Good morning I’m dr. Boyce Watkins welcome to financial of making this when we talk about love life money and everything in between i’m here with my buddy partner co-host the ebony magazine entertainment director miss sto brown how you doing today to you I’m doing well how are you I’m doing really well
Really well now I I need you to just give me something to talk about today what we’re gonna talk about we’re talking about well topic that’s been on a lot of tongues of my friends and co-workers is this new show on vh1 called sorority sisters I’m not sure if
You heard about it sorority sisters so oh you have okay voice knows about reality TV doesn’t but uh well the show for those of you who don’t know um features african-american women who are members of different sororities in I think it’s called the divine nine I went
To Howard University which is the Alpha chapter from any fraternity and sorority so I’m not a member of a sorority but I’m familiar with the respect and accolades and grooming process that goes along with becoming a member of a historic african-american sorority or fraternity now this show depicts these
Women who are members of Delta Sigma Theta store unincorporated Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and sigma gamma rho store already incorporated I’m not sure if those are the only african-american female african trek authorities but those are the three that are represented here is a 2 Phi Beta
Right oh yes you have laid you know and I do think zeta’s are represented I’m pretty sure they are too so thank you for it for including that um go boys and the thing is that these sorority girls are not really depicted in the most flattering light so to be fair i’ll
Share some of the highlights and some of the low points one of the great things about this show is that they show they depict these women as entrepreneurs there in Atlanta you know the promised land for young African American entrepreneurs many of them owned businesses or have you know careers or
Dreams that they’re pursuing in the Atlanta area and it’s awesome to see that and that’s kind of where the good stuff ends what we see is a lot of infighting between sorority members so members of the same sorority or are being disrespectful and mean to each other and
Then um against each sorority and in a way that’s not good natured good spirited or even mature almost ridiculous so it’s received a lot of backlash from people because remember a lot of upper middle class african-americans are members of sororities and fraternities and this is how they want to be represented on
Television they don’t want to be seen as people who are immature and bickering particularly when the Chinese authorities supposed to help you get closer to your best self and almost all of them are founded on the premise of service and having a high ethical standard and a great bond so there’s
Been a petition people are asking for it to be taken also vh1 some sponsors have even pulled out like CarMax which is uh they do like the lip balm and all of that has said that they’re not going to be affiliated with it ya think let’s still homework homework also backed out
So bad and the film soma I think that they announced that they’re not going to run their ads during the show so there is some backlash there right but the h1 is still saying we’re going to air the show so what do you think boys I’ve watched it it was entertaining but it
Was it wasn’t you know I were watching a different world right so my my impersonate my impression of what black life would be in black sorority and fraternity life was very much shaped around watching that show so for people who aren’t familiar with the culture their impression is going to be shaped
By watching this show and I’ll tell you something if my kids only got to see this I don’t think that they wouldn’t want to be part of us or a sorority unless they wanted to slap box well you know I think that it might make them not
Want to join but at the same time I think at the very least of my modify their expectations of what sorority life is supposed to be all about and I think that there are people who have always been concerned about the increasing decline or decay of the culture of sororities
And fraternities you know the black community you know obviously 20 25 years ago is very different for what you might see same right now and you know I think that what it might do it’s very least is lead to kind of a call to a call to contemplation for those who are seeking
Ariel right that’s my that’s my term you know for those who are kind of seeking to redefine really what it should mean to join a black crank letter organization because I think a lot of people are lost so there are people you know just think oh if I joined that
Organization I get to wear the colors and I you know and the parties are better or I you don’t I mean maybe I get to live in the house if there is a house and you know and I don’t think anybody I think a lot of people really are truly
Disconnected from what these organizations are supposed to be about and and so you know just some extent this it almost seems like this show is kind of a spillover of that culture just kind of saying let me put let’s put the mirror on a segment of your population
So you can just kind of see how ridiculous some of you may look to the outside world now the other thing people are saying is when you look at shows like basketball wives or Love & hip-hop you know the black middle class didn’t really get so upset when you saw other
People quote unquote Kooning when you saw aspiring entertainers or entertainers or strippers or whomever doing this but you know you turn that mirror as you say on people who are supposed to be a certain way and there’s a completely different response what are your thoughts on that um you know
There’s definitely some classism there um you know you you have to point out that hypocrisy that if you assume that we are a cohesive community which is I think a debatable issue you know there are some people who see the divide you know they’re there are those who you
Know who sort of see the world in a certain way in terms of Education wealth building family building etc and then those who see it in a different way a midi of whom were may be traumatized by the war on drugs or just kind of grew up
In situations that were less than ideal and so i think a lot of people always have this fascination with reality TV where we turn on the TV and we see these people that where we kind of know them but we kind of don’t there aren’t these distant cousins almost from like from
Another planet for some people where it’s like why does he have so many tattoos why does she keep sleeping with him even though he has 14 girlfriends why you know why did he shoot him over you know a can of Pepsi you know that
You know what I mean like oh why does he think that he’s going to be a big rapper and that’s why he you know why he doesn’t want to get a regular job you know I think a lot of people look at that and they’re like whoa they have
This fascination but at the same time if you believe in a cohesiveness within the black community you have to point out the hypocrisy that just says wait a minute are you concerned because now they’re showing you know people from your group in a way that doesn’t make
You comfortable but also it’s a show of power as well happy I think that when you talk about you know lower-class african-americans if you want to use that term lower class or those who store and the struggle urbanized whatever you want to call it there’s not as much
