Saige
Host
00:00
Hey, everybody it's Sage or whatever. 

Javier
Host
00:03
Alright, good morning, good afternoon. Wherever you're watching from, it's your boy, javi Estre, from the 504. 

Saige
Host
00:10
Period. 

Javier
Host
00:11
And today we're going to be talking about traditional media and black life. 

Saige
Host
00:17
So let's get into it. So what is traditional media? I would define that as news channels like CNN, fox News, radio newspaper, and when I started watching the news, I really mostly got the news from my social media apps. I cannot lie, but in 2020, whenever George Floyd died, that's when the CNN reporters were on scene and I remember watching it one night and they were in the CNN headquarters in Atlanta and people were riding and stuff and I just thought it was cool to see the CNN reporters out in the field or whatever. So that's when I kind of started tuning into the news. 

Javier
Host
01:03
I would say I agree with you when I kind of started tuning into the news. I would say I agree with you. I also kind of got in it the same way, but kind of in like 2015, right when the Black Lives Matter movement started taking off, getting more publicity, publicity, and so yeah. 

Saige
Host
01:21
But nowadays, I would say, the media is kind of untraditional, for example, we. But nowadays, I would say the media is kind of untraditional. For example, we have ghetto ways which, basically in Baton Rouge, show you where all the police at, where the traffic is. We have the shade room, twitter and, of course, we have the infamous Justin Laboy and we're in a culture now where people really believe everything that they read, like one example, the post that Justin LaBoy made about all these places a restaurant, that you shouldn't take a girl on a date, and nobody really said it or agreed to it, but once it was posted, everybody reposted. It was like these girls nowadays is ungrateful right, right, uh, I would say definitely. 

Javier
Host
02:08
I feel like media is kind of getting non-traditional, um, towards the older generation, but more likely, uh, traditional to us by being on social media because, as being young people, we really watching more, like netflix, we don't pay for cable, things like that, and so we really pay attention more to the media that's on our phone, that's easier to get to. 

Saige
Host
02:29
And then we don't really do our research about anything either, like people just read stuff and they just automatically assume for it to be factual. So I definitely think that nowadays our generation should look deeper into things and not just at a surface level. So, saying that, I feel like everyone listening should take their time out to see when's the last time their local news posted something positive about black people, because you'll see a trend that they're quick to report when somebody gets killed or people's homes getting raided and all that. But it's not very often you see them highlight our victories. 

Javier
Host
03:14
I was 14 years old freshman in New Orleans who created a watch that's affordable for people who might be having a stroke to be able to detect things like that, and they don't really give them enough media outlet. I feel like like when they said it on the news it was about 20 seconds they gave to. But when we're talking about young men, young black men, being killed and robbing and killing and things like that, I feel like they give that news segment about three to four minutes and kind of like drag them and drag it on. 

Saige
Host
03:53
Yeah, I do. I do agree with that. So how would you say? Black men are portrayed in media. 

Javier
Host
04:02
I would say black men are portrayed in media as as far as like cnn, fox, things like that, I would think they're kind of like just looked over, like their opinion is not really um taken as valuable as probably a white person's opinion. Um, to the instance that lebron and KD was doing a podcast where they was driving around talking about things and the political feel and how they felt about Donald Trump and he was saying like when Donald Trump says something like he feels this is racist, he's kind of numb to it. So by that it's like when the media seen it, they were kind of dragging him like hey, lebron is like a person that's just getting paid to play basketball, not give us a political opinion about things like that. And they were saying how he was ungrammatically correct, barely intelligible, and now we see why his education paid off by him going straight to the NBA and things like that. 

Saige
Host
05:10
Right For me, I feel like with the way women are portrayed in media. Of course, we're in a time where sex definitely sells and we there's a lot of black women out there that's doing their thing with politics and things like that, but they're not really being highlighted as much as as much as we see, of course, everybody going to point out sexy, red and everybody else. So right now we live in a time where we're just really over sexualizing ourselves and, um, we're not really giving professional women are really given the same platform that unprofessional women are and being that that's the main thing that people see. That's what people on the outside looking in thinks that we are so like, for example, even when you look at, um, black women in luxury media, like like the Real Housewives. They live in these expensive houses and everything, but they're still on there fighting, cursing each other out. So it's not really good examples being put out there of the positive aspect of black life. 

