipulative tools used by the power structure.
7. Why is it that the same issues are campaigned on every four years? Does this mean that nothing gets solved?
8. Why does the media tell us that the people do not like negative campaigning and in the same breath say that the republicans are loading up for the negative attacks on the democratic candidate?

Again, I digress. My point, in my humble opinion, is that the leadership of the world has failed the people of this world. I also believe that it is intentional. We cannot have an honest dialog about any sensitive issues because we have been trained to react emotionally and selfishly instead of honestly, objectively and respectfully listening to the positions of all sides and trying to come to an agreement on how to solve problems. Furthermore, we are bombarded with insignificant / smaller issues and gotcha’s that distract us from what is truly significant. We all want a better future. We all want peace. We all want prosperity. We all want better schools for our progeny. We all want health care. We all want a better life period. I for one am tired of division. I for one am tired of the half-truths and manipulations. I often pray to be frozen for 400 years and when I wake up find that the Human Race is no longer this amalgamation of primitive tribes.

Moneymonk
15 years ago

I missed it, but I feel I did not miss anything. Being black I think I overcame alot of what they were talking about, therefore it’s hard for me to relate.

I took control of my life shortly after I graduated from college, I stopped listening to people that did not get ahead and started listening to people that have moved up.

It was the Best investment I ever made.

Thrive, Thrive, Thrive!!!!!!!

Anthony Bradley
15 years ago

Good words, brother. I think you are VERY correct in your inference that the pathologies displayed in the series are not necessarily a function of race. My guess is that if we went to one of the many all white welfare communities in West Virginia, we’d find the exact same things. Good word!

15 years ago

Great post! Of course as you know I already watched and posted my thoughts on the series, that being said I like and value your point on the issue! It was, what it was and now it is up to the people who live these lives to make changes!
By the way, I like the title “Poor and Uneducated In America” very interesting title for a series!
And thanks for stopping by my spot! Come again anytime (Not just for the controversy!!)
Blessings
Regina

Claude
15 years ago

Jazzy, I know you’re right! That’s what the Germans, and I guess Freud called Schadenfreude but it only helps in the short term. In the long term, those who practice this end up worse off, because they can never really understand how to create their own happiness without at someone else’s expense, or rather, without the help of someone else. In that sense, the “servant becomes the master” in some ways. But that’s no good either. Can’t we all just get along, damnit?! :-)

15 years ago

Looks like i didnt miss anything from missin the CNN program. Good to here that we still are definig ourselves and our capabilities…look more inward not outward…word

Claude
15 years ago

Hey Jazzy, thank you. My question is, why would they do that? As smart as are the people to whom they have access, why take this angle? Do they really think that it’s helpful? Or do they know it’s not?

lynn alvarez
15 years ago

i am a 66 year old Puertorrican and you in America should learn from us. One example is we never mention races. Negro, negrito, negra, negrita are TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. I would love when my mother and friends called me that. It is like Hon. Cano or cana is somebody who is blonde. A trigueno is everybody else who is not blond. MY BROTHER WAS A CANO, BUT SINCE HE SQUINTED HIS EYES HE WAS CALLED CHINO. A moreno i someone dark but no mention of race. A blanquito or Whitie was someone who either was well to do, or wanted to pretend to be well to do by dressing nice, being clean cut or [pretending to be rich. And if somebody bragged about being a blanquito, everybody would ask him …Y tu abuela, donde esta/////// HASN’T ANYONE PROPOSED TO ERADICATE THE WORD RACE FROM DOCUMENTS ? YOU BRAG THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, BUT YOU KEEP INSISTING ON RACES. WE ALL BELONG TO THE HUMAN RACE.

Jazzy
15 years ago

Claude I really enjoyed your commentary on CNN’s Black in America.

The data present was in fact glossed over and obscure. Race was never mentioned or even appeared to be a variable in the equation for finding the solution to living Black in America. Reinforcement is the key constant bombardment of positive images and messages are vital to resurrecting the unity and help thy neighbor attitude of the 60s. Overall I am in agreement with you that CNN did a poor job in truly representing the diversity in Black America. The show succeeded in staying the status quo of illustrating Black people as victims, hopeless, and miscreants.

Sandra
15 years ago

I agree. I was extremely disappointed with CNN and Soledad OBrien’s depiction of black life in America. The documentary (for lack of a better word) only perpetuates negative stereotypes about blacks in this country. If I lived in another country, I would think that all black americans are poor, uneducated, violent, adulterous and lazy…

[…] List,” HBO seems to be reading not only my mind (about CNN’s colossally disappointing “Black In America” debacle), but also the minds of millions and millions of people worldwide who prefer to focus on triumphs […]

lynn alvarez
15 years ago

Barak Obama’s mother is white. Why is Barak Obama Black instead of Brown, Beige or Tan????? Or iis it that some people want to persevere on racism. PLEASE – we all should starta a movement to eradicate under penalty, the word race from all documents. You should have done that ages ago.,Also, why is Halle Berry black if her mother is a blue eyed blond???? Gimme a break!!!!