Shiiiiiettt it USED to be that way. Muhammed Ali, Harry Belafonte, Gregory Hines, dikk Gregory TOO MANY. Them brothas were something else
but it was a different era. I remember watching a video where Ali told a story about getting denied service at a restaurant in downtown Louisville
right after he came home from winning the gold in the olympics. The difference is, he didn't have Jerry Heller and others throwing money at him to brag about being seen as a "nikka"/push the contradicting idea that he'd "made it" just because he had that money,
despite the open hostility and experiences he continued to experience
"even if you in a benz, you still a nikka in a coupe"-- the old heads were FORCED to keep mind of that, the new era has just been blinded by the bling
IMO, the problem with this is that the number of people in the hood aspiring to be athletes/entertainers is extremely disproportionate to the number of entertainer/athlete positions there are. Only a tiny minority of any group of people will find much success in these fields but that's what many if not most black kids aspire to. I remember in high school every other dude wanted to rap and was trying to get signed, shyt was ridiculous.
So I don't think "entertainment" per se is the problem, but the problem is that we have a culture where sports/entertainment is seen as something black kids should aspire to and other, more academic professions (engineer, doctor, accountant, etc.) are seen as being for white people. Not saying all black kids think like that but way too many do, IMO. We can't be out here thinking that sports/rapping/acting are "black" professions to the exclusion of everything else. Basically there's too much focus on entertainment (as a means of making a living) in the black community IMO.
I wish I could go back, I made a thread about this all back on
it's not just the idea that academic professions are "white", maybe in some cases, the more damaging stigma is the idea that said professions are seen as
unattainable while sports/entertainment are seen as more likely
when somebody hand you a business card and it *insert some bullshyt name* ENT but I figure they'll figure it out in time only a certain few have that knack to be artists. But you're right, it's a total imbalance but I think that goes back to the lack of tangible opportunities and lesser quality learning environments at these schools for people aspiring for those things. Not to mention, a lot of that might also come from today's need for instant gratification and reward and we already know anything that affects America in a negative way affects Black America much much more.
