I Apologize, Black Reality TV Shows
I first turned Bling Empire on with the intended purpose for it to be background noise while I worked on an assignment. Every few minutes I found myself peeking up from behind my computer scene. The looks increased and, within twenty minutes, I placed the computer to the side so that I could give my undivided attention to the show.
For years, I have been adamant about my dislike for reality tv shows that centered the often dramatic lives of Black basketball wives, Black hip hop artists, Black housewives and more. I would often complain that these shows drummed up stereotypes and were being used by the white media to make it seem all like all Black people were like those reality stars. To protest, I refused to watch and lend any support to these shows.
My partner said to me, while I was on the couch devouring another episode of Bling Empire, that all these reality tv shows are the same and a light bulb went off in my head. I’ve been perpetuating white supremacist thinking about my people. I denied to learn their individualized stories because I felt that somehow they were setting back all Black people, including me [Editor’s note: writing that sentence felt gross]. So I separated from them, thinking that my refusal to watch was somehow demonstrating that I was above their experiences. Put another way, I thought I was “better than them.” This concept highlights my complicity in white supremacy because I was actively reinforcing an imaginative hierarchy, placing myself above others, closer to whiteness - the right way to act.
White supremacy is egregiously prevalent and manifests in a variety of different ways.
I apologize, Black Reality TV Shows
