America 1982-Chapter 293 - 14: Saving Her_4

Martin interrupted Rick again, "No, you’ve misunderstood, Rick. The reason they’re interested is... Mr. Hart, as a big-shot Black man from Miami, why haven’t you arranged for your men to take down that stupid * director and all the actors of ’Miami Tempest’?"

"So they think it’s ugly?" Rick was stunned again, "A very exciting action series, car chases, explosions, gunfights..."

"They think it’s ugly?" Martin repeated Rick’s puzzled tone, then continued, "Of course, they think it’s ugly. Do you think just because there’s a Black cop sidekick helping the white cop protagonist, we should be thrilled? Every Black gang member in that series looks like an idiot, and in every episode, it’s the Black cop sidekick who gets hurt and waits for the white hero to save him. If there weren’t any other programs to watch, they wouldn’t be watching that racist trash."

Rick scratched his red hair in frustration, "So what do they want? Do they want us to give them a Black idol like NBC did, Eddie Murphy?"

"I don’t know who Eddie Murphy is. I’m just conveying the thoughts of those Black people, which is that they don’t like seeing Black actors on TV who are always helping white people, as good as their mother’s Black Jesus. Want the truth?" Martin looked at Rick.

"Of course."

"Those Black people told me they want to see Black people take revenge on whites, burn down the whites who have humiliated them, and take away their properties! Because whites have done those things to us throughout history. They’re curious why every Black actor on TV seems like a damn amnesiac fool, forgetting the painful years when whites oppressed Blacks, and instead extending a helping hand to us. For example, the first one, ’Little House on the Prairie,’ it’s actually the Black doctor who helps the white family escape from the local Native Americans? What a joke. With all that this country and white people owe us, and also owe Native Americans, that TV series is like a steaming pile of shit, forcing Black and Native Americans to open their mouths and swallow it! Do you think they’d like to watch that?" Martin said heatedly.

Rick sighed heavily, "So, you’re saying that the poor Blacks actually want to see the scenarios you mentioned, taking revenge on whites and using TV shows to vent their grievances against whites, blaming them for all their misery, and finding satisfaction in taking down whites."

"Exactly," Martin nodded.

Noticing the thoughtful expression on Tommy’s face, Rick quickly said:

"Er has been networking for the TV station recently, contacting some local independent stations in California, preparing for a joint premiere event when the station officially launches... If they knew BT Television was preparing to make this kind of Black exploitation series, it would not be good for the work he is doing. Hollywood had similar B-grade movies that showed Black killings, a specific genre, Blaxploitation, but this niche genre died out in the early eighties, extinguished by constant pressure from an alliance formed by the three main Black associations, and those of high caliber in the alliance did not want to see too much violence in the depiction of Blacks in films, even if they were the protagonists."

For the poor Black community, such plotlines might provide a kind of vengeful thrill, but not all the viewers at those independent stations are Black, and no independent station wants to offend the three big Black associations.

The so-called three big Black associations refer to the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference originally named Nonviolent Unification of Black Leaders Meeting, and the National Urban League.

"Why a B-grade movie? Why can’t it be a film that men and women of all ages can watch?" Er, puzzled by Rick’s words, asked.

"Er, no white person wants to walk into a theater to watch a movie with a Black lead. That’s the reality, and how many Black people have enough time and can afford movie tickets to watch Black-exclusive films?" Rick explained why Black movies can only be B-grade, low-budget films: 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"So, they have to lower the production costs and then use sex, violence, and gore as a gimmick to attract some viewers. If you’re making a family-friendly series, that’s possible too. NBC previously had a series called ’Roots,’ which tells the epic family saga of a Black family in America through five generations, including being sold by slave traders, arriving in the US as slaves, being liberated to become freemen, and so on. The ratings were incredibly high, and the feedback was very positive. Whites and Blacks alike raved about it. But that requires high costs and the involvement of renowned screenwriters. In other words, big companies can spend tens of millions on trial and error, but we can’t."

"Have you seen that ’Roots’ Rick mentioned, Martin?" Tommy asked Martin.

Martin nodded, "I’ve seen it, it’s very well done, just one problem, most of the whites in it are damn good, kind-hearted white plantation owners, kind-hearted misses, kind-hearted white officers, kind-hearted Lincoln... It makes sense when you think about it. If the whites weren’t kind, then the Black man could only obey submissively, struggling to survive under the whip to have a chance to get a woman arranged by the white plantation owner to marry and reproduce. But how could that look good? So, they need the whites to be kind-hearted."