My goodness.
[I had a full Womanist rant ready for this show's return, full of two sides of the same story compare-contrast, but I narrowed it down. I'm tired of ranting, tired of examining things that usually fall apart on their own. I also realized something--with or without UnCut, the raunch and objectification lives on. The work is still in progress, still needs to be addressed. It's unfortunate that double-sided swords have one side of the blade where a woman is open to do what she pleases, when she pleases to earn a living; yet the industrial machine preys upon this freedom to cater to the male gaze. But alas....]
Jesus Wept: BET Is Bringing “Uncut” Back http://t.co/Ljm2KZYhg4 Can we have "Midnight Love" back instead? No? Okay, just checking.
— MadameNoire (@MadameNoire) August 6, 2015
As Madame Noire stated (give or take a few changed words), "y'all bringin' back UnCut, but we can't get Midnight Love"? It's not like we can't see some REAL uncut stuff online, but BET still chose to bring this back. A new generation of kids who've read stories on Tumblr get to see what all us old Millennial farts have been talking about. The new generation who're supposed to be asleep, and are about to have the TV volume on 2, or are gonna get grounded 'cause they don't know how to sneak watch raunchy TV. I was in my teens when this show was out/I gained awareness of it. But just like my frolic with HBO and Showtime's adult entertainment, I knew the rules--volume low, mute ready, decoy station on lock. My younger cousins, on the other hand, were waaaaay too young. I traded tips but a lot of them already knew. We were a rotten bunch, laughing at the filth and flarn.
I noticed a lot of people in other comment sections about this show's return (who were older) warbling about how old they were at the time, proud of the fact they could watch without worrying about getting caught. I take this moment out of my commentary to slow clap it out for them. Congratulations, lol. You were very special for being over the age of the TV-MA restriction rating. Claps and cookies for you.
Will I name the " classics"? Hellllll noooooo. This is a new day, MN named a few classics for us all, and this old fart is actually a little-lotta unhappy BET is doing this. If revenue is that low, you have to look into your options to bring SOME kind of substance back. Get rid of the stuff that ain't workin, let some fresh and new talent have their time to shine. SHOOT. How about some music? Classic Black TV shows? Fashion? Cooking shows? A fitness hour? I guess they did that, though. Listening to the fans to bring this show back. That was their option.
BUT WHY?
First of all, we're living in a day and age where the tap of a touch screen can bring you the very best (and worst) of hours and hours of debauchery. If you want it, can spell it, and have the patience to let it buffer, baby you'll find it. If you don't want anyone to find out, you can easily clean your cookies and rest easily. All nostalgia aside, What will the rebirth of raunchy TV nostalgia do for the masses?
Second, WorldStar sits atop the market list for adult-themed music videos (no links to that for you. Be curious and Google it!!) YouTube is one of many homes to scantily clad vidyas of the booty, boob, and other parts that pop variety. There are so many sites that specifically cater, that people probably don't even look to TV anymore. Do we really need UnCut? Is it nostalgia or necessity? Is it to cater to pervs, or are they really going to let new artists come through and showcase their work? 'Cause it's a bust if they show the same vids they were already showing. After all that time, they've all been put on YouTube.
Third, it's not that hard to dig deep to see what people want. Not everyone has every channel, so they can't get what's on other Black-oriented stations. Especially stations such as TVONE. BET could have easily remedied that by seeking much more positive adjustments. But then again, how mad can I be? When's the last time I sat down to watch BET, save for the madness of their main awards show? Or, Black Girls Rock? I haven't watched BET in a long time. I think I was still getting my hair relaxed, and was a Junior in high school. Sure, I laughed at the mess and nonsense of UnCut, but I stopped being an avid watcher years ago. BET used to be a harbor of wonderful Black entertainment--Video Soul, Midnight Love. The beautiful Roshumba Williams strolled down getaway destinations, and Donnie Simpson introduced great music. (He was so fine.)
Third, it's not that hard to dig deep to see what people want. Not everyone has every channel, so they can't get what's on other Black-oriented stations. Especially stations such as TVONE. BET could have easily remedied that by seeking much more positive adjustments. But then again, how mad can I be? When's the last time I sat down to watch BET, save for the madness of their main awards show? Or, Black Girls Rock? I haven't watched BET in a long time. I think I was still getting my hair relaxed, and was a Junior in high school. Sure, I laughed at the mess and nonsense of UnCut, but I stopped being an avid watcher years ago. BET used to be a harbor of wonderful Black entertainment--Video Soul, Midnight Love. The beautiful Roshumba Williams strolled down getaway destinations, and Donnie Simpson introduced great music. (He was so fine.)
So many things changed, and so many shows got axed until all that was left was 106 & Park, and well....make a Beyonce joke, suffer the wrath. But, that's still online. Soo...uh...hooray? This whole revival might be as long as time, or as short as three months. I'm telling you--competing against the filth, flarn, and naught that's online probably isn't a good idea. It's the nostalgia that's pulling everyone in and making them talk about it. Once it wears off, the ratings might plummet. But hey--do your thing, BET.
I suppose to all of those who've never heard of it, the hooplah is just a confusing flurry of tweets and giggles. Why is this such an iconic-like thing? Prior to UnCut, we had "Unca Luke an' them" in the 90's doing the same thing, only on VHS, on MTV, and after 1995, on the adult channels on the cable boxes. I don't feel torn between issues of Womanism and how video women are treated--it's just that not much has changed, and we can't blame everything on UnCut.
Final thought--It wasn't even that UnCut.
I'm sticking right to watching Adult Swim until I pass out in my bed. This is TV that employs people, true. Might toss some artists some revenue, but it's not really bringing anything productive to the table. I never saw UnCut as being sexually open or free or uplifting. Not as a Christian years ago, and not in this day and age as a Buddhist. I never really liked it. This was before I went to college and absorbed Feminism and Womanism. Before I got into gender discussions a little later in high school, and learned about agency. It was always the vibe of the show.
Like most curious teens, I looked. As an adult, I had a couple laughs, but it was usually from the point of view of "what is this garbage?" It wasn't something I liked, but rather something that was hilariously terrible. Maybe that makes me a bad person, because somebody thought they had a hit, but a lot of those videos were just a degrading, low-budget mess. It was never the women I hated or looked down upon, but the men and the people who birthed the ideas.
Like most curious teens, I looked. As an adult, I had a couple laughs, but it was usually from the point of view of "what is this garbage?" It wasn't something I liked, but rather something that was hilariously terrible. Maybe that makes me a bad person, because somebody thought they had a hit, but a lot of those videos were just a degrading, low-budget mess. It was never the women I hated or looked down upon, but the men and the people who birthed the ideas.
Dang....there goes that Womanist thought again. Couldn't escape it. Anyway, even in the midst of my opinion, I also have to realize that art--even that which makes my moral skin crawl--has a place in this society. However, it is not free from consequence, analysis, and commentary.