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COMMENTARY: Reality TV — The Respectable and the Ratchet

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “These shows draw large audiences because some showcase professional Black women and the triumphs and struggles we all experience daily. They highlight the iconic ‘Black Girl Magic’ that makes the whole world interested in what we are doing. The cat fighting and mean girl behavior definitely add to the entertainment value. I also love the way Black family life is highlighted on both of these shows (RHOA and Married to Medicine),” says Reality show viewer Miranda Solomon.

Published

7 years ago

November 3, 2019

Oakland Post

Whether network or cable television programs, reality television shows garner some of the highest ratings in broadcast and cable television. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Entertainment and Culture Editor

Much to the chagrin of some media critics, scholars and television fans, reality television is here to say. Colloquially referred to as “ratchet tv,” reality television is loved and loathed often by the same fan base who like or detest the genre for the same reasons.

Some of the reality shows, particularly those with all-women and all-black casts, have become synonymous with promoting the worst of women’s behavior with constant bickering, physical fighting, back stabbing, pettiness, anger and mean-spiritedness put on full display.

Many believe the shows highlight the most stereotypical behavior of women in general and black women in particular. Others enjoy the genre as an escape from the reality of their everyday lives and appreciate the entrepreneurial endeavors of the women on the shows, sometimes resulting in spin-offs like Vanderpump Rules and retail businesses owned by members of the casts of RHOA, RHONY, RHOP and Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta.

Whether network or cable television programs, reality television shows garner some of the highest ratings in broadcast and cable television.

Season 12 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) returns to television Sunday, November 3 and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills made history by adding actress Garcelle Beauvais to the cast, making the former model the first Black woman on that particular franchise.

Married to Medicine’s programming day has been changed multiple times; yet and still their fans continue to find them and bring new fans with them along the way.

There’s an old adage that says you should never discuss politics or religion in polite company. Perhaps another category should be added? Reality television.

If you want to hear a heated debate, then bring up reality television in any number of settings and a range of responses and emotions will surface. Some live for the genre, while others despise the television category which is broad enough to include Cops, The Bachelor, The Masked Singer, Dog The Bounty Hunter, 90 Day Fiancé, Say Yes to the Dress, House Hunters, RHOA, Chopped and a host of other reality shows.

Reality shows continuously rank high on ratings lists; reality shows featuring women casts and all black casts continuously rank high on cable ratings lists.

Not only are the shows popular on television, they spawn other streams of revenue for reality show stars. Cookbooks, restaurants, clothing stores, fitness videos, weight-loss products, ear buds and the like are being hawked by cast members of these shows.

Real Housewives of New York’s Bethenny Frankel built a multi-million-dollar empire with her Skinnygirl lifestyle brand. RHOP stars Gizelle Bryant and Karen Huger launched a make-up line and fragrance over the last three seasons. While RHOA’s Kandi Burress, who was already successful in music prior to being cast on RHOA, has morphed into a successful entrepreneur in online retail and restaurants.

RHOA’s NeNe Leakes has jettisoned to mainstream popularity, having starred on two network television series, other reality shows, performed on Broadway and is currently pursuing a career in stand-up comedy, among other businesses.

Model turned RHOA reality star Cynthia Bailey opened a modeling company and lunched a sunglass line. Cardi B launched herself musically into the stratosphere from her journey on Love and Hip-Hop New York to the 2017 cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, relegating rock legend Fats Domino to a corner mention, en route to becoming rap music royalty.

It’s not just the women on these shows who are winning financially, but also the men. The Apprentice’s Bill Rancic sold his cigar company for millions to Synergy Brands, remained on the board of directors and continues to broker million-dollar deals.

Recently, Love and Hip-Hop Hollywood’s Ray J closed a $31 million deal securing the launch of his new electronics transportation brand Raycon.

Reality stars like K. Michelle, Huger (RHOP), Leakes, Shooter Gates (LHHA) also use their platforms to highlight important issues like domestic violence, rape and gun control. While reality television shows featuring primarily all-women casts are problematic, it is difficult to dismiss them and the genre itself with their consistent ratings, successful brands and businesses.

