[IotaNet]

Ladies -

I wanted to share a thought (a rant, actually) I had on this topic.

Dorothy Dandridge
Hattie McDaniel
Dianne Carroll
Lena Horne
Cicely Tyson

... keep adding names.

All these women caught hell -- took demeaning roles -- dealt with all kinds of Entertainment Industry B.S. -- paid all kinds of dues and suffered all kinds of indignities -- to pave the way for Janet Jackson to have the opportunity to perform on (what was arguably) the world's biggest stage.

And how does she honor that legacy?

By allowing herself to be groped and ultimately exposed onstage. (And make no mistake, nobody is going to expose Miss Jackson's breast unless she gives the go-ahead!)

And don't fool yourself -- a whole lot of folks are saying, "What's the big deal -- it's only a BREAST!" Consider what would have happened if Bobby Brown had exposed Britney Spears' breast? You know and I know that Bob would have been damn near arrested before the 3rd quarter started and they would STILL be trying to figure out something to charge him with.

I am less concerned about a bare breast on television than I am about the message the whole performace sent. Nearly every one of you ladies here has, at one time or another, been devalued by someone because you are a Black woman. And here is a Black woman who allowed herself to be devalued on international television. That's what my Grandmother used to call "common" behavior.

We have a hard enough time fighting negative stereotypes in the media as it is -- and Janet couldn't find any other way to entertain but to act like a stereotypical "Black Hot-Momma?"

Don't get me wrong - I love sex, sexy women, and breassesses - but I also belive that we need to respect ourselves if we expect to get respect from others. There's a way to do everything and some things are simply not done. Like selling your self-respect.

Like Chris Rock said ...

"You want me to stop calling you bit*h and h*? Then stop dressing like one."

end of rant