THE 10 SECRETS ..CONTINUED
My turning point began as I binge-watched the ubiquitous Law and Order: SVU. Endless plots of White female rape victims avenged by the macho Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), symbol of the White patriarchy, was more than I could bear. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), who climbed the rank-and-file ladder and broke through the glass ceiling, and John Munch (Richard Belzer), cynic and conspiracy theorist, were the show’s saving graces for me. Nope, not even Fin Tutuola (Ice-T).
But the final decision to ditch TWMN television came from another CBS cop show, Blue Bloods. Amid the country’s real-life police brutality and killings of unarmed Black people, Blue Bloods has consistently perpetuated a narrative that police violence is overblown and racial bias is manufactured. As the show’s Reagan family explained the Blue Lives Matter side of police violence to their children over dinner—an episodic refrain—I was reminded, yet again, of how damaging TWMN is. A narrative that dismisses White collusion and excludes the lived experience of Black people. A narrative propped up by half-truths and outright untruths about this country.
So three years ago, I made the commitment. I turned to shows that I believe told the truth, or at least a more realistic version of the truth when it comes to social issues—and Black people, period. I would only watch shows created by filmmakers of color or shows featuring Black actors navigating their TV world similarly to the way in which we navigate our real world. Because who can tell our truths better than we can?