Separate But Comparable?: A Response to VH1's New Show Being Questioned as the Black "Sex and the City"

In 1896, Homer Plessey--a "Negro" who could pass as white--refused to leave the "whites only" designated cart, resulting in the infamous Plessey v. Ferguson decision. Plessey v. Ferguson mandated what would eventually become an American celebrated tradition--"separate but equal". It would not be until the 1954 Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education, that Americans would come to find out that "separate" will never be equal in a society that favors whiteness and all the privileges associated with it. Some hundred years after Plessey and fifty years after little Linda Brown fought with others to overturn Plessey, we are still engaged in a fight for integration. Or are we?

Last week, Jezebel posted an article response to a new VH1 series set to air this May--"Single Ladies." A series with a seemingly strong presence for Black women, the show seems to have been inspired by last year's Beyonce -induced phenomenon. America fell in love when a married woman told other women to embrace single-hood. Confused? Yeah, me too. Don't ask questions.

Jezebel's article asserts "Single Ladies" might have led people to see themes from another popular cultural phenomena, "Sex and the City." Claiming the show is not the Black SATC, I began to wonder why it was every time a "Black show" comes out it is instantly compared to whatever popular [read: white] show or icon out there? Is it because Blackness and whiteness have been constructed through a dialectical of opposition? Is it because we live in a white supremacist nation that believes, reinforces, and promotes this myth of white superiority?

Whatever it is, it seems to rely on a historical amnesia to the realities that face marginalized communities and media in general. "Single Ladies", a show strongly and clearly marketed to Black women, follows a legacy of affluent "Black" shows. Why is "Single Ladies" already being compared to shows like "Sex and the City" instead of in the likes of "Living Single", "Girlfriends", hell "227"? Why must a show about Black women constantly battle a lack of visibility, but then when visibility is gained, battle being held against a white standard?

Sarah Palin & Bill O'Reilly: The retarded leading the retarded in criticizing the show 'Family Guy'

So the last time I touched on the hypocrisy that is Sarah Palin, certain people got offended that I referrenced her vagina, and used the word retarded. I think from what I was told that the politically correct term for the retarded is Neurologically Atypical? Oh yeah I was also told that the term Mentally Challenged was offensive as well. Which is funny because, well, in the following interview with Bill O'Reilly, I didn't hear the term Neurologically Atypical tossed around. Instead, I heard a bumbling idiot pimping her kids as she has always done since being thrust into the spotlight back in September of 2008. I don't know of you've heard of all the talk surrounding the 'Family Guy' episode, but check out what she had to say:

Your Baby Can Read: From the looks of the commercial, I don't think MY BABY could or will ever read

It’s Saturday, and my 2yr old daughter Ashley has been losing her mind all day. She’s a bit perturbed because in honor of International Children’s Day of Play, Nickelodeon has cut their programming. On all of their network channels there’s a message telling kids to go outside and play, or urging parents to take their kids out to play. Of course she’s 2yrs old and doesn’t understand. Shoot, we’re still trying to get her to understand that there’s nothing we can do when the rain knocks out our satellite service.

If only she was able to read what’s on the screen maybe she could understand. But of course you know Black 2yr olds aren’t able to read (nor will they ever be) according to those “My Baby Can Read” product commercials. Yeah, all the reading babies are White; no need for me to waste money on that product. Oh well, I guess I’ll take her to park once it looks like it isn’t gonna rain – something that it’s been doing all week. Yeah, forget the reading thing. Just as long as I can get her started early athletically, it should get her a leg up on the competition for an athletic scholarship; yeah, that’s the ticket.

Until this thing on Nickelodeon I haven’t given thought to the fact that kids don’t play outside anymore - my two oldest are 15 and 15 respectively. Which I guess would make this International Children’s Day of Play thing a good idea. I guess we can blame the problem of obesity and the inactivity of our kids to the rise in the number of pedophiles instead of the video game industry. I mean why take a chance on being abducted by some sicko at the park when you can be at home playing video games, right? I mean, who else better to entertain and raise our kids than television stations and video game makers, right?

When I was a kid, we didn’t need someone on TV to tell us to go outside and play. Usually it was the other way around. Usually it was an adult Nazi killjoy who saw to it that our childhood fun idea of playtime reduced to the arduous task of reading a book or some other form of torture. Oh well, maybe they’ll have an International Children’s Day of Reading. Of course you know since reading is “White Folks Shit”, us Black parents will have to figure something else out for ours. Oh well, Nickelodeon will be back on the air soon and all will be well in my house. Yep, Dora The Explorer and her sidekick red Timberland boots wearing monkey friend shall be my savior. My baby may never be able to read, but she'll be able to speak Spanish fluently.