Every single time he sees this, DNA wonders for just a second what kind of a world it would be if the lead singer from the 1970's and 80's punk band The Plasmatics, Wendy O. Williams, had a show on BET. This is in spite of the fact that DNA has thought this same thought maybe 40 or 50 separate times as he has scrolled by the show listing, and in spite of the fact that Wendy died in 1998. Every time, he still chuckles to himself. He imagines an ageing Wendy, wearing a clear plastic shirt over a G-string, with two electrical taped "X's" over her nipples, saying something like, "Okay, my next guest is 50 Cent, who I'm gonna fuck right here onstage tonight!"
There must be some appeal to the juxtaposition of freaky, unpredictable and cool old white chick
on suave, hip, and cool young black TV channel.
Is it the absurdity of the farce, or dismay over the fact that it would never happen? You see, in a world in which BET exists, integrated programming will not exist on said channel. Integrated programming which appeals to a diverse population is not in BET's interest. In this respect, DNA almost agrees with the conservative social argument that specialized networks, programs, etc., which use race as a criteria for programming or inclusion are contributing to the racial divide, not bridging it. If racial unity and harmony were the goals of TV, then each network would have shows that reflect the actual percentage of diverse populations in America, but NONE of them do. Whites make up approximately 79% of the population; blacks 12% (US Census, 2008). No network reflects this. Major networks are almost all white. Networks that cater to a specific group are overwhelmingly that group as well. The marketplace seems to support separate but equal.
DNA can only wonder, when he dreams of a world in which white punk rock chicks host shows on BET, if, had Martin Luther King Jr. still been alive, would he have been dreaming of that world, too?
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