In fact, reality television shows, became so popular with women audiences in the early 2000s, they displaced legendary soap operas like All My Children and One Life to Live, both of which had been on-air for more than forty years each at the time of cancellation (2011).

Reality television mimicked the narrative and stylistic elements of soap operas, but with far less production costs. For example, even though 90 Day Fiancé is a popular reality show on TLC, reportedly, each couple gets $1000 to $1500 per episode, with some cast members starting GoFundMe pages to ask for help with bills.

The Bachelorette (ABC) earns $250,000 per season, while some Teen Mom’s (MTV) like Catelyn Lowell earn $500,000 per season. As for the Real Housewives franchise (BRAVO), the beginning salary per season started off at $7,250 for the entire season of season 1 of Real Housewives of New York.

New reports claim Bethany Frankel made upwards of $1.5 million per season for her last turn on RHON, while Lisa Vanderpump (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) and Nene Leaks (RHOA) make up to $2.7 million per season. It is estimated that Kim Kardashian rakes in $7 million per season for Keeping Up the Kardashians.

While it is easy to assume that reality stars are making that kind of money, the vast majority are not, particularly on women cast shows whose re-runs dominate daytime television programming and new episodes strike ratings gold for primetime audiences.

Most reality shows of this type – women cast housewives shows – are filmed with three to five crew members on location, unlike soap operas which were historically filmed on set, with scores of crew members and star salaries that were in the millions of dollars.

The lower production costs of reality shows including crew and star salaries coupled with the rise of social media giants Facebook and Twitter brought the reign of daytime soap operas to a screeching halt.

While many want to get rid of what some call “Trash TV,” reality television is here to stay, if for nothing else – high return on investment in the form of advertising and viewership relative to the low cost of production and distribution.

Reality show executive producers Andy Cohen, Mona Scott Young and Carlos King understand the business model and know it is good business to produce problematic reality shows. Despite the outcry on social media about the danger of reality television, the popularity of reality shows with audiences challenges the presumption that ratchet television is bad for the culture.

Dr. Mark Cunningham, Professor of Black Popular Culture at Austin Community College, thinks the critique is wrapped in respectability politics. “What we see on these shows falls under everything we discuss in other contexts as stereotyping: self- absorption, hypersexuality, over-indulgence, superficiality, hyper masculinity and so forth, he offers. I don’t buy into these critiques of the shows being worthless although I do recognize that there is some truth to the critiques in terms of the stereotypical behaviors of those on the shows. People need to understand this is just one example of black life. This is not all of black life.”

The reality shows with black women casts do represent the worst of what folks have to say about black people, but they also fill the desire for black people in general and black women specifically to be seen on television.

Dr. Alfred L. Martin, Jr. Assistant Professor of media studies in the departments of Communication Studies and African American Studies at the University of Iowa states, “These shows emerged at a time when black women were pretty non-existent within mainstream media. So, on one hand, they were feeding an unsatiated appetite for black female representation. On the other hand, these representations emerge in a post-network environment where networks are seeking modes of differentiation in an ever more crowded television landscape,” Martin offers.

“At the same time, these representations are complicated in the ways they mix the respectable and the ratchet. So, in a way, they break from ‘Saint’ Claire Huxtable who did not have a ‘negative’ bone in her representational body. These black female reality TV characters — and they are characters versus necessarily being their “real” selves –are far more complex,” Dr. Martin adds.

It is impossible to dismiss the large audiences in general and women of color they draw despite the chorus of naysayers who believe the stereotypes bring more harm than good by playing into the “angry woman” stereotype among others.

Reality show viewer Miranda Solomon has diverse reasons for watching the shows. “Specifically, I watch Love and Listings because I sell real estate and am interested in seeing a show that is entirely focused on people of color doing what I do for a living. I also watch Basketball Wives, Love and Hip Hop (all cities), Real Housewives of ATL and Married to Medicine. I watch each of these shows as a mindless indulgence. Each of these shows provides just the right about of reality escape for me,” says Solomon who also sees the reality in the show despite the cattiness.

