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RAMEY is the Pastor of The Forward Church, Indianapolis, Indiana, and
is the author of THE MANHOOD LINE. This syndicated column appears on
fine websites and gracious blogs around the world. To correspond, buzz
an email to him at manhoodline@yahoo.com.
© 2009 Mike Ramey/Barnstorm Communications.
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The MSM: NOT OUR FRIEND
BY MIKE RAMEY
If you think that the new normal is viewing or reading news stories depicting ONLY; a) Black men being arrested; b) Black women on welfare or on corners; c) oversexed young Black women fighting each other in the streets, or; d) young Black men locked into a sports-rap-hip-hop-gang slanging personna a generation after the Civil Rights movement concluded, you’ve been hoodwinked…TOO!
The propaganda tactics of the MSM--and their cohorts have become tragic of late. A few years ago, a slew of tell-all books and articles were released by those who were in the news/entertainment game. Surprisingly, many stalwarts of the MSM admitted that they ‘put forth’ their political/social/moral agendas through their fare, which leaned to the left (radical) side in far too many cases.
THE VIDEO SCREEN VS. REALITY:
The real world does not ‘run’ on a sitcom or reality clock. It runs on faith in God, loyalty, respect for authority, and perseverance. Frankly, I’m amazed at the number of young men and young women who don’t ‘get’ these key facts, THEN get upset when they are out of school--or a job--through their acting out bad behavior which has been fueled by hours of consuming videos, video games, or other MSM fare.
In our advanced technical age, African Americans are STILL the number one consumers of television. America still is the number one exporter of entertainment to the rest of the world. OUR images have not improved, nor do many of us seem to care about the MSM ruin to our reputations. Even fledgling cable networks are making a killing showing the re-runs of much of the seventies and eighties buffoonery that doesn’t seem to ‘die’. Fewer Black entrepreneurs are attempting to get broadcast licenses or set up film studios to release better-quality and uplifting video fare. What makes matters worse is Oprah and Tyler Perry--among others--continue to contribute to the mental weakening of our youth and young adults by their providing non-inspiring fare and raking in the cash for more freakish adventures into an alternate reality not fit for man, woman, nor beast.
JUST ‘PERFORM WELL’ ON A STAGE TO GET AHEAD:
Years ago, the late Newton R. Minnow opined that television was ‘a vast wasteland’. That has since been updated. Television and the MSM are now ‘a vast white-land’…by deliberate design.
History has repeated itself--even among video games! Doubt me? Next time you pick up the latest video game fare for your child or yourself, spot the number of racially stereotyped characters among the heroes, villains and supporting cast.
The MSM is NOT a friend of Black people. Again, I am pointing to a slew of tell-all articles and books which have been quietly released over the last few years, explaining in great detail how many television executives and producers took audience favorites--including M*A*S*H, Friends, Family Ties and Happy Days (among others), leaned them deliberately to the left and rendered Blacks invisible, nonexistent or very stereotyped. While you’ve been viewing, laughing, gaming or texting on your gadget of choice, again: You’ve been hoodwinked…TOO!
MONITOR YOUR CONSUMPTION & PROTECT YOUR MIND:
In my travels, I have covered, appeared before, or observed courts and judges. The FIRST rule of thumb? NEVER address a judge by their first name. This is considered a major no-no and could earn one a possible trip to jail. The SECOND rule of thumb? Dress for success. It shows respect for the judge, and for the system of law. Of course, many of the MSM court shows--even the ones featuring Black judges--are not based in reality, but in buffoonery.
Why is it important for us to monitor what we watch? Why is it crucial that young people especially need to be able to separate fact from fiction; myth from reality?
Let’s start with the obvious--the subjects of marriage, sex outside of marriage, and OOW births. Young Black men MUST learn how to prepare themselves to become husbands, not rappers and thugs. Young Black women MUST learn how to become wives, not video vixens and thuggettes. Children born outside of wedlock are not cute; they are bastards--as outlined in the Bible. Homes are built by families headed by husbands, supported by wives, and are populated by obedient children trained by their parents. The MSM hates what I have mentioned, because it robs them of revenue and viewership. God loves and blesses the nation, family, and education which backs his plan and his WORD. It’s your call--blessing or cursing in your own life?
Monitor your viewing choices.
Let’s move into the arena of crime. There is nothing glamorous about being arrested. Sixty minutes on television or ten minutes in a video is quite different from doing state or federal time. Young brothers who decide to make their mark in the criminal world, and wind up doing time in jail or prison OVER the advice of parents, school and the police. Then, these same young criminals--now with a record upon release--wants sympathy and find it ‘harsh’ that employers won’t ‘give’ them a job after they have served time.
Monitor your viewing choices.
A young person who spends five to six hours a day listening to/watching the MSM today is not going to get blessed in their education, career or even dating choices. Thinking eventually becomes muddled, and dreams become compromised. The same thing can happen to young--and older adults if they don’t keep a grip on their minds and eyesight. We don’t have to ‘buy in’ to the propaganda and images which appear before us. We can either put pressure on the holders to the keys of the MSM to better represent us, or, we can opt out of the brainwashing by restricting our consumption of their wares.
Being Number One DOES have clout to knock out the wrongs being put out!
Mike Ramey is a pastor and writer who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana and is the author of ‘The Manhood Line’ and ‘The Ramey Commentaries’. Both columns are carried on fine websites and blogs around the world. To email, drop an electronic line to him at manhoodline@yahoo.com. © 2011 Mike Ramey/Barnstorm Communications International.
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