I love BET. Actually I like BET. I watch it so I know what’s going on in the black community the hiphop community. But that’s the problem. Our community (the black community) is not soley based upon entertainment. True that’s where a lot of notable African Americans have had their shine: Sidney Poitier, Micheal Jordan, Morgan Freeman, Josephine Baker, Satchel Paige,Marvin Gaye to name a few. And yes I did include athletes in the category of entertainment, because if you can play it…then its entertainment. (Ie: you can’t play math…)

I’m slightly fed up with BET and the people who grow up with it. Let me give you a little backstory:

I’m from the country. By the country I mean like farm and amish people around. The highlight of my 8th birthday was when the neighbors goat walked through the woods into my backyard and had a fight with one of my 4 dogs. Needless to say…I didn’t have cable. To watch Eurika’s Castle my mom had to drive 10 minutes, cross the main road and I had to sit in a furinture store while she looked around.

I maybe a little sterotypical…but it seems like those who grow up on television (and right now I’m narrowing it down to Black Entertainment Television) know nothing besides the top 10 videos on 106 & Park, the beef between rappers, and the latest trend (now its being a Rockstar… so everybody make sure you have your skull belt and wallet chain)

For a musical taste of what I’m talking about check out:

• Mickey Factz - Rockstar Posers
• Ill Eagle - He-Man Woman Haters Club

But BET is doing nothing but perpetuating every sterotype with the type of videos they show. But not only is it the videos, its the television shows. If they’re not talking about music, videos, rappers, or being more iced out than Frosty then its the Wayan’s Brothers or Jamie Foxx. Now I have nothing against those shows. They are funny. But everyday all day until videos come on. Give me a break. Ah, the commercial break. Surely something inspiring will come on in those 75 seconds between show segments. Wrong. Why is it that almost every commerical is about having bad credit? Please BET stop trying to force us to believe that we all have bad credit…and that its oh k to have a poor credit score. Its not oh k. Why don’t you have some shows on how to improve your credit score. If not a complete show then at least tidbits throughout a show. Or even a commerical break. Stop trying to rely on TVOne to produce the edutainment that BET can and should provide. It is a discredit to all the aspiring poets, writers, real estate agents, stock brokers to not showcase their shows, talents, and intrest.

So BET, I implore to get your act together. You’re lack of the black communial spirit is helping to retard the emotional and educational growth of our youth. Its not only you, BET but the parents our youth. But that’s a topic for another day.

So let me just leave you with a question: when we will have our youth know their multiplication tables better than the know the lyrics to the songs on the Top 5 at 5?