“These shows draw large audiences because some showcase professional Black women and the triumphs and struggles we all experience daily. They highlight the iconic ‘Black Girl Magic’ that makes the whole world interested in what we are doing. The cat fighting and mean girl behavior definitely add to the entertainment value. I also love the way Black family life is highlighted on both of these shows (RHOA and Married to Medicine).”

When asked about the negative images perpetuated by both shows and the criticism the show receives because of these images, Solomon offers, “If you’re only watching the cattiness and the fighting, then it is easy to have that opinion. I actually follow the story lines of the characters. I find the characters’ family lives intriguing and, in many cases, endearing. I wonder if the critique is the same for White reality shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette?”

Dr. Martin speaks to Solomon’s concerns. “At base, that sort of critique is rooted in a racialized and racist understanding of blackness. White folks get to consume all sorts of garbage and their consumption is often bound within ‘ironic’ stances toward the ‘bad object’ or general notions of kitsch and camp. When black folks consume ‘bad objects’ it is understood as endemic of our lack of taste, class and education. Of course, that goes back to Stuart Hall’s conceptualization of the function of the stereotype: to fix, essentialize, reduce and naturalize blackness as inherently inferior and ‘othered.’”

Therein lies the rub. Why is it that in a reality genre that is teeming with shows ranging from tow truck operators to police officers to college kids sharing a house together to dance teams and the lives of little people, are so many bothered by the black cast reality shows? It is possible to realize that much of what you are watching is problematic and find some sense of pleasure in the show despite the problematic images? Is Rachel Lindsay, the first black Bachelorette, any worse than the twenty “Bachelorettes” that came before her?

Some television viewers like Donna White, who rarely watches black cast reality television shows because of the problematic images of black people, understands why people want to see these images and believes the cast members should have the opportunity to use their platform to develop and grow their businesses.

However, White, who jokingly refers to herself as a “bean bag culture critic” is still bothered by the representation of black people on these shows. “Reality shows often perpetuate and reinforce stereotypes about black love, relationships, and how black people act and what is important to us. Black folks are dynamic and multidimensional people, but that is rarely captured on most reality shows,” she says.

When asked what it take for her to watch more black reality shows, White states “I would have to see the formula change. I don’t want to see black women always fighting each other. I don’t want to see black men with problematic lives juggling multiple women,” she says.

When asked what type of show she would like to see, White offers, “I’d like to see something with travel and adventure. What I want to see won’t sell and won’t garner the large audiences,” she says making a sobering observation of the realities of black cast reality television shows.

Is there room for more diverse representations of blacks on reality television shows? More importantly, if the formula changed as White would prefer, will audiences watch these new types of reality shows with the same fervor as “ratchet” reality shows? Does it have to come down to the respectable and the ratchet or is there something in between?

This article was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., entertainment and culture editor for NNPA/Black Press USA. Nsenga is also founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news blog The Burton Wire, which covers news of the African Diaspora. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.

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COMMENTARY: Jim Crow 2.0 at the Pentagon

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 3, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Pete Hegseth insists that he is restoring “merit” to the United States military. But after months of dismissals, blocked promotions, and ideological purges, the evidence tells a different story. His campaign against so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has become something far more dangerous: an assault on equal opportunity that falls with particular force on African Americans, while also targeting women, Latinos, gay Americans, and transgender service members.

The latest example is both troubling and infuriating.

Once again, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of an exceptionally qualified woman—Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt. Bauernschmidt is no ordinary officer. She became the Navy’s first woman to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one of the most demanding leadership assignments in the world. Her career reflects decades of exemplary performance, operational excellence, and leadership under extraordinary pressure.

Yet once again, a distinguished military career appears to have been subordinated to an ideological agenda masquerading as “merit.”

I call BS!

The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

The pattern has become impossible to ignore.

General Charles Q. Brown Jr., only the second African American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was dismissed despite a career that placed him among the most accomplished military leaders of his generation.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman ever to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, was removed despite decades of distinguished command experience.

