The mess with BET's "Hot Ghetto Mess"

Black Entertainment Television (BET) decision to broadcast "Hot Ghetto Mess," also called "HGM," has been met with criticism that has led to two sponsors pulling their ads from the premiere broadcast, scheduled to air July 25. HGM is adapted from the popular Web site HotGhettoMess.com, which features photos and video footage of random African Americans engaged in behavior or dressed in attire considered embarrassing and socially unacceptable.

Critics say BET is putting Black stereotypes on display but the channel calls the 6-week series "a blend of tough love and social commentary." Requests BET's corporate headquarters to speak with BET's press liaison and HGM founder Jam Donaldson were not return at press time. On the site, Donaldson, a Black lawyer who's also an executive producer on the BET show, calls for a "new era of self-examination."

Viacom Corp.-owned BET would not specify which advertisers dropped out, but released the following statement: "A few of our clients have asked to move to other programming dayparts, and we simply accommodated their request. "Other advertisers remain in place and there are no plans to change the series at this point, the channel said Tuesday.

State Farm Insurance Cos. and the Home Depot have released statements confirming their request that ads be removed from the television show and from a Web site promoting the series.
"We have reviewed the content of this program, which we just heard about, and we will not be airing any State Farm advertising during this program on BET," a State Farm spokesman wrote.

"Is my goal to discuss these issues in a format and context that makes people who don't watch the channel comfortable or do it in a way that engages the 18- to 34-year-old viewer and makes them really think about these things?" Reginald Hudlin, BET entertainment president, told the Hollywood Reporter.

Latrice Janine, a 25-year-old Chicago-based college student, believes BET's intentions will be lost on its core audience. She launched an online petition against the show that has collected more than 2,000 signatures. "Maybe after Don Imus no one seems to have a problem with this kind of thing anymore," Janine told AP. "I still do. I may not stop Viacom from doing this on television, but it's an effort to let them know the days of sitting quietly are gone."

Docta Shock said he was "embarrassed" when he encountered the HGM website—featuring photos of men and women, mostly Black, with extreme hairstyles and clothing typically linked to hip-hop fashion—two weeks ago. "Here we go again," said Shock, a Philadelphia-based music producer/journalist and media watcher. "Controversy sells, but we're not in a position right now to sell out at that price. If everybody were equal than it wouldn't matter, but at this point we don't have the luxury to point fingers at ourselves and laugh in public. We're not at that point yet."

Criticism has also come from "What About Our Daughters?", a blog and audio podcast addressing depictions of Black women in popular culture. "This is just a latest in a prolonged and consistent pattern of BET profiting off of promoting images that malign and degrade African Americans," a posting on What About Our Daughters said of "Hot Ghetto Mess." The site has targeted advertisers that appeared on a BET.com Web page advertising HGM, including AT&T Corp., DaimlerChrysler and Target.

Ironically, the stated intention of HGM's 3-year-old Web site—which comes with the tag line "We got to do better"—is for African Americans to examine the social impact they have on themselves and others. However, pop culture commentator Richard Torres says BET's decision to air the program is simply demeaning. "Is this entertainment?" asked Torres. "I know it's television. I just don't know if it's Black and I don't know if it's entertainment."

The Associated Press contributed to this report