Mark Winston Griffith

Black on Black Class Warfare: The BET Legacy?

Bob Johnson and Black Entertainment Television (BET), the network Johnson founded and then later sold to Viacom, have always been known for playing both sides of the racial politics fence. While both claiming to lend an authentic and legitimate voice on the black cultural experience, Johnson and BET have also been accused of skating along edges of black exploitation.

Now, witness this: In two recent separate, but cosmically connected developments, Johnson and BET have taken the offensive in frighteningly misguided acts of class warfare.

As reported by The Hill, Johnson earlier this week criticized Democratic presidential candidates for supporting a tax increase on capital gains made by hedge fund managers, a tax increase widely seen as only affecting the very wealthy.

"Johnson told The Hill that it would make it tougher to lure minority talent from the top investment banks, creating more barriers for minority-run firms to compete: 'Investors are skeptical already about the ability of minorities to manage funds and, if you don’t have the best and the brightest, you’re going to be in worse shape.' He added that minority-run firms pour crucial capital into blighted areas 'where many of the bigger funds don’t want to go because they don’t want to navigate the landscape or the relationships.' "

This is the same Johnson who said that a repeal of the estate tax “will help close the wealth gap…between African-American families and white families,” although, as calculated by an economist, only 59 Black folks would have had to pay estate taxes that year.

Here in Central Brooklyn it's comforting to know BJ's got our back on that one.

Johnson doesn't run BET anymore, but his spirit lives on. BET's new piece of programming entitled Hot Ghetto Mess goes out of its way to ridicule moslty Black folks for what it perceives to be acts of ignorance and buffoonery. The boldest part about it is that BET brass has tried to defend the show by calling it social commentary and a middle class attempt to uplift the race by outing ghetto fabulous behavior.

With friends and allies like these, who needs enemies?

Mark Winston Griffith: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 10:53 PM, Aug 02, 2007 in Economic Opportunity
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criticized Democratic presidential candidates for supporting a tax increase on capital gains made by hedge fund managers, a tax increase widely seen as only affecting the very wealthy. "Johnson told The Hill that it would make it tougher to lure minority talent from the top investment banks, creating more barriers for minority-run firms to compete: 'Investors are skeptical already about the ability of minorities to manage funds and, if you don’t have the best and the brightest, you’re going to be in worse shape.' He added that minority-run firms pour crucial capital into blighted areas 'where many of the bigger funds don’t want to go because they don’t want to navigate the landscape or the relationships.' " This is the same Johnson who said that a repeal of the estate tax “will help close the wealth gap…between African-American families and white families,” although, as calculated by an economist, only 59 Black folks would have had to pay estate taxes that year. Here in Central Brooklyn it's comforting to know BJ's got our back on that one. Johnson doesn't run BET anymore, but his spirit lives on. BET's new piece of programming entitled Hot Ghetto Mess goes out of its way to ridicule moslty Black folks for what it perceives to be acts of ignorance and buffoonery. The boldest part about it is that BET brass has tried to defend the show by calling it social commentary and a middle class attempt to uplift the race by outing ghetto fabulous behavior. With friends and allies like these, who needs enemies?&topic=Immigration">