After a firestorm of controversy erupted which saw internet petitions and advertiser pullouts, BET decided to shelve Hot Ghetto Mess, a new program slated to debut this fall.
Or so we thought…
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According to new reports, the show will go on. The name has been changed from Hot Ghetto Mess (named after the popular web site) to We Got to Do Better (the slogan from the Hot Ghetto Mess web site).
We Got to Do Better will premiere tomorrow BET spokeswoman Jeanine Liburd told The Associated Press Monday.
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According to a statement released by BET, the name change highlights the shows original intent, which is to spark dialog and debate about many behaviors exhibited by the Black community.
“We’ve decided to change the name because we want to highlight the show’s real intent, which is to offer social commentary in a context that sparks dialogue, debate, and most importantly, change,”BET said in a statement.
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Reginald Hudlin, head of entertainment, continued to defend the network’s stance of change with the creation of the show, rivaling it to the work that Bill Cosby has done in regards to challenging African Americans to do better.
“The intent of the show is no different than what Bill Cosby is doing as he’s going across the country and lecturing as he talks about the problems of the (black) community that we need to address,” he said.
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Other outspoken critics of the show are willing to give it a chance, under a watchful and critical eye.
“If they can pull off what they say they’re trying to pull off, then I think it has value,” Gina McCauley, an Austin Texas attorney and owner of What About Our Daughters, a web site that looks at the depictions of African American women in the media.
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Even with the name change, McCauley remains skeptical of the outcome.
“We remain ready to respond in the event this ends up being the train wreck I think it is,” she said online. The site is also hosting several “watch parties” to monitor advertisers during the airing of the show.
