THE Western world is hyper-vigilant about being culturally inclusive. Our doctrines state we must not single out anyone on the basis of colour or creed and we must adhere to the convention that all men and women are created equal. It sounds like a nice concept, right? It is a farce.
We live in a world of strained sensitivity where instead of running the risk of upsetting minority groups we allow reverse discrimination to run rampant. In the spirit of cultural inclusiveness and ethnic diversity, the Black Entertainment Television Awards were created. That’s right, an awards ceremony that dishes out the kudos to the best of the best in the black community. White people need not apply. This is one statuette they will never be taking home.
Can anybody else see the hypocrisy of allowing the BETs to go ahead? What if I start up a ceremony that honors the best of the best in the white community? I’ll call it the WETs and black people will be ineligible to win. There would be public outrage and I’d be labelled a white supremacist.
I thought we already had a few awards ceremonies that praised everyone in the entertainment industry. You don’t have to be white to win a Grammy. The last time I checked, people of colour have won Oscars. No one watches the Tony’s, but if they did I’m sure there would be black artists standing side by side with white ones. And still black entertainers feel the need to segregate themselves.
Last week Rihanna, Puff Daddy, Nelly and Kanye West(all Grammy winners) scooped the pool at the BETs, but there was no sign of Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Amy Winehouse and other chart-topping artists. Their songs may be dominating iTunes, but they have one vital ingredient missing—their iPods aren’t black enough for the BETs. This is a huge problem in the racial divide.
As long as we see ourselves as “the other’’ there will never be social and cultural equality. As long as Barack Obama is more than a man, but a poster boy for the oppression of blacks and “the first black African-American presidential candidate’’ he will never be anything more than that. He will never rise above tokenism to be something truly great, a colourless leader. Why does it have to be about Barack being black? It is great to acknowledge one’s cultural history and it does have relevance, but it is not the be all and end all.
Not so long ago, certain “clubs’’ that had exclusive membership for white people were frowned upon, seen as parochial, outdated, racist. The black equivalents are seen as empowering, healthy, liberating. I am not suggesting the erosion of cultural difference; what I am suggesting is the erosion of cultural divides. Awards like the BETs just highlight that divide.
Black people may argue that the struggle for equality with their white contemporaries continues and no doubt there are many people who suffer racism every day, but at the end of that day, colour is only skin deep. When you draw a line in the sand, no one can cross it.
Nelson Mandela celebrates his 90th birthday on July 18 and I think he said it best: “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.’’
