The image was obviously created in jest and was meant to spark humor more so than an actual debate. However, it got me to thinking that perhaps we do need to have a serious discussion about the journey of reality television and how far beyond the downward spiral it has gone since the early 90s.
I used to be a HUGE reality TV show fan. It started in the 90s with The Real World. Later I was more interested in reality competition shows like Mark Burnett's hit CBS show Survivor and FOX's American Idol. I even watched trainwrecks like Flava Flav's Flavor of Love and his spinoff show I Love New York. Then there was the guilty pleasure moment where I actually wasted an hour of my life each week tuning into Tila Tequila's A Shot At Love.
Lord forgive me for watching those shows. I repent now.
I made the decision to stop watching reality television about 3 years ago. It was too much for me to handle. I couldn't stomach seeing people parade themselves in front of a camera and exploiting their shortcomings for the sake of notoriety. The worse part of this was, a number of these reality TV shows as of late depict Black women in the worse kind of way and I just can't handle it anymore. Occasionally when I go to a friends' house or even visit my mother, I am forced to see these shows. I get on my political rant about the objectification of Black women on these programs and how its promoting stereotypes that we have been fighting against for years. Of course they ignore me, turn up the volume, and hoot and holler about what Nene did to Kim that week.
::SIGH::
The sad part about these kinds of shows is that they are increasing expeditiously in popularity and every season a new show pops up with the same kind of formula:
Women calling each other BITCHES
Women fighting tooth and nail at one another
Women dogging each other out by constant insults
Women using men as a pawn to seek revenge or to incite hurt.
This list actually goes on and on...and I don't even watch these shows regularly, so I'm sure someone who does could easily add more to this list. It feels like there is little to no hope in ending this or at least pointing out the absurdity of it all.
Until tonight when a follower on Twitter introduced me to the "Bury The Ratchet" Campaign.
::Cue the sound of a high pitched soprano choir singing "AAAHHH"::
Michaela Angela Davis is the first to speak up and speak out about the depiction of Black women on reality TV. She is spearheading an event at Spelman College in Atlanta in March 2013 to redirect the focus of negative imagery in television to positive images and leadership. According to Clutch Magazine, through a symposium at Spelman College in March 2013, Davis, along with other community leaders and scholars, will engage in an open conversation about the role reality television is playing within African-American culture and its impacts on society. The goal of the movement will be to produce a PSA of sorts that will publicize how young women of color truly feel about how they are being portrayed by media corporations.
A few weeks ago this was first announced on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Davis was questioned as to whether this movement will truly engage not only women of color, but society as a whole who are responsible for the high ratings that are sanctioned by viewers. Davis feels very confident that this movement is about pro-leadership and not anti-reality TV, and that it will make a profound difference in how women see themselves.
I personally support this movement and hope that the one day event in Atlanta will not be the last of this kind of discussion. More women should make noise about the way we are depicted on TV and more opportunities should be given to women who are interested in putting out material that actually represent a larger majority of us.
Let's start making more noise on this issue girls. It's time to Bury The Ratchet.
