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Something weird is happening on MTV’s most racist show, From G’s to Gents. People are acting like human beings. Despite producers best efforts to stick a bunch of dudes in a house, pump them full of malt liquor, and have their lives taped to find out what really happens when people stop being polite and start living out colonial nightmares, they’re acting like human beings trapped in a stereotype-propagating death trap. These savages should have torn each other apart like the violent subhuman creatures that they are by now, but for some strange reasons they’re taking on the fully developed character traits of self-worth, self-preservation, and honesty. Whuuuuut?
In last night’s episode, the house villain, Kesan, decided to leave the show because everyone had ganged up and plotted against him. He felt that it was a dangerous, unnatural environment. What, how so? What’s more natural than a reality TV show Mansion of Sadness with a fridge full of 40s, five person bedrooms, and studio lighting in the bathroom? Keesan even said to a fellow castmember “I’m not built for this,” and when the cast member continued to demand that they “talk things out,” Kesan told him that he was “frontin’ for the cameras” and that he should call him on his cellphone if he wanted to talk. Looks like someone still respects their right to privacy. Lame.
Then, when Creeper took off his Hater Blockers (AKA sunglasses) and told Kesan that he was inspired by the changes Kesan was making in his life to make changes in his own life, and Kesan decided to stay, that made Cee, who is white and Jewish and dresses like a frat boy at the world’s worst Pimps and Ho’s Party (the world’s worst Pimps and Ho’s Party, incidentally, is what most alcoholics refer to as “rock bottom”) realize that he had been too hard on Kesan, and that Kesan was the only person being real in the house, and that he needed to call his ex-girlfriend Gina and start crying.
This show is getting so intense, you guys. It’s obviously the most racist thing on television, with the exception of Under One Roof, which is pure racism, like that scene in the end of Time Bandits when Evil Genius is defeated in the Fortress of Darkness, and his body explodes into a million rocks of pure evil and one of them ends up in a microwave. Just a nugget of pure racism that show. But despite its racism, From G’s to Gents is laying bare the typical desire of most reality TV show stars, to leave behind their former lives and enter into some kind of rareified world of “success” and shrimp cocktail. Except for the first time ever, the people on this show seem to be realizing that maybe reality TV isn’t the best way to go about self-actualization, which kind of makes it the BEST reality show. I said kind of. The best reality show, of course, is Paradise Hotel.
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Ha HA.
Hey just a note Gabe. I’m black. I even teach racism. But the mere presence of images that coincide with racist stereotypes is not necessarily racist. What i’m saying is that yes it is a stereotype that all young black men are thugs and need better training. But i know these dudes on the show reflect many of the guys i grew up with , see at the barbershop and even students in my college courses. The racist intentions of MTV produced something that may actually educate people
What i agree with you on is that MTV is racist for only endorsing shows either helmed by rappers or advancing stereotypes they believe their audience will like. However, the show doesn’t merely exploit Maury Povich style it actually shows that hood guys, thugs, or goons are more complex than just being goons, thugs or hood guys.
I mean i admire you calling out racially insensitive stuff. But the show isn’t ALL racist.
I just think we overuse that word. Racism is when someone enacts power to delimit, constrain, or enforce someone due to race. MTV is racist because the only blackness they show delimits other diverse views of blackness. but
Well first of all, please stop teaching racism. That is how kids get it.
JOKES!
I agree with your point completely. I am the first person to laugh at people for being ridiculous regardless of race, sex, or orientation. I’ve always defended shows like Flavor of Love and I Love New York (always defended. that’s my life now. I’m the best.) against charges of racism because to me it’s just a bunch of clowns clowning it up in Clown Town. It seems to me that if you find those shows to be promoting racial stereotypes it’s because you are projecting your own racial stereotypes onto them.
That being said, the reason From G’s to Gents seems racist to me is that any show about “civilizing” people is deeply discomforting, you know, like how colonialism and slavery are discomforting (understatement). Especially when you consider that the only non-black “thugs” they have on the show are clearly just hamming it up for the camera (I’m looking at you, laboratory assistant J. Boogie) AND the only non-black “thugs” they have on the show are all adopting easily recognizable tropes of popular black culture anyway. On this show, even the non-blacks are basically blacks, and in need of civilizing. So that’s where the show hits a tender nerve, in my mind. That somehow playing cricket stands as the correct alternative to listening to hip hop. But, I also agree with you that the show is making some decent effort to break free from its race-baiting shackles and provide some surprising post-race moments and is ultimately deeper and more complicated than I would have expected, and it doesn’t play by the rules, as for example when Kesan wasn’t eliminated despite mounting pressure to do so because it was decided that he really needed the show’s help to become a better person. I have no problem with that.
That microwave nugget of evil was some random shit (‘mum! don’t touch it! its eeevil’!). And why was the evil genius’ castle made of legos? fucking terry gilliam.
I love this show , there needs to be a sequel soon using creeper as the butler!!!!