Damn, Jena! | Black Gay Blogger

Posted on 10/16/07 @ 1:20 pm

Two of the much talked about Jena 6 holding up the number of their remaining minutes of "fame"? Check.

The same two stunting on the red carpet and showing the thousands of people who fought for their cause, wore black, and marched in their town for their sake that, so far, it's amounted to presenting at the BET Awards? Check.

Horrible intersection of social justice and pop culture entertainment which serves little use for either notion? Check.

Further evidence of BET's ignorance in and about the Black community? Check.

Yeah…y'all can have this.

Technorati Tags: jena 6 , BET awards, WTF

Filed under: Entertainment and Q&A
Comments: Comments

Comments

You're kidding right? Are they serious?

Said by Tamara — 10/17/2007 @ 1:44 pm

I cannot believe this! Are they now rock stars? That's why you will not my a** marching for no Jena teens. Sorry. I know it's bigger than these two morons, but it infuriates me that people are treating these guys like civil rights martyrs. I mean, the cause was noble….

Said by NARS — 10/17/2007 @ 7:53 pm

read this blog about the jena 6 red carpet fiasco!!

hxxp://www.hiphopdx.com/blogs/RANTRAVE/2007/10/17/jena-6-minutes-of-fame.html

Said by jujub — 10/18/2007 @ 2:14 am

I have to agree with the first two posters. I already had issues with BET and this here just adds more fuel to the fire. I'm glad my grandfather isn't around to see these so-called "civil rights martyrs". Yet more proof that BET is insignificant and doesn't really contribute much to blacks.

Said by Damon — 10/18/2007 @ 8:12 pm

despite it being BET i will not begrudge those two young men some mediocrum of happiness. If this is what it takes for them to get their minds of the possibility of going to jail for the next 20 YEARS, then hurray.

HOWEVER, BET should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring the Jena 6 and only having them appear on the network as some cheap pathetic ratings grab.

Said by kristen — 10/19/2007 @ 8:26 pm

What the? This is the reason why I don't watch BET. It is completely irrelevant to issues that we, as Black Americans, face today. What ever happened to humility? If I was in a terrible legal situation, I would be constantly on the phone with my lawyer and/or not even leaving the house. I don't even know what to say on this..

This activity is not helping the cause. Yes, I do still believe that what happened to them was an injustice, but now is not the time to exhibit any kind of arrogance.

Said by Marques D. Marone — 10/21/2007 @ 4:56 am

despite it being BET i will not begrudge those two young men some mediocrum of happiness. If this is what it takes for them to get their minds of the possibility of going to jail for the next 20 YEARS, then hurray.

Duly noted, Kristen. I don't think any of us are saying they can't have fun; I think it's the whole gravity and context of the situation that pisses a lot of people off. A lot of people were spurred into action by what happened to them, and it certainly exhibited the grassroots efforts which can be established around a social cause. Also, for many, this was a historical allusion to the marches and organizing which took place during the Civil Rights Movement.

However, as my friend Fave told me, you didn't see Rosa Parks at the Grammys or MLK on American Bandstand. Or even the Little Rock 9 on Soul Train.

Because of the context, we're placing the Jena 6 boys in that same sort of behavioral mindset. The civil rights spokespeople back in the day exuded an air of humility and didn't grandstand about the situations they were involved in; now, it's a different day and age and I think we're expecting these kids to act that same humble way.

However…BET should've known that, and known better not to have them at a paparazzi-filled event like theirs where they know their plight won't be presented in the proper light.

Said by karsh — 10/21/2007 @ 1:14 pm

That is pretty sad. I mean, c'mon! BET just about makes me sick … the way they treat everything in the black community as if it is entertainment. Wait … isn't that part of their name? Black ENTERTAINMENT Television…!?!? Seems like we got what we paid for.

Said by houstonmacbro — 10/21/2007 @ 1:54 pm

Karsh,

Very well said. Where is the humility? They had the nerve to flash 6 fingers. I wonder what Michael Baisden thinks about them attending the awards. I heard his show the other day and he mentioned that he has donated a total of $30,000 from his own pocket to this cause.
BET was wrong to have those boys parading themselves on the red carpet. Period!

Said by NARS — 10/21/2007 @ 4:49 pm

This is just as bad as the victim in this case who, as we all remember or have read, went to a party the same night he got beat. It makes their plight seem somewhat trivial.

Said by Damon — 10/21/2007 @ 5:35 pm

this is disturbing to say the least. it would have been different had they given a speech about how discrimination is alive and we must all still stay on alert. basically, BET helped them look like updated Chicken George's.

Said by rpcjr — 10/23/2007 @ 9:46 am

Just plain distasteful!

Said by whozhe — 10/23/2007 @ 6:54 pm

As a teenager myself I feel they should have went on t.v. to do one or both of these things: 1 thank everyone who showed them support in any way and 2 use the publicity to shed more light on the events that led to their arrest and how they have been treated. If BET was not going to give them time to do that then they should not have been paraded around like animals in a zoo for the benefit of entertainment. The fact that they agreed to allow themselves to be used in such a fashion without spinning it for their own benefit speaks volumes.

Said by Mickey — 10/29/2007 @ 8:58 pm

Yeah, I saw this and was like this is a joke right. These kids have completely missed the boat. They have no clue about what is going on concerning their life.

Said by life — 11/01/2007 @ 11:55 pm

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