Thursday, December 15, 2005
Tookie Irony
Lets forget about the fact that Tookie Williams murdered four innocent people. Lets forget about the trials, and appeals, etc that stretched for 25 years. I just wanted to take a moment to point out an amazing irony in television on Wednesday night (12/07/05).
While channel surfing late Wednesday night I found a story that the BET station was airing on Tookie Williams. I decided to watch the show and see what the African-American community had to say about the situation. The segment portrayed Williams’ co-author and the president of the NAACP, to name a few. They argued that Williams has become a model-rehabilitated inmate, that his books help keep children out of gangs, and that he helps fight the stereotype of the glorified African-American-Male-Gangster. Here is the irony, the first commercial BET ran during the first commercial break was a violent, gun slinging, gangster commercial for the new 50 Cent video game. I will not dispute the First Amendment Right to create and market the game, nor will I deny BET the right to show any revenue-earning commercial they deem appropriate. I just find the timing of a game that glorifies “gangster life” to be in relative poor taste (if not detrimental) to the message of the show -- especially when the show goes into the 50 Cent commercial with the line, “Brought to you by…”
While channel surfing late Wednesday night I found a story that the BET station was airing on Tookie Williams. I decided to watch the show and see what the African-American community had to say about the situation. The segment portrayed Williams’ co-author and the president of the NAACP, to name a few. They argued that Williams has become a model-rehabilitated inmate, that his books help keep children out of gangs, and that he helps fight the stereotype of the glorified African-American-Male-Gangster. Here is the irony, the first commercial BET ran during the first commercial break was a violent, gun slinging, gangster commercial for the new 50 Cent video game. I will not dispute the First Amendment Right to create and market the game, nor will I deny BET the right to show any revenue-earning commercial they deem appropriate. I just find the timing of a game that glorifies “gangster life” to be in relative poor taste (if not detrimental) to the message of the show -- especially when the show goes into the 50 Cent commercial with the line, “Brought to you by…”