Reports have documented interventions that blocked or delayed the promotions of Black officers and women selected through the military’s rigorous promotion system.

Now Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt joins the growing list of highly accomplished officers whose careers have been derailed for reasons that have never been persuasively explained.

Where is Congress?

Its silence has become deafening.

Congress has an independent constitutional responsibility to oversee the armed forces. Instead, too many lawmakers have watched silently while one of the nation’s most respected institutions is subjected to ideological litmus tests and political interference.

This is not military reform. It is testosterone-fueled performative masculinity disguised as a philosophy of military excellence.

The irony is impossible to miss. Hegseth repeatedly invokes “merit,” yet his rhetoric begins with the assumption that Black officers, women, and other historically excluded Americans must somehow justify their achievements in ways that white male officers are rarely required to do.

That is not meritocracy. It is prejudice wrapped in patriotic language.

No one is asking that anyone be promoted because of race or gender. Americans simply expect that promotions be based on demonstrated competence, leadership, integrity, and service. The officers being targeted have already proven themselves repeatedly under one of the world’s most demanding evaluation systems.

Their records speak for themselves.

The attack on African American military leadership has been especially pernicious.

For generations, Black Americans fought in segregated units, earned decorations while denied equal treatment, and repeatedly demonstrated loyalty to a nation that often failed to extend them full citizenship. They broke barriers not because standards were lowered but because excellence finally overcame institutional discrimination.

Today’s campaign against “diversity” threatens to revive old assumptions under new slogans.

The implication that Black generals and admirals somehow owe their success to affirmative action rather than extraordinary performance echoes some of the ugliest stereotypes of the Jim Crow era. Yesterday’s segregationists claimed Black Americans were inherently less qualified. Today’s culture warriors simply employ more politically acceptable language while inviting the same suspicion about Black achievement.

That is why Hegseth’s campaign increasingly resembles Jim Crow 2.0.

The targets may now wear stars on their shoulders instead of military patches on segregated uniforms, but the underlying message is hauntingly familiar: Black excellence is presumed suspect, while white excellence is presumed earned.

America’s military became the finest fighting force in history because it opened its doors to talent wherever it could be found. It grew stronger after President Truman desegregated the armed forces. It became stronger when women assumed greater command responsibilities. It became stronger when every qualified American was given the opportunity to serve to the fullest extent of their abilities.

Diversity is not a concession. It is a strategic advantage.

The nation’s adversaries do not fear an American military because it is racially homogeneous. They fear it because it draws upon the talents of more than 340 million Americans whose diverse experiences, perspectives, and abilities make our armed forces unmatched anywhere in the world.

Every politically motivated dismissal of a distinguished officer sends a chilling message throughout the ranks: excellence alone may no longer be enough if you belong to the wrong demographic group.

That weakens morale. It weakens recruitment. It weakens retention.

And ultimately, it weakens national security.

Pete Hegseth has every right to pursue military readiness. He has no right to redefine merit in ways that repeatedly cast suspicion upon the accomplishments of Black officers, women, and others who have devoted their lives to defending this nation.

America deserves better. The men and women who wear the uniform deserve better. The Constitution deserves better.

And unless Congress finds the courage to exercise meaningful oversight, history may well remember this period not as a restoration of military excellence, but as the moment political ideology attempted to resurrect, in modern form, the old poison of exclusion.

Jim Crow did not strengthen America. Jim Crow 2.0 will not strengthen America’s military. It will only diminish it

Wade Henderson
Strategic Advisor
Civil and Human Rights
wade@wadejhenderson.com

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New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial

By Emilie St. John (Contributor) Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction. Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District […]
The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

By Emilie St. John
(Contributor)

Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction.

Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District Judge John Roach Jr. from overseeing the appeals process.

Two hearings have been scheduled on the motion for Aug. 9 and 10 in the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, according to Fox4 News.

On July 14, Senior Judge Sid L. Harle of the 226th District Court was assigned to preside over the defense’s motion to recuse Collin County Judge John Roach. The assignment took effect immediately and authorized Harle to handle all matters related to the recusal request, the filing read.

