Selling Out

[jjs07]

Going back to Tyler Perry for a second....

What's the opinion of those who go to and SUPPORT his movies?

Also, can we get a clear definition of "sellout?" What I gauge (based off of this thread), it's anyone who doesn't live up to YOUR expectation of what it means to live as a black male in society today.

I think the example DatZ posted was legit....but others in here are getting vitriol because of a general dislike based off of their opinion.

 

[b smooth 202]

Also, can we get a clear definition of "sellout?" What I gauge (based off of this thread), it's anyone who doesn't live up to YOUR expectation of what it means to live as a black male in society today.

A 'sell out' is anybody who acts oblivious to the SOCIAL reality of 'America'.

There are A LOT of conditioned minds out here and our class, our people, are losing because these are so many of us under a spell, working for wages that don't even mean anything...this system is at its end.

does anybody study anymore? whatever happened to philosophy, the love of knowledge? anybody who has studied a little bit should be able to understand whats going on here....I get tired of people complicating things with empty talk and playing stupid...

we're in a psychological/mental war...everyday man. there's no excuse not to be on your ****.

 

[blakep267]

Going back to Tyler Perry for a second....
What's the opinion of those who go to and SUPPORT his movies?
Also, can we get a clear definition of "sellout?" What I gauge (based off of this thread), it's anyone who doesn't live up to YOUR expectation of what it means to live as a black male in society today.
I think the example DatZ posted was legit....but others in here are getting vitriol because of a general dislike based off of their opinion.

the thing I dont get about the hate is people seem to put his stuff under more of a microscope because hes black. Like Katherine Heigl can star in a million terrible movies, but its ok. But let tyler make a few not so great madea movies and hes the worst person in the world.

As for the selling out def, I took it as meaning somebody who compromises their morals for either money or power. Which is why I didnt get the TP hate. Hes always been doing what he does, even when he was living out of his car. And while silly, the Brink example made perfect sense
Also, just because somebody is a sellout doesnt mean that theres any hate there. Theyre getting money.

another example of a sellout in my book

 

[jjs07]

A 'sell out' is anybody who acts oblivious to the SOCIAL reality of America.
There are a lot of conditioned minds out here and our class is losing because these people are really under a spell.

OK, i can get w/ that definition.

I'm curious. You seem like a smart guy - and maybe I missed it, but could you post a few examples of people you think are sellouts today?

Also, do you agree with any of the other people posted? Clarence Thomas, Tyler Perry, Karl Malone, etc...

 

[jesusshuttlesworth34]

I wouldn't say Tyler Perry is a sell out....he might be corny or not one's cup of tea, but he is consistent with his.

 

[b smooth 202]

OK, i can get w/ that definition.
I'm curious. You seem like a smart guy - and maybe I missed it, but could you post a few examples of people you think are sellouts today?
Also, do you agree with any of the other people posted? Clarence Thomas, Tyler Perry, Karl Malone, etc...

No doubt....don't limit it to those people...but they are examples...you have to look at the African who has been stripped from his indigenous culture...it's a lot easier for them to make themselves comfortable and adopt/assimilate a foreign culture....instead of challenging the way things are for what they are.

Clarence Thomas and black politicians are sell outs when they aren't the politicians they could and should be. They don't identify with their own history, and in turnthey adopt lukewarm political views to fit mainstream America.

The system is already a piece of **** with how these judges can just sit on the 'supreme court' benches for their whole careers and uphold their archaic judgments....it's quite flawed and nonsensical...as you can see by the state of our country...not enough people understand the civics of whats going on.

The point is if you don't get it now...your never going to....what we're going through is a natural part of human and social interaction and has happened many times before, America should be the biggest testament to that...just look at what happened here for us to get to this point.

As far as athletes go...yes they are sell outs because a lot of them aren't using their brains....a lot of them simply play a sport for money...I'm not mad at anybody...but understanding is a must...and nobody is excused from that....no matter how successful you are.

