I'm pretty sure many of you (people of color that is....but all nationalities read this blog..you'd be surprised) have had the experience of explaining the existence of BET(Black Entertainment Television for those residing under a rock for 25 plus years)to White acquaintances. Actually the question can be applied to just about anything that has Black in it's title. When this happens, it is jarring as to how little Whites know about Blacks and how powerful the media is as a propaganda tool. The quick answer is....there already is a WET. Pick your station...whether it's CBS, NBC, FOX or the WB, all are White Entertainment Television. But give me time I can dig deeper. If you are a Black American(not Caribbean, Latin or African..shout out to those brothers, just being specific)your options for self-description are limited. The term African-American is a somewhat new term and it is equally recent that Black folk have felt comfortable in embracing African as a nationality. So what am I saying? The whole premise of slavery is non identity. Our existence in this country has centered around color as our ONLY identifier. Very rarely is a White person conscious of their color...except in the company of a Black majority. So a Black American can't opt out and state that they are Italian,Irish, Jewish, etc. Unless you're Lenny Kravitz, Sammy Davis, Jr. or Giancarlo Esposito...but they are still Black guys. Hence, our quantifier has been terms such as Black music, Black art, Black entertainment, etc. Black has to encompass everything...the culture, the color and one's consciousness. But I like to talk a lot. If you're running for time and just don't have the patience...stick to the short answer-isn't CBS running a Without a Trace marathon?
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