R and B videos have really been the most watched mainstream videos, especially amongst teenagers, both white and black. The question is whether or not the stereotypes presented in these videos are taking a negative toll on the viewers, or worse, whether they are sending the wrong message about the culture of black artists who produce these videos. Depending on the viewer the message can be construed in widely different ways: depending largely on whether the viewer "can relate" to the material, or whether they are helplessly clueless and never come in contact with anyone of black culture and watch the videos. .
My opinion on the message about being sent is not one I would worry about to the affect it has on myself or of anyone I know. I would be very concerned with those seeing these images of "booty", liquor, and the "bling bling" flaunted in these videos. It is very obvious to someone like myself, who is somewhat sophisticated to the fact, that these are merely the fantasies of the artists being expressed to grab the attention of young aspiring teens dreaming of similar easy lifestyles. Knowing that not all see the hard work that went into producing and acquiring the wealth to produce such a video to the public, in reality, all require very much hard work. This is why it is important that the message be made clear in the intentions of artists to portray their fantasy to the general public in a way that will not demoralize their lifestyle. .
Within these videos there are many common themes. There are beautiful, half naked girls, gorgeous jewelry, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, expensive cars, and taking place in tropical places or on expensive properties. This definitely is very appealing to anyone dreaming of having great wealth, which is why it is so strongly used in many videos, is to simply get attention. Another question to ask us is if there were not half naked women, with nice cars would I even stop to watch it? I feel that if there were a positive meaningful message being displayed in the first place, these extra imaginary things would not be necessary in order to grab the attention of the general public.