I simply want brothers with professional talent to apply that same ambition in the class room and stop letting these mother ******* own us...doesn't that make more sense? For you to enfranchise yourself? We're long overdue to bridge this gap.

Tyler Perry and this entertainment **** certainly does a great job of keeping black people in a box...even if his portrayals of the people are accurate of the condition..a lot of these black entertainers are given this amazing opportunity so they can do exactly what they do...it gives people a misrepresentation of what blackness is and is supposed to be.

What is blackness and what is it supposed to be? Seems kind of subjective.

It's not subjective it all...it's subjective once you've accepted your new role here in America as a slave.

Then you can pick and choose what kind of slave you want to be and call it your 'career'....

say this with me....'INDEPENDENCE' does that mean anything to you?

dmbrhs is on point.

 

[datznasty]

What is blackness and what is it supposed to be? Seems kind of subjective.

All of TP's movies revolve around the solution being family and God, arguable whether or not the latter has or continues to have a positive effect on the black community (I'd say no personally), but no doubt the family structure in the black community has broken down.

Women gets mistreated by husband, finds man who treats her better, marries him, lives happily ever after while other couples in the movie who were also having trouble at first also come together by the end of the movie. Everyone has a big celebration at the end. Not any different than what a white director or a non TP black director would write. Typical chic flick **** and the basic framework of every story, basically black Lifetime movies.

Bruthas just hate TP because his movies cater to black women. There's much worst images out there than Madea, who isn't to be taken seriously anyways. Like how many people watched Love & HipHop last night?

 

[dmbrhs]

The problem with Tyler Perry movies is that they are horribly written (and that’s putting it nicely) and poorly acted. They’re trite, and essentially roll off an assembly line. I can’t even give him credit for making so-called “positive” black movies because it’s entirely negated by the buffoonery of the Madea movies. And then Oprah slurps him like he’s some sort of creative genius.

He’s not a creative genius. He’s a marketing genius, because he’s cornered his audience: black people. They support their own. Put an all black cast with some recognizable faces in a movie, market it as a “positive” film, and it’s a guaranteed success. If you really think about it, the people who actually pay money to see TP movies are bigger sellouts than he is, because they blindly support his sub-par product.

I’ll use the white Christian example as well: Kirk Cameron’s Fireproof (or whatever it was called). That sappy piece of religious garbage was made for $500,000. It grossed $33,000,000. Why? Market it to a gazillion Christians, and they’ll lap it up.

It’s the exact same phenomenon.

 

[club-27]

It doesn't surprise me that I had to explain my post once. What does surprise me is that you need me to do it again

By the way, thanks for giving me a passing grade, sir.

everyone deserves one at least

and we all know you're dodging an explanation because you know what you said made no sense. Everyone who has read it sees through it.

'i would never associate with you'  ? 

 like who says **** like that 

says the "man" that talks like a high school valley girl

'likeeeeee why does he talk like that? like ummmmmmmm who does he think he is oh muh gawsh!' 

No one likes you.

 

[me no pass]

man i dont get the tyler perry hate. i dont watch his movies or nothing but let that man cook

 

[handullz]

Never mind...

About to YouTube this Jesse Freeman guy

Dave

 

[b smooth 202]

says the "man" that talks like a high school valley girl

'likeeeeee why does he talk like that? like ummmmmmmm who does he think he is oh muh gawsh!' 

No one likes you.

while you nitpick my use of a common internet phrase....you NEVER have anything intelligent to add on EVER.

seriously..why don't you go talk about sports or something like that

you gotta love how these cultural intruders try and derail constructive threads with their lame sense of humor....

my dude was right...go read a book, automaton...this discussion is for those of us who care about the condition of our people and communities.

talmbout some 'I would never associate with you' and 'no one likes you'

your ******g hilarious BRO..

 

[Sir San Diego]

Let's forget about the obvious targets for a minute (agree or not) and focus on the not so obvious ones. But before we do, we should be clear on what it means to sell out. I think its easy to define. It means intentionally causing damage to the health (mental and physical), well-being or reputation of the people who share your culture and history for your own benefit. In extreme cases, it means abandoning your culture completely for financial and social gains from the masses.

