We are entering another phase of racism in America. First slavery, then Jim Crow, then economic oppression, now comes the next generation of bigots using reality television as a sociological experiment to attempt to prove their weak theories of racial superiority. Below is an article about Donald Trump who is supposedly going to "spice up" the Apprentice in a clever attempt to increase racial confrontations.

Can Trump spark useful debate on race?
By Renee Graham, Globe Staff

Article Says
In an effort to spice things up on next season's edition of ''The Apprentice," Donald Trump is considering a team of black contestants competing against a group of white participants.

Afromerica Interpretation
This is a huge mistake for - not many reasons - but for one reason only, because it pits Blacks against whites. Regardless of who wins or loses or what cultural issues it addresses, this show will launch a sneak attack against Blacks simply because it is produced by a rich white guy with permission from the FCC, against which Blacks would have no say so. This is a form of oppression because we have no power to control how white America will decide to portray Blacks as a result.

Even if they plot to "allow" Blacks to win a few and lose a few, the end result will not be that Blacks are just as good as whites in business or anything, the end results will magnify tension and increase competition in an already unjust society.

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''Whether people like that idea or not, it is somewhat reflective of our very vicious world," Trump said in a report last week. ''But needless to say, not everyone thinks it's a good idea."

They're right -- it's not a good idea. It's a great idea.

Afromerica
He can say this because he has money, and he can air shows of this sort because he has money. And he will do it despite what Blacks think or believe or what whites think or believe as long as it satisfies his own gluttonous appetites. Using some sort of sociological experiment as an excuse, Trump will open a can of worms that will permeate the already extreme minds of some racist.

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If you think seeing someone eat a spider or a bowlful of animal testicles on NBC's ''Fear Factor" is terrifying, imagine watching teams segregated by race competing against each other week after week. Of course, the camera-savvy contestants would likely be on their best politically correct behavior, self-censoring any epithets or open bigotry toward the opposing team. Any racial fireworks -- surely, the whole point behind such a concept -- would be minimized.

Yet such a gimmick would be invaluable because it would prompt viewers to examine their own feelings about race and racial attitudes in the workplace.

Afromerica
No one needs to be reminded of the racism in this country, FYI, Blacks already know what whites think and feel it is whites that need to come to grips with their own self-awareness.

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Beginning with the unassuming premiere of MTV's ''The Real World" in 1992, we're more than a decade into the modern age of reality TV. We now know all we need to about how much some people don't like their faces (''Extreme Makeover"), their kids (''Brat Camp"), or their relationships (''Temptation Island").

Once Mark Burnett and ''Survivor" introduced a reality-show staple -- voting off contestants -- we found out that we don't much care for each other either, especially with prize money on the line. Still, ''The Apprentice" daring to dig beneath our polished veneer of tolerance would be nothing short of revolutionary, must-see TV. Which is exactly why it probably won't happen.

Afromerica
This is American's way of dealing with their problems, airing them on national television. The spectacles of reality television have taken America on a downward spin toward immorality. It just gets worse and worse.

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Already this year, we've watched one network flinch instead of broadcasting a controversial new show. ABC's ''Welcome to the Neighborhood" planned to allow three white, conservative families in suburban Texas to choose their new neighbors from, among others, a gay couple with an adopted black child, Koreans, African-Americans, a family who identified themselves as pagans, and another family in which the mother worked as a stripper. Yet such was the sturm und drang from groups as diverse as the Family Research Council, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Fair Housing Alliance that the show was yanked before it ever aired.

Afromerica
The whole idea of a show like this is sick and demented because it shows the true nature of whites and exposes their sickness, but not to a shameful extent. Some whites take pride in such satirical airing because they live to measure themselves against others in order to pacify their self-supremacist ideology. Any interest group should protest crap like this because it is destroying the culture in America and not helping it.

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In execution, did this promise to be tacky? Of course, but then that's the awkward nature of most reality TV, whether it's ''The Bachelor" or ''Celebrity Fit Club." At the same time, though, it could have provided an engrossing socio-cultural view of how we deal in the 21st century with an issue, which has vexed us since the Pilgrims landed in the 17th century.

For all the lip service given to conquering prejudice, racial and ethnic intolerance continue to undermine so much of what's supposed to make this country great. Yet so quick are we to cringe at the mention of racism, we tend to shut down even the possibility for thoughtful discussions, likely out of the fear that they might prove too painful and self-revealing.

Afromerica
If we are to address racism, it is not wise to make light of it to the disadvantage of minorities especially while whites still control the wealth; this is nothing more than throwing salt into an open wound. It would be more understandable if there were an equal playing field where everyone could view race relations equally, but the field is far from level thus shows of this sort to address racial tension is a show of racism itself.

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Before it devolved into a half-hour's worth of alcohol-aided hot tub hook-ups between roommates, ''The Real World" aspired to tackle more meaningful issues. Among the most notable was a high-decibel argument between Kevin, an African-American writer, and Julie, a white, aspiring dancer from Alabama, during the show's inaugural season in New York. As a backdrop to this debate was the not-guilty verdicts against the Los Angeles police officers videotaped beating motorist Rodney King, and the ensuing deadly riots. The Kevin-Julie dispute gave that season a gravity, which has long since disappeared from the series.

That's because it dared to be about something and mirrored our own discomforts in dealing with people of different backgrounds. From the incendiary drama ''Crash" to Oprah's snub at the Hermes store in Paris, it's been a compelling year for provocative discussions about race, and what better place to continue that conversation than on one of TV's most popular shows?

Afromerica
The best place to address racial tension in America is not on television but in an open forum with real people like politicians, gatekeepers, and people in power. However, once again, the powerless are faced with the agenda of the powerful and have to fall to what direction they want to send the country, which is toward racial division.

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''The Apprentice" has some experience with this. During its first season, some viewers were divided over whether Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth was vilified because she was an outspoken African-American woman. In dividing the ''Apprentice" teams by race, there would finally be a reality show nervy enough to deal with one of the more difficult dilemmas of our own reality, and where the ultimate stakes would be far more important than just determining who gets to be the Donald's latest lackey.

Afromerica
Warning. This show is an attempt to further pit Blacks against whites for whites to measure their accomplishments against Blacks. It is further reason to blame Blacks for their shortcomings more than give credit where it is due. This show will bring rise to self-centeredness, arrogance, and another superiority theory.

Don't do it Mr. Trump, your people are NOT mentally prepared.

Source From: http://www.boston.com/

© July 2005 by Afro Staff