Advocacy there there there is there is an effort by networks and an ability of networks to take advantage of that desperation that’s that many people have you know I so badly want to be you know rebuild my rap career that I will get on TV and say and do any ratchet thing
Imaginable for your entertainment we’re really and people don’t understand that’s really a minstrel show you’re really you know as there’s an aka of Maria Lloyd I did interview with who called it Coonan for cash and and it is it is but but you know so you flip that
And you get to the black middle class you know whether there is more advocacy there is more organization there are there are people that are saying you know no you’re you’re not maybe you can portray certain black people in that light but you’re not going to portray my
Organization in that light because you know we are an organization which means we are organized which makes us a lot minimal force and what you saying that there is something that the organization can do they can they can galvanize and decide that this is something that’s unacceptable for members and if they
Don’t want people who are members of the organization to do this in the future that can be part of one of the membership requirements and one of the things that you said about classism really spoke to me you know we assume that it’s always poor people who are
Putting on the show but the fact is that’s a stereotype on all of these shows whether it’s real housewives of any of any city and lands it to Orange County married to medicine you have people from all classes and walks of life who want to be famous who want
To have access to the power and prestige whether it’s actual or perceived from being on television one of the great things about sororities is that even though it’s stereotype to just be for the middle class people of all walks of life join sororities and fraternities and it’s supposed to help you get closer
To being a better person personally when I was in high school I met a member of a sorority I largely Matt and I was actually able to be part of a grooming a lady’s grooming process you know a lot of disorders have different programs and
And that helped me go to college and I later receive the scholarship for that from that sorority you know and I grew up in a very urban environment and I was I benefited from that and the person who was a sorority member was from an urban environment as well so you know again
This stereotype that all sorority members and all black people are one way or the other we’re all in meshed you know so I think if we’re going to advocate for african-americans to proceed the proceeds in one way or at least in multiple ways we need to be consistent across the board you know
Let’s not be hypocritical and say you know oh love and hip hop has to be this way sorority sisters has to be this way because the fact is ratchet is everywhere and makes good TV ratchet in Orange County ratcheting Beverly Hills ratchet in Atlanta so that that is true
Right ratchet can’t be that be everywhere but but you can’t help but wonder if there is kind of a racism and you know in Hollywood that well we know racism exists in Hollywood but you know what you know what if these were white sororities I mean what schwhat white
Counterparts are there out there really all right but the thing is there are shows like that there’s like all these shows on MTV like you know redneck this and I don’t watch those shows but there’s a country show on MTV that ultimately got canceled and then another show called rednecks something on MTV
That’s currently on the difference is that diversity of image for mainstream Americans right so long he say mainstream what we mean white so that show is just a glimpse a slice of life and our community more of the shows not all but more of them are geared to
Showing a specific segments of the population or a specific behavior that has negative connotations and that’s really is the problem right I yeah I think America has a fetish with urbanized black America right they just you know this for men it’s kind of like you know they enjoy the the thug
Performance you know more so than anything else you know I know a lot of guys with PhDs and law degrees and stuff like that who you know wouldn’t be interesting to a lot of these networks but you know and so what’s happened is in a way they’ve kind of skewed this
Power toward this this thuggish image and in what you see sometimes you see people who were probably meant to be something other than thugs who put on the thug uniform and want to be in that light so they can get that opportunity to be famous or you know to get a record
Deal or to get on TV or whatever you know and so maybe there is a lack of responsibility just in general with a lot of these shows but you know I think with sorority sisters of I don’t know I I don’t do you think the show is going
To even survive I don’t as of now it’s still airing when I watched the first episode I had to say again I went to Howard University alpha chapter most of the sororities and fraternities none of the women that I knew on campus uh were like any of these were these women um
And I don’t want to be condescending because I also know that things are edited a certain way but my experience was always about the sisterhood professionalism high ethical values high moral standing because everywhere you walk you are representing this historic organization it’s supposed to make you better it’s supposed to make you step
Aside from some of the more mature things because they all insert your sisterhood and bonding this show is not about sisterhood even within the organization so in terms of it being entertaining yes in terms of it supporting the values of these organizations hell no well we’ll see
What happens on you know I I i can say that I didn’t enjoy it enjoy the idea of creating a show like this but you know in a way I’m just kind of I got my popcorn out I’m gonna sit back and watch and see is it see who wins the fight
Because I think I think a lot of is its I think it’s angering a lot of people that you see these continuous depictions of black people and there’s not a rush to show black people in any sort of humanized light it’s sort of like you know entertain us almost like little you
Know little monkeys you know dance again do this again do that again you’ll do something to us or do something for us that’s going to make us exciting and can you know where we can continue to fantasize about you people and what we think you people do when we’re not
Around and I think a lot of people are getting tired of this they you know we don’t have to be entertainers in order to be successful we in a negative way and i have to say people who don’t like this kind of show i suggest that they
Not only right in but also support the shows that don’t show black people in that way there tons of them flex and Chinese Deion Sanders family life no playbook that’s on own I remember T and Tamara had a great show on one of the female networks that got cancelled style
The style network we TV has great shows they have Mary Mary they have they have SWV they have the Braxtons they fight sometimes but they don’t fistfight that often they have Tamar and Vince they’re great shows that depict us in a way that is respectful dignified and still
Entertaining tell them more of what we want and don’t support what we don’t want we’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue please write in and let us know have a great day bye bye
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