I haven't watched tv for months, but the last time I did, I couldn't sit through more than a few minutes of BET. Maybe it has changed since I last watched, but most of what was on that station (music included) did nothing to advance the state of the average black viewer. Sure they threw in an "educational" show here or there, but it was mostly garbage television that kept black folks chasing an image that does us no good. Most of the music videos and the subject matter of the music itself revolved around violence and hustling at the detriment of the communities the entertainers were from. I can't say much about the sitcoms because I didn't watch those, but the award shows and some of the religious crap they aired was embarrassing and difficult to watch.

For anyone who knows nothing about black culture but goes to BET for their dose of black reality, they're mostly going to see a bunch of cut throat buffoonery with some half-hearted "socially aware special" sprinkled over it that does nothing to reverse the effects of the majority of its programming. I guess I shouldn't forget VH1 and its shows that make black women look like a bunch of gold-digging skanks and black men look like caricatures of thugs. The casts of those shows are mostly sell outs. Most rappers are sell outs. A lot of these black preachers are sell outs. There's nothing wrong with being hood, but if they make it out and tell the people they're rapping to, to do what they left behind to pursue a career in art, knowing damn well the only drugs they touch are the ones they consume, they're sell outs.

 

[oidreez]

So then why aren't rappers considered sellouts considering many of them rap about violence and drug selling to make a dollar? But no, we want to point at tyler perry.

 

[jjs07]

So then why aren't rappers considered sellouts considering many of them rap about violence and drug selling to make a dollar? But no, we want to point at tyler perry.

Good point there.

 

[datznasty]

To it's credit, BET is finally bringing the news back. They have a new show called "Don't Sleep," a late night news show hosted by former CNN anchor TJ Holmes. Beyond that, not much has changed other than "Let's Stay Together," which is a somewhat pretentious comedy sitcom revolving around 2 couples who are a lawyer, professor, construction business owner, and marketing exec IIRC. It's kind of a change in that regard, might also be the same reason it is a failure and not prime time anymore and just comes on at random. AirAnt's neice is in it
.

 

[semf]

I'm getting the feeling that "selling out" means being successful in white mainstream america . . .

 

[handullz]

Let's forget about the obvious targets for a minute (agree or not) and focus on the not so obvious ones. But before we do, we should be clear on what it means to sell out. I think its easy to define. It means intentionally causing damage to the health (mental and physical), well-being or reputation of the people who share your culture and history for your own benefit. In extreme cases, it means abandoning your culture completely for financial and social gains from the masses.
I haven't watched tv for months, but the last time I did, I couldn't sit through more than a few minutes of BET. Maybe it has changed since I last watched, but most of what was on that station (music included) did nothing to advance the state of the average black viewer. Sure they threw in an "educational" show here or there, but it was mostly garbage television that kept black folks chasing an image that does us no good. Most of the music videos and the subject matter of the music itself revolved around violence and hustling at the detriment of the communities the entertainers were from. I can't say much about the sitcoms because I didn't watch those, but the award shows and some of the religious crap they aired was embarrassing and difficult to watch.
For anyone who knows nothing about black culture but goes to BET for their dose of black reality, they're mostly going to see a bunch of cut throat buffoonery with some half-hearted "socially aware special" sprinkled over it that does nothing to reverse the effects of the majority of its programming. I guess I shouldn't forget VH1 and its shows that make black women look like a bunch of gold-digging skanks and black men look like caricatures of thugs. The casts of those shows are mostly sell outs. Most rappers are sell outs. A lot of these black preachers are sell outs. There's nothing wrong with being hood, but if they make it out and tell the people they're rapping to, to do what they left behind to pursue a career in art, knowing damn well the only drugs they touch are the ones they consume, they're sell outs.

i've always enjoyed your posts, my dude.no sandusky...

