[Melinda A.]

Since the early '60s and the legal end to discrimination, minorities have been included in events like the Miss America Pagent, the various mainstream music awards and other such 'contests.' Someone please help me understand why blacks feel they must conduct their own award shows and contests that by their mere name exclude other races.

User Detail :  

Name : Melinda A., Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 46, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : professional, 

[Jacqueline-C21019]

Legal discrimination ended in the '60s, but discrimination didn't. The discrimination and racism now is not as blatant as it was in decades past, but it still exists. It is more institutionalized now, harder to recognize and definitely harder to prove. I see good reasons for award shows to give much-deserved recognition to black actors and musicians. If you look at the entertainment industry - esspecially TV - it is still dominated by white people. Most shows have very few, if any, people of color in them. There are some shows with a predominantly black cast, but hardly any with a racially mixed cast. Non-white actors rarely receive awards at the 'mainstream' award shows, even though they are much-deserved. As a result, people put together other award shows to celebrate the accomplishments of people that wouldn't otherwise be recognized. There are shows like ER, NYPD Blue and Third Watch that have ensemble casts that are diverse, and these shows are among the few that actually deal with diversity issues. And these shows do get the mainstream awards, but they are so incredibly popular that they simply can't be ignored.

User Detail :  

Name : Jacqueline-C21019, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 26, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[J. Allen]

The question posed is a valid one. One reason for 'separate' award shows and contests is that blacks (or African-Americans) are still, according to population statistics, a minority in America. This being the case, under-represented contestants will have less of a chance to win. Not to mention that there are a lack of roles for people of color in Hollywood (black or otherwise). It seems that other races (non-black) don't want to watch a movie or TV show with a predominantly black cast or black leading character. Black awards shows and contests give their contestants an even playing field. From the many Oscar-worthy performances given by black actors and actresses, a sad few have won the coveted award.

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Name : J. Allen, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 29, City : Charlotte, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : Office Assistant, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Melinda-A]

Thank you for your response. I can't disagree with you, but I think that forcing any issue brings a negative response from most people. Just like you cannot force morality, you cannot force folks to get along and accept each other just because they are told to. That was the flaw in the Civil Rights movement. But I suppose it was a decent start. Now it is up to individuals to be accountable. Shoving something down the throats of people isn't the answer.

You mention that there is an abundance of predominantly 'white' shows on TV. Advertisers dictate what we watch, and consumers dictate how they choose to spend their advertising dollars.

User Detail :  

Name : Melinda-A, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : professor, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Hurley]

I think a more appropriate question would be 'Why not?' What does a caucasion care if minorities have their own awards and honors? Does it set you back as a white person? Nope. Bottom line, a white person can still cut a break in America even if other races have their own awards. White people will still be okay if BET exists. I don't understand why this would even be an issue.

User Detail :  

Name : Hurley, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 18, City : Berea, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Ashley-M23490]

If we already had our own awards shows why should we suddenly throw them away just because you have invited us to break bread with you now. What about tommorrow when Halle Berry isn't in style anymore who will be the one black actress in fifty years from now to get an Oscar. If we didn't support and encourage talents like those of Denzel Washington and Halle Berry white America would have never known they existed much less recognize them. We make our own stars and rules and you pay homage to them when it suits your fancy. We refuse to be a trend. This would be like a husband asking his wife to get rid of her old bank account and put all of her money into his, but what happens when he leaves her?

User Detail :  

Name : Ashley-M23490, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Presbyterian, Age : 18, City : Charlotte, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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