PSAs for the new millennium…
StumbledUpon this video. Supposedly it was actually aired as a PSA on BET. What do you guys think? Is “read a fuckin’ book, nigga” a positive message? Well-intentioned but destined to fail? Or just a parody mocking PSAs in general?
Well, I would definitely not use this PSA for my own kid, if I had one. It’s well-intentioned but in promoting some positive messages it might also promote some negative, depending on how the kids internalize them.
However, I will say this. This PSA tries to reach out to kids by putting itself into their culture, and I think that’s infinitely more effective than your typical “Don’t do drugs, kids!” PSAs that we’re used to. It’s aimed at black youth culture, and those kids understand that culture in ways that I probably don’t. Like I said, the effectiveness of both the positive and negative messages depend on how the kids internalize them. A lot of kids will probably internalize them the wrong way, but other kids who are used to this particular culture will probably understand. There’s a line between joke and truth, appropriateness and inappropriateness, etc. — and different people, different cultures look at this line differently. The word “nigga” shocks and offends many people, but in some communities it’s gradually being transformed into a different, less prejudiced meaning. As I’m sure you know, there are a lot of words that have a bad history, but because they’re not static, are being gradually changed (ex. bitch).
Of course these effects vary from community to community. Some of those images and words might influence kids in a negative light. But some kids are used to those images and words in a different way; for example, they may joke about it, but ultimately don’t believe in it so they wouldn’t be influenced by them. This is why I think that this PSA might indeed be effective in a positive way for many kids. But to put on BET? Not sure about that. Lots of different people watch BET, including people who will internalize those images and messages the wrong way.
And just so that I don’t piss anybody off, when I wrote this sentence:
“It’s aimed at black youth culture, and those kids understand that culture in ways that I probably don’t. ”
I don’t mean to generalize and speak about ALL black youth culture. There are many different communities and cultures of young black people. Some will interpret the PSA video differently than each other.
Wow, it’s such a positive message that promotes literacy and personal hygiene! At the same time I think it’s a parody…? It’s hard to take it seriously when the message is being put that way… but maybe it’s because I am old now and I can no longer understand what youths think :/Maybe they listen, but for it to convince me I think I’ll need solid proofs on why people should drink water, brush teeth, and use deodorant (like… if you don’t drink water you’ll become a mummy… or if you don’t brush your teeth you’ll have oral cancer… or if you don’t use deodorant you’ll never get a date… etc). JOKING. But I think offering proofs of why literacy is good would probably help… or simply taking the word “book” off that chicka’s butt would help :/
your body needs water so drink that shit!
Actually yeah, Peggy is right. The most effective way to get people to do something (kids or not) is to explain to them the benefits and consequences.
I’m reading a book right now, and I think it’s because of the PSA.