Javier
Host
06:17
Right, right, I agree with you. And so there's definitely things like that that is put into the media and taken and kind of stretched farther than what it should be, and so by doing things like that, I definitely agree with you. So, yeah, yeah. 

Saige
Host
06:47
So another point I wanted to put out with traditional TV, you know, growing up we had shows like Pimp my Ride and MTV Cribs and I wanted to talk about how that influenced our culture. So when you watch that stuff growing up like, did that make you feel like this is you know how my life needs to be? Or, you know, do you feel like that had an impact on what you felt like your future should look like? 

Javier
Host
07:17
Yes, I definitely feel like MTV Cribs and things like Pimp my Ride definitely influenced the culture as far as us being young kids and wanting things like that. Growing up in New Orleans, it was kind of like either you're about to go D1 or you're going to be turning to the streets to get the lifestyle that you want, and so, by things like that going on in the community and not having a positive light shine from traditional media about things, programs that they're having in the city, as far as STEM camps and things like that, I definitely think that was an influence on my life and trying to get to how the celebrities had nice cars, nice houses and things to that nature. Everybody's had nice cars, nice houses and things to that nature. 

Saige
Host
08:06
So how do you think shows like that on TV influenced you or your other generation? I definitely feel like growing up watching Pimp my Ride, I definitely was like these cars is decked out, I want one. When it came to MTV Cribs, I definitely was like, oh okay, this is the kind of lifestyle I want, because growing up I'm from the country so it's not really a lot of stuff to do. So I watched a lot of TV growing up and it definitely influenced the way that I felt like life should go. My mom calls it like a what it look like kind of life and that's definitely what I kind of was wanting to be like people who aren't even like what they portraying on TV. So like, for example, like on Disney Channel, all the little girls had boyfriends and stuff when they was like 14, 15. That's the type of stuff I thought was real life, but it's not. But I do feel like growing up there were some good shows on there that showed us what a healthy black household should look like and definitely had conversations um that are necessary, like, for example, the fresh principal era episode um, when, you know, will smith was confiding in uncle phil about how he felt about his father being absent in his life. Um, that's definitely a story that a lot of us have heard over and over again and to to see that portrayed on TV it definitely gave people insight on what's really going on in the black community. 

09:29
I also think that nowadays what's trending is not really the two-parent household, but we see more of it like it's trendy for somebody to have a baby daddy or for somebody to be a baby mama, like they even have to the point where Target make cards that say you know, thank you, baby mama, as a baby shower gift. 

09:48
So me personally I don't know if it's because my parents are older I have a more traditional outlook on life. I feel like you know, people should get married first. I believe in all that and it's almost kind of scary to me to see that society is really steering away from that, because, being a psychology major, I definitely know how vital it is for people to grow up in a two-parent household and I just feel like nowadays in the media, like when we get to hold those seats that pick, you know what's being put out there. I just think it should really take a more positive outlook, not knocking anybody else because shout out to all the single mothers out there that's doing it for real. But I just don't feel like it should be normalized to have the whole you know, children out of wedlock thing. 

Javier
Host
10:40
Yeah, I definitely agree with you, coming from like that episode when I watched Will Smith going through the same thing. I was raised by my mama in a single-parent household. She raised me and my brother me and my other brother and it was definitely like man, I definitely feel what he's going through. But Uncle Phil took me in and really raised me as well, being that male role model, took me in and really raised me as well uh, being that male role model, and so I definitely understand what you're saying. Uh, as far as it being traditional, uh love and uh, traditional relationship, I definitely agree because I do feel like, um, it would be nice to have it, not having it as a kid, and so that's definitely uh it's important to see it normalized on TV because it kind of makes you feel like you know I'm not the only one going through this. 

11:26
Right right. 

Saige
Host
11:27
And that's important. As a kid looking at that, because I'm sure you know, the first time you've seen me it's probably like you know, wow, that's exactly how I feel. Like for me I kind of had the best of both worlds, like I did grow up in a two-parent household, but when I was in eighth grade I was reduced to just a single mother. So I've been somebody that had money. I've been somebody that was poor. So just seeing that it definitely made me feel like I wasn't alone. It kind of helped me put my own feelings into words. So stuff like that has a great impact. 

