Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Brandy was just voted off of 'Dancing With the Stars' last night, in the fulfillment of what has come to pass for many talented African Americans who compete on the show. In September when the 2010 roster of competitors was announced, BV on Money speculated about how far the black stars would go -- because the show has a notorious history of voting off obviously more talented African American celebrities early. The amount of money you can make on the show depends on how long you stay on, and of course the winner has many opportunities to capitalize further on being champion in numerous ways. Black stars rarely get that opportunity.
Not since Emmitt Smith won 'Dancing With the Stars' in 2006 has an African American star taken that coveted top spot. When Lil Kim and Toni Braxton were voted off early in the competition last season, many were outraged. When Mya was passed over as the 2009 'Dancing With the Stars' winner, the black community could not believe its eyes or ears. Commenters on blog posts and message boards vowed to never watch 'DWTS' again because of what appears to be a clear pattern of discrimination against African American celebrities who can clearly dance better than stars who win.
This season the pattern continues with Brandy being voted off, while Bristol Palin, who can barely keep a beat, is being whisked on to the next round. The clear manner in which Brandy was robbed is being hotly debated on the Black Voices Message boards. But one angry viewer has taken his outrage at this clear injustice against Brandy even further:
Allegedly set off by Bristol Palin's appearance on 'Dancing With the Stars,' a rural Black Earth man kept police at bay outside his home for 15 hours Monday and Tuesday before he surrendered to police...
According to the complaint, Cowan and his wife were watching 'Dancing with the Stars' when Cowan jumped up and swore as Bristol Palin appeared, saying something about "the (expletive) politics." Cowan was upset that a political figure's daughter was on the show when he didn't think she was a good dancer, the complaint states.
According to the complaint:
Cowan went upstairs for about 20 minutes and returned, demanding his pistols, which had been taken by his daughter about a month ago for safety reasons. He was carrying a single-shot shotgun, which he loaded and fired into the television. (Source)
It does not help the issue that the political supporters ensuring Bristol's unfair advancement on 'Dancing With the Stars' might be using a technical glitch to game the system. Her going on to the finals while Brandy gets the boot not only makes it look like the show discriminates against black celebrities -- it also makes people so angry that they shoot their TV!
We know Republican know how to steal an election, but this is ridiculous. When producers let a clearly talentless dancer like Bristol Palin take the lead over a stellar black contestant like Brandy, they alienate both the African American audience and the general mainstream audience that just wants to see a fair fight. If they can't advance to the final rounds or win, thus earning more dollars, African American celebrities might refrain from going on the show. And honest citizens who appreciate justice in their programming might stop watching.
Unless the producers want to turn of audiences of all colors, the creators of 'Dancing With the Stars' need to find a way to give black contestants on the show a fair chance -- and stop people like Bristol Palin from benefiting from cheating.
Source: Black Voices