The Collin County District Attorney’s Office continues to defend its handling of the case by issuing a statement to NBC 5 DFW.

“The defendant’s new lawyers have filed a motion containing several inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings. The entire prosecution team and I conducted this trial ethically and in full compliance with the Court’s rulings and any agreements with defense counsel. We look forward to addressing these claims thoroughly in a Court of law in the coming weeks. The jury heard extensive evidence over the course of the trial and returned a unanimous verdict. We remain confident in that verdict and the fairness of the proceedings.”

Anthony’s new legal team, made up of appellate, civil rights, and criminal defense attorneys, was retained following Anthony’s conviction.

“Our responsibility is to determine whether a legal error occurred and to ensure that every issue supported by the record is fully and vigorously presented on appeal,” the team said in a statement.

“We recognize the profound loss suffered by one young man’s family and the uncertainty facing another, and we extend our respect to everyone whose lives have been forever changed by these events,” the release reads.

Anthony was charged with the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, April 2, 2025. Anthony has long maintained it was an act of self-defense.

The attorneys are representing Anthony pro bono. The nearly 200-page notice of appeal seeks a new trial because his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial was violated.

“The cumulative and practical effect of these provisions was to exclude members of the public from proceedings at every stage,” the filing reads.

The filing also focused on an alleged “handshake deal” that kept Anthony from taking the stand in his defense.

The defense filing said the agreement was that the jury would not hear that Metcalf and his twin brother had been accused of racism and bullying in the past. In exchange, they also would not see Anthony’s cellphone records or his school disciplinary record, according to court documents reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Anthony’s former defense attorney, Mike Howard, said the defense relied heavily on that deal. The team chose not to ask certain questions of witnesses or call on a separate expert witness based on that agreement. It also abandoned plans to introduce testimony and evidence about the allegations against Metcalf and his brother.

Appellate attorney Russell Wilson is now handling post-trial proceedings and Anthony’s appeal. He recently sat down for an interview, stating, “The court committed multiple errors during the June murder trial, preventing him from receiving a fair trial.”

“You know, we file motions that we expect to prevail on, but we understand that there’s two sides to every story. And at the end of the day, it’ll be a judge that has to make these decisions, but we feel confident in the positions that we’re taking,” Wilson said during an interview with WFAA. “There were substantial issues that we thought a reviewing court needed to look at. We thought these were constitutional irregularities, and we could have them addressed now. And so, we put them into a motion for a new trial.”

Bree West, a former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney, found it startling that so little time was given to Anthony’s team for such a serious “life or death” situation.

“I do think that it’s really challenging that potentially a court decided that you have 10 minutes to make that level of decision when it has the potential of being life-altering,” said West during an interview with Fox 4 News.

Judge Harle is no stranger to high-profile cases, having presided over the prosecution of a police officer charged in connection with the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Anthony was convicted on June 9 of the murder of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump!

WESTSIDE GAZETTE — The author criticizes Donald Trump’s rhetoric, noting his use of terms like “Dumbocrats” and “Communist” to describe Democrats and democracy. The column asserts that Trump’s current strategy involves creating doubt about midterm elections due to a lack of Republican agenda.
The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

Frankly Speaking

Wow! Wow! Wow! The swamp drainers have truly stepped down to new levels of stupidity. You remember Weapons of Mass Destruction? We now have Weapons of Mass Distraction. Trump has introduced Dumbocrats and Communists into the conversation about Democrats and Democracy.

Trump lies so much, and his current strategy is to set up doubt about midterm elections because he and Republicans have no agenda!

He has no “Trump “ card, but Iran has a strait! He called it a skirmish; it’s now a War. He said five days; now it’s five months. He said few casualties; now it’s 18 deaths. He knew nothing about Project 2025 but hired its architects! Trump lies about the lies and often forgets these little inventions called cameras and phones

We see and hear and then see and hear the inconsistencies.

I didn’t like 45 and dislike 47 even more!

The post LSMFT! Lord Save Me From Trump! appeared first on The Westside Gazette.

Based on reporting by Westside Gazette.

The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.