11:59
And even the other things in the media that we see, like going back to my girl, sexy red, I love you, but he um, you know it's, I ain't gonna lie, it's it's up to you to be influenced by what you see. So I'm not gonna say that she's being a bad influence. But at the same time, when you have the platform that you do, it kind of somewhat is your responsibility to kind of be positive, because you got all these young girls watching you. Like I used to work at the Boys and Girls Club and I literally had to ban them from singing Pound Town and they were in third grade. So I think maybe from on the outside looking in, I'm not saying that she should change herself or anything like that, but all I'm saying is oh yeah, and the school just banned her from talking to kids because she pulled up smelling like weed. So it's like my girl. I feel like being in a celebrity light, you still have to have some level of professionalism. Celebrity, you still have to have some level of professionalism. 

13:06
So I feel like it's a time and a place for everything and that's just my opinion, but I definitely think that, the same way they plant her in the industry and that's a story for another day they can go ahead and plant a positive black figure in the industry as well. 

Javier
Host
13:20
Right, right, most definitely. I do think she can be more positive. In certain scenarios. I do like what she's doing. I know she's been liberated with her body, being free to express how she wants to with music, with how she feels and everything like that. Just when you're around kids and things like that, pulling up to schools, talking to them, just having a better influence because as kids we're very, we're very influenceable things like that Like oh man, my favorite artist was smelling like weed she's smoking. I can't wait till I can get a hold of it and, you know, start picking up bad habits like that and bringing it into the whole culture of young people. 

Saige
Host
14:04
I think I could almost say that nowadays, kids could even be more impressionable, because we did grow up in the social media era. So it's like nowadays, like these kids, they just feel so much pressure to be something, and if they're not, it it's like they could fall into bullying and just feeling unaccepted. So, um, I do. I do think that she should not have came to the school smelling like weed. 

Javier
Host
14:37
Um, I don't know, we just need smoke most definitely like, yeah, coming to the school smelling, um, you know, smell like weed, but you know that's a topic for another time. And so, with that being said, I really think it brings us into the cancel culture. Being like man, I have to be careful what I'm really doing because, if not, the media will take it and run and then you're going to get like thousands of people on board like, oh no, we're not messing with her, and that can really mess with your whole livelihood. When you're a person like sexy red that's making music because, um, I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a degree and so it's like man. If this doesn't work and everybody cancels me, what I'm gonna be done? Working at dollar tree making twelve dollars an an hour, which is not really a good minimum, not even minimum wage. 

Saige
Host
15:25
Yeah, and one example in media. One might call this cancel culture. But, like I said earlier, I really used to enjoy watching CNN, but ever since they fired Don Lemon, I don't watch it anymore. Because, not going to lie, first of all, he a homeboy, he from Port Allen, so you know it was nice to see somebody from my area to be on TV and then he was being his true self. I know he did a lot on the little New Year's Eve special, but you don't really see a lot of stuff like that in professional tone news media like the big channels like CNN and all that. 

15:59
So cancel culture is definitely real, but I think it really just depends. Like, let's say, cardi B, for example, she hasn't put out an album in over. I don't even know if it's been 10 years. It feels like 10 years Because she's so scared that you, you know whatever she says, um, you know she's just going to be canceled or, you know, exiled from the industry in general. So I feel like some of it is really just in your head and I also feel like we're not even canceling the right people. Oh, it's been six years. But yeah, I just feel like with cancel culture, we're just not even using it for the right thing. Like can we cancel these politicians? Like can we just leave the music industry alone Because they're getting paid regardless? Like we worry about the wrong thing when it comes to that. 

Javier
Host
16:52
Right, and to what you said, to piggyback off of what you said, most definitely I think that's one reason why I really don't even try to tune into um cnn fox, things like that, because it's not relatable to me. Uh, they're not really. There's no one on there that looks like me, no one. Um, that kind of came from a struggle uh of louisiana or the south sometime and it's just like very much, yeah, you're gonna put somebody on there like Don Lemon and then blacklist them, cancel them, and now everybody's using the cancel culture on them. So most definitely, I definitely feel strongly about how cancel culture is and if people actually cancel and things of that nature, mm-hmm canceled and things of that nature. 