 

[jesusshuttlesworth34]

i've always enjoyed your posts, my dude.no sandusky...

Stay out of the showers......

 

[Peep Game]

Let's forget about the obvious targets for a minute (agree or not) and focus on the not so obvious ones. But before we do, we should be clear on what it means to sell out. I think its easy to define. It means intentionally causing damage to the health (mental and physical), well-being or reputation of the people who share your culture and history for your own benefit. In extreme cases, it means abandoning your culture completely for financial and social gains from the masses.

I haven't watched tv for months, but the last time I did, I couldn't sit through more than a few minutes of BET. Maybe it has changed since I last watched, but most of what was on that station (music included) did nothing to advance the state of the average black viewer. Sure they threw in an "educational" show here or there, but it was mostly garbage television that kept black folks chasing an image that does us no good. Most of the music videos and the subject matter of the music itself revolved around violence and hustling at the detriment of the communities the entertainers were from. I can't say much about the sitcoms because I didn't watch those, but the award shows and some of the religious crap they aired was embarrassing and difficult to watch.

For anyone who knows nothing about black culture but goes to BET for their dose of black reality, they're mostly going to see a bunch of cut throat buffoonery with some half-hearted "socially aware special" sprinkled over it that does nothing to reverse the effects of the majority of its programming. I guess I shouldn't forget VH1 and its shows that make black women look like a bunch of gold-digging skanks and black men look like caricatures of thugs. The casts of those shows are mostly sell outs. Most rappers are sell outs. A lot of these black preachers are sell outs. There's nothing wrong with being hood, but if they make it out and tell the people they're rapping to, to do what they left behind to pursue a career in art, knowing damn well the only drugs they touch are the ones they consume, they're sell outs.

I remember when BET went on their conscious kick a couple years ago (sometime between 06-09), they had two shows hosted by DL Hughley and Charlie Murphy, basically shining a lot of light on a lot of buffoonery in the black community. The intentions were good, but both shows were awful on every level. It had terrible presentation, and the fact that nothing was even remotely funny. It basically turned into BET just showing clips of black people doing stuff stuff, with mundane commentary. Those shows pretty much did the reverse of what the original intentions were. It ended up just being an assortment of clips with no message at all. Thankfully the show(s) didn't last long at all.

 

[Sir San Diego]

Thanks.

 

[club-27]

while you nitpick my use of a common internet phrase....you NEVER have anything intelligent to add on EVER.
seriously..why don't you go talk about sports or something like that

you gotta love how these cultural intruders try and derail constructive threads with their lame sense of humor....
my dude was right...go read a book, automaton...this discussion is for those of us who care about the condition of our people and communities.
talmbout some 'I would never associate with you' and 'no one likes you'

your ******g hilarious BRO..

hey, you came at me to begin with with your corny nonsense.

please stop addressing me, I only have dialogue with people i respect and I have none for you.

I know you're the type of person who needs the last word, so go ahead and quote me and cross out what I say and do your whole smileys and shaking head emoticons and capitalize  the word bro again because of how rebellious and against the grain you are. Enjoy your little discussion

 

[cj863]

Meh I'm unconcerned with Tyler Perry and nearly everyone in entertainment being a sellout. My concern is the guys that jump on CNN, MSNBC, FOX
week after week and act like certain issues just don't exist.

 

[retro23j]

How is Martin a sell out??

 

[Brownstone]

My main issue with the whole "selling out" thing, is that it is rarely attributed to whites, as if they are either A) incapable of selling out or B) Have no people or cause to sell out to.

You are not a sellout just because you are a republican, or if you are good at what you do like tyler perry (as bad as his films are, you can't argue his business acumen. Karl Malone isn't going to give to the NAACP anytime either, but I wouldn't give him That title either.

As far as my thoughts on the subject two recent examples come to mind, Wiz Khalifa, who's music has done a 180 since blowing up IMO. And also Thomas Jefferson, along with all those infamous southern politicians, who were banging ebony goddesses, while pissing on blacks publicly.