What's Up With The Selective Anger And Outrage Over "Sorority Sisters"?

Let me just preface this blog entry by stating the fact that I don’t watch a lot of television.  Besides the episodes of “Doc McStuffins” and “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” I watch with my toddler daughter when she’s still for more than five minutes or an occasional episode of “The Amazing World of Gumball” I watch with my son, my television time is limited to just a few shows … the local and network news, “Modern Family”, “blackish”, “Shark Tank”, and “Scandal”.  If there’s ever a chance for me to sit down long enough on weekends to watch TV, I’m watching old episodes of “Good Times”, “A Different World”, and “The Cosby Show”.  Now that’s some good TV, y’all.  They just don’t make shows like they used to.  

There’s been a whole lot of talk this past week about a show that premiered on VH1 called “Sorority Sisters”.  I didn’t watch it.  Nor do I plan to.  In fact, I didn’t even know it was coming on until my Facebook newsfeed was blown up the other night with comments about it.  What is particularly funny to me is all the backlash this show has brought to social media.  Petitions have popped up all over the place to force VH1 to cancel the show.  Companies are pulling their ads.  There is a big movement to shut that show down. 

For real?!?!  I’m scratching my head on this one, y’all.  Here’s my issue with the whole uproar over “Sorority Sisters”.  Why are folks all mad and trying to get the show cancelled but still watching “Basketball Wives”, “Love and Hip Hop”, or any of the other so-called reality shows?  Ain’t they all the same?  Black folks acting the fool and all caught up in some ratchet, ghetto shenanigans.  In all seriousness, how many times can you watch people fighting, cussing, pulling hair, having baby mama/daddy drama, and getting caught having multiple, simultaneous relationships and it not get old and tired?    

 I am a member of a Divine Nine sorority.  I love my Sorors and my sisters in other Black Greek organizations.  I get it.  The women on “Sorority Sisters” didn’t portray Black women (or our beloved sisterhoods) in a very positive light.  But why are we being selective in our anger and outrage?  We mad ‘cause the women openly identify themselves as sorority members but we can’t be mad at the examples the women on the other reality shows portray?  What sense does that make?  Foolishness is foolishness … with or without Greek letters on your chests.

I am amazed at the solidarity being shown in effort to stop “Sorority Sisters” dead in its tracks.  In just a few short days, VH1 has faced so much pressure to take the show off the air that they will have to respond in some kind of way.  The show may be a short-lived one. 

Imagine the impact we could have on real issues if we pool our resources and collective voice to deal with other problems within our communities.  Just a thought …