Saige
Host
17:42
And then also when I was younger, I remember always having to go to the end of the driveway, having to pick up the newspaper every day. But you know there's no need for that because technology has basically taken over. So since we live in an era now where you know everyone is quick to pick up their phone before they pick up a book, do you think it's a need for traditional media or do you think that we should reduce it to just social media? Or how do you think we should work around doing it? 

Javier
Host
18:15
I don't know. That's kind of a tricky question, because if we look at the media all day, then we'll just get stuck looking at the TV, and so it's kind of going to be the same thing. Um, I really feel like social media is the new traditional media of this age, and by things of that nature, I definitely remember when the people used to come around with the newspapers, throwing them at the end of the driveway. I was outside playing basketball with my friends. The whole neighborhood we're having NBA games out there putting up stats. 

18:42
That was crazy, and so I definitely think we need to take a step back and look at it like okay, we know that this social media is a whole different world. That's not really real. But you kind of make your own thing with social media, and so it's like how do we decipher through this as the younger people coming up, kids having phones when they're like in second grade? I have a little cousin. She's in second grade having a phone. I didn't get a phone until I was probably in six, six, seven grade, so I know it's kind of just crazy how that whole situation is and looking at the media from traditional and non-traditional ways. 

Saige
Host
19:26
Yeah, it's definitely the easiest way to get in touch with people because nowadays we're connected more than ever, like, for example, with the Black Lives Matter movement. I don't want to say that it wouldn't have been as big without social media because, looking at history, matter movement. I don't want to say that it wouldn't have been as big without social media because, you know, looking at history, it was definitely historical movements that took off without social media, but with it can it can have its pros and cons and even even with that, that was also tricky because wasn't there something going on where they was getting donations and they didn't know where the money was going. 

20:08
But, that's really neither here nor there, but I can definitely see it's positive impact. But negatively, I just feel like when people look at social media, they just read something and they're like, okay, this is going on. They don't even try to do any background research. We're really lazy as a generation. 

20:33
We don't have to go in a book and find information. It's really at the hands, literally in our hands. So I definitely think that we should have more, just get more educated on what's really going on, because if we just believe in everything we read, they could put any type of narrative out there and we could just miss out on so much. Like I could think of last semester around homecoming, nobody really was promoting to go vote like that. Around homecoming, nobody really was promoting to go vote like that. And the election was the same day as Southern Homecoming and we all know that's a national holiday and well, not national. But you know in Baton Rouge, we know where all the black people was at, we know why Jeff Landry is in office right now, right, so I don't know. We just got to really we in control of what we put out, so we got to do better. 

Javier
Host
21:21
I definitely think social media was vital to Black Lives Matter movements as far as getting the younger generation involved. 

21:28
I remember during COVID, when George Floyd was killed, we went down in the French Quarter me and my brother and everybody was posting on social media, really bringing a light to making people in the city come out and get with the movement and things like that walking the streets, and I think if it wasn't for social media, I don't think that it would have been that many people out there, because it had to be about like 2,000 people out there. 

21:54
And this was all during COVID, when you could have got sick and died from it, could have got sick and died from it. So I definitely feel like the media social media has played a vital part in making things bigger, because it was already to a big level. But I definitely feel that that was vital. And so, like you said, with voting being on the homecoming day, I think a lot of people didn't know, because you know they weren't pushing it as much, I feel like on our feed to really take over, because they know how powerful the black vote really is. Media plays a vital part in whatever the hashtag is, whether it's Black Lives Matter going vote and things like that. 

Saige
Host
22:49
So when do we take accountability for? Because of course, we're both saying the same thing and I don't know about you, but I don't really believe. Well, I did post on my story to go vote, but, um, when does it come a time where we should take responsibility for what's being put out there? When, when and how do we take initiative to, I guess, spread the word when it comes to what's going on politically in the community? 

