I Despise New York

I was just talking to my friend Jill (or as Darin calls her, Jilly from Raleigh) and she asked me, knowing what a reality junkie I am, if I watch "I Love New York".

No, I replied. I think that she has single-handedly set black people back 200 years. Jill pointed out that she's pretty bad, all the way around-- without regard to race or sex, she's not exactly a great representation of the human race.

I get that, and it's true, for those of us who are conscious, negativity affects us all. It just galls me that this woman is being beamed all over the world without context. The same is true for all the big booty video ho's and the men who show off their grilles, Cris and questionable lyrical content ("lean wit it/pop wit it" being the main target of ire) . All this stuff just gets thrown out to the world, without a side of intellect, intelligence or even, just a little asterisk on the screen that says, "actually, more black men in America are in college than in jail".

It really bothers me that this woman has a platform from which to launch a dubious and useless career. Why does anyone want to date her?! Why would anyone in the country care if she had a boyfriend, let alone whether she finds the love of her life? What the heck is it?!

Thankfully VH1 also aired Brett Michaels in "Rock of Love" this summer, so that we didn't think the idiotic stripper out to skin a wealthy music artist was just a black female archetype. I suggested to Jill that us women should ban together and rocket launch these women off the planet, but I know that's *ahem* uncharitable and not a great display of sisterhood.

While I aspire to a season on the Amazing Race, and cop to liking Survivor, Big Brother, ANTM, Project Runway and Top Chef . . . I just can't get on the crazy train for New York.