Javier
Host
23:14
I really think that's a good question. I really think that's a good question. I really think that it's definitely an initiative that we have to take. As young black people in America, I tell people all the time like I talk to my friends about voting all the time like they don't understand how powerful their voice really is through voting and getting on social media and showing them everything that's going on, and so I definitely think it's a everybody definitely plays a part in it and have a responsibility to uphold for the topic, and so that's how I feel that's how I feel. 

Saige
Host
24:02
And then even like on a somewhat smaller scale, like at Southern University, how they have those, those Senate meetings and things, and you don't really see a big attendance when it comes to things like that, like dealing with SGA. So I think, maybe as an example, like if Southern really took more accountability into what the students feel and if they started voting on things and started seeing a change around campus that makes students feel like, oh well, maybe I do need to go ahead and take a step to vote in my community, because if I could see changes at Southern then, okay, maybe I could see bigger changes. So, more promoting more student involvement. Because I'm going to be honest, I kind of feel like SGA is kind of a joke on campus. I honestly feel like they don't really hold as much power as students think they do. I really feel like they're more put into place to be the face of who the students can blame for things. I don't really see like it's. 

25:11
The last time something that the SGA president has done has positively impacted me was when I was a freshman in 2019, when we was complaining about the bushes growing by the bridge walking from the back and Donald Dunbar got them bridges cut, the bushes cut the same day. That's the last time I've ever been positively impacted, even with the, the bill that passed about the $80 concert fee now or the $80 Springfest fee. It was the next semester y'all had DDG. That was a slap in the face. 

25:42
Right, right so it's just like I don't know, If you see it in your community around you, it kind of makes you want to go out and do more. 

Javier
Host
25:53
You get what I'm saying. I definitely get what you're saying, but I think that's really on social media. I definitely feel how you feel about it. I think that's really on social media. I definitely feel how you feel about it. I think that the SGA is kind of just a scapegoat for it, because at the end of the day, everybody is in it for their own personal gain or whatever. So, you know, I definitely understand what you're saying. 

Saige
Host
26:10
You have a popularity thing. 

Javier
Host
26:11
Yeah, that's most definitely what it is, I think, a popularity contest, because when you look at it, pretty much all the people that's in all these different clubs and things like that is just people who's trying to run for a popularity contest. 

Saige
Host
26:25
And going into the media. We have a lot of older students on campus. Everybody does not have Instagram, everybody does not have Twitter, believe it or not. There was an older woman in one of my classes and I had to let her know. Let her know, like, girl, go get you some free crawfish, she ain't know nothing about the crawfish bowl. So I definitely think that that's just an example of how we just depend on social media to let people know everything, but everybody doesn't have those resources and because of that, people go without, which isn't fair. 

Javier
Host
26:56
Yeah, most definitely like when I kind of first came up here, and it was about like 2016, 2015,. When my brother first came here, I was in the financial aid office and I seen a girl that was like as young as us at that time and she had a whole flip phone and I just thought it was so crazy. I'm like I mean, you got social media, you got iPhones, and so people are definitely not in tune with social media all the time. Like, you know, that's not everybody's vice. I should say Mm-hmm, you know. 

Saige
Host
27:26
It's not everybody's style. 

Javier
Host
27:27
Right, and so definitely like putting out more posters, things like that, because I know when it was having elections going on, people was putting posters like on the wall, things like that. They were sending group memes, group meetings. Hey, don't put posters on a wall, only put it on the um board where it could be what it's designated for. Like that's crazy, nobody's going to that board to look like we're we're walking to class every day. Um, you know, sometime I might look at my phone walking to class, sometime I might just be listening to music walking and if I see a sign that's interesting, then hey, I'm going to look at it and read and read it and, you know, definitely be in tune to you know, know about what's going on. And so definitely I think we need to take it off of social media and kind of bring it back to the older days when they were putting out signs on the yards and things like that. 

Saige
Host
28:17
So we definitely can tell from SGA elections and stuff like that that traditional media is definitely still needed today, because if not, they wouldn't spend all that money on them, posters and stuff. But I feel like they should use that same energy throughout the whole semester when it comes to promoting the senate meetings, promoting the times where students, you know, can advocate for themselves, promoting events on campus. That's, you know, used to elevate yourself financially and educationally, because a lot of these older people they don't, or really younger people, because even me, they need help with FAFSA and everything else. But when you hear about those dates where they're available to help you, it's all on social media. So, um, I feel like the gap should definitely be filled. I feel like it should be a little bit of both posters and social media. They just because they really leave people out without having both. 

Javier
Host
29:16
I definitely agree with you because as far as like fast food, the things for fast food, housing applications, you have so so many different Instagram pages like I'm not following all these Instagram pages. 

29:24
I don't know about all of them. We have a main southern page where they can post things that and definitely put it out there for the people who's just only following that one page, and so definitely I think we traditional media is still a good reference to use as far as social media, of course, but most definitely we've got to get it all together. 

Saige
Host
29:48
Yeah, because a lot of people you always hear people say, girl, I just go to school and not come home, I don't know what's going on, but you know some things you have to know and I just, I don't know. Do better something, that's all. 

Javier
Host
30:04
So, with that being said, how do we innovate and show that we make the culture? 

Saige
Host
30:14
Well, I think that we definitely should wake up. Just look at what we're looking at, like everything that we see, everything that's trending, like, for example, tiktok, that's all trending because of what black people are doing Every time. You see, every time, you see, every time we do something, we're always imitated by every single culture, like we literally are the culture. And just think about it. If we were to do something positive in the community or something, how many people would start doing it? Like even with the black lives matter movement that became cool. We had target, everybody else was, you know, putting black people's on black people on shirts and stuff, because it became a trend. Everything is about what's trending and we are what's trending always. So I feel like we should use that impact that we have in a more positive way. And even though in society they constantly tear us down and tell us that we're nothing like, obviously we're something, because everything we do, everybody wants to do it yeah, most, most definitely. 

Javier
Host
31:20
I definitely agree. We definitely make the culture. We make fashion, music. Everything that we do is going to go viral because we know how to do it. We do it the best, if you ask me. Nobody else can do what we do, period. 

31:32
So, with that being said, even debates when people try to say Eminem is the best rapper over Lil Wayne, something like that, it's crazy because he's like. 

31:39
Um debates when people try to say Eminem is the best rapper over Lil Wayne, or some, something like that, it's crazy because, like, he's taking our flow, like he's trying to, he's trying to duplicate what we already created, what's already been done, um, things of that nature definitely like, with people of other other cultures coming over and I call them culture vultures, because that's what that's what it is. They're just picking up what they like and trying to make it into their own, which they can't. Uh, as far as fashion and things like that, um, if a black person doesn't put it on, it's not gonna go viral, like it's not like g-knights you got, you got white people up here wearing g-knights, like everybody know, that's the black stable. Whether you call it g-knights, yeah, like you, and the thing, the thing is they try to hop on to the trend. You go to LSU, you're going to see about five white girls with G-Nights on, all creased up, all muddied up at the bottom looking crazy and it's like nah, you wear them once or twice, they done. 

32:33
You crease, they done. They don't understand how this culture really is. 

Saige
Host
32:39
And they'll even go to the extent where they'll harm themselves, like all these white girls getting braids and stuff. You know your hair not made for that. And then they try to say, well, y'all wear weave, don't say that because you're trying to say that black people cannot grow long hair. Now, please, it's definitely not the same thing. Like do some research on the Eve gene and how black women could really create any culture they want to, right, right, but, um, yeah, they see, they see it on social media and I guess, I guess it's easier said than done. Even we even make it trend when they have the, the black, the, um, the white people that so-called try to stereotypically talk like us, like, for example, whoa vicky and um bad baby. We let them go viral for acting a fool, but let us do it. It's, it's so negative, but when white people do it, we look at it in a positive way, like it's everybody is nowadays, everybody is looking for their viral moment, and that goes for social media and real life. That's why people just just be doing the most overreacting at the smallest little things, because people just want to be seen, heard and known nowadays. But I think, instead of looking for our viral moment in a negative aspect. We need to turn it around and make it positive. And it's a lot of people who are stuck in their ways, but I think if we just show them that it's really better out there. For example, everybody don't have to be a rapper, everybody don't have to chase their football dream. Where I'm from, it's like either you playing a sport or you going to work at the plant, like they don't really have a lot of people that come out and tell you, like you could be that politician or you could be that journalist or that media person, you could change the narrative. You don't have to fit into this box and for a lot, lot of people that goes in one ear and out the other because it's easier said than done. But once you actually see it and see somebody who is that from your community, then it just makes a better example for kids and um gives them the ability to have a more diverse way of thinking when it comes to what they can be whenever they get older Like for me, for example, when I get my money and I graduate and everything I'm definitely going back to Rosedale and I'm turning everybody up telling them come to Southern, throwing out scholarships here and there and this might be a little off topic, but I don't know how everything works for real but I definitely think some Southern alumni definitely need to come back, because Swan Avenue, that's all run down. 

35:32
All them buildings are abandoned. We could have us a little college town, just like LSU. Y'all need to come back and put that money back into you know who made you what you are today. Like people ask me all the time like do I want to leave? Whenever I graduate college, I honestly feel like I want to help my own community first before I go out and try to help somebody else's community. But yeah, I definitely feel like, with that being said, people have their own responsibilities to be a good example. So if we stick to that and we see more of that in the media and in person, we could essentially have a better society. 

Javier
Host
36:12
Yes, definitely, bringing it back to the social media era. Bringing it back to the social media era most definitely. I think we need to call out the alumni who don't give back to this campus. I think it was crazy when I first came to Southern I wasn't going to have any housing because it was all filled for freshmen and so it was like man, it's crazy, like southern been around for so long, it's that they only have one building that they could put freshmen in, um, as us being like uh, freshmen, college students, young, uh, just getting out of high school, having us go into uh apartments, trying to work jobs and all that it's definitely crazy. So with social media, like, like, we could definitely bring like a positive outlook towards that and really show you know, show them why we're really black excellence. 

Saige
Host
37:10
So we touched on a lot of things today. We talked about the media in the past, present and future. So, with all that being said, what are some ways that we could solve these issues and bridge the gap between social and traditional media? 

Javier
Host
37:29
I think we can bridge it together, first by getting people that look like us on the media, on these mainstream Fox, cnn, things like that, talking about things that we really go through in everyday life and that white politicians can't relate to us, also bringing it to where they need to kind of get on social media to grab more younger people's attention also through their own platforms. And I think we need to not just let them put it out there, but we actually need to pay attention and look up and see what's going on and actually follow them and so, uh, that's that's how I think we kind of could bridge the gap, you know, and I think we could, um, also be more open-minded into trying new things, like, of course it's not cool for somebody to be sitting down reading the newspaper, but at the end of the day, it just what we, what we're doing now. 

Saige
Host
38:23
It's not working To a certain extent Because, like I said earlier, social media isn't reaching everybody. So I think that we should take the other outlets of media more serious than we do, instead of just focusing everything on what can be on a phone, because we do have people around that don't really have access to those resources. And, like you said, I do agree that we should have more black people sitting in those seats, like you know, more journalists and everything. That way, so we could control the narrative and have a better representation of ourselves out there, because if we're in control of what's being put out, then you know, essentially, that'll create a more positive image for us that we could benefit from definitely, and so, like going into that topic, like getting more people, uh, in office or on these, these media platforms, that's like us. 

Javier
Host
39:21
I think we actually need to take the initiative and create our own stations, things like BET, but a real BET that's owned by black people, and so I think everything that we do, like we said, the culture is going to follow, we're going to make it so it doesn't matter, and so definitely I think that we need to get our own networks. 

Saige
Host
39:45
And even with BET, we are even starting to see most black celebrities not even attend the BET Awards anymore, and I'm not going to say they don't understand, but it's a big impact when you're young and you're growing up and you're seeing somebody be in a seat that you want to be in, it kind of makes it seem more achievable. So definitely more black people in the media just doing their thing with success and things that aren't, like I said, rapping, playing basketball. We could do way more, not knocking the athletes, not knocking the rappers out there, but get your CDL too. Have something to fall back on. 

Javier
Host
40:31
Right right. 

Saige
Host
40:33
I think this might be A-worthy. What you think. 

Javier
Host
40:36
Yeah, I think it's A-worthy for sure. 

Saige
Host
40:37
I think you know Dr Johnson going to slap a little A-plus on now.