The Flavor of Love

I believe that there are only few of you who've not heard of Flavor Flav, formerly of Public Enemy fame, but now a reality TV star in his own right. He has the hit television show, The Flavor of Love which is now airing its second season. Flav, whose real name is William Drayton, is the clownish buffoon that most black people shy away from, but white America embraces as an acceptable portrayal of black males. But aside from the political aspect of the subject, Flav has managed to extend the proverbial 15 minutes of fame that Andy Warhol so graciously granted us.

Even within the group Public Enemy, Flavor managed to create a stir. Professor Griff, the militant minister of information for the group, was rumored to despise Flav, claiming that he was exactly how white Americans wanted to see black males. Flavor, on the other hand, ignored Griff and anyone else and continued being Flav.

But now that I've extolled his genius, I have to admit that he's probably not the most attractive male on TV, and it's quite possible that he's the most unattractive (possibly his intention) male spotlighted since Lyle Lovett. If in fact this it true, then why is it that women are flocking to The Flavor of Love in record numbers to be fondled, groped, kissed and in some instances, humiliated by this person? Now I won't make the mistake I've made in the past and make this a blanket indictment on all women, but in this day and age of women's advancement, doesn't this set them back ever so slightly? They cry, fight, and back stab one another, all vying for Flav's attention. I know that a behavioral comparison can be drawn between Flav's show and other reality successes like Big Brother and Survivor but the biggest difference is Flavor isn't the grand prix on those other shows.

I have to admit that I was going to really make a big stink about women's behavior but I decided that I wasn't going to do that type of journalism any longer. The truth is, men, including myself, need to look at themselves and fix ourselves instead of remaining stagnant and condemning women. But I do need to mention that you have to question a woman who would exhibit so much false emotion just to best one another. Make no mistake about it, Flavor isn't really the prize. The true prize is defeating fellow contestants. Flavor just happens to be the judge, jury, and executioner in this contest. Any fool knows that you appeal to the judges. And one thing most women know how to do with precision is appeal to authority. As a military police officer, I was often treated to accidental slips of blouses exposing more breast than was allowed shown in public. There were the comments about my attractiveness. I know I'm not Flavor Flav, but I'm no Shamar Moore either-so cut the crap.

Watching these women do what they do so naturally leads me to this conclusion. If a man wants peace, he needs at least 3 women in his life at all times-and they all know about one another. Look at the peace that Flavor enjoys. If he needs one, he calls them up from his stable, wines and dines them, and then sends them back amongst the pack. They all vie for his attention and while they wail and gnash teeth amongst one another, they charm and delight him with their best behavior. And the beauty about the entire arrangement is the fear that the other competitor will grab all the glory keeps them all firmly planted in their places. Now don't get me wrong, I know that the lure of attaining their 15 minutes of fame is more responsible for them remaining than the competition, but one thing that is undeniable is the fact that after a couple of days those cameras disappear and those women begin doing what they do naturally. These aren't actors, and I'm not even sure that an actress could remain in character as long as these women are being taped. They ultimately resort back to who they really are and they make no attempts to get in the way of their true selves.

I guess one could draw several thousands of conclusions about the show, but this is the one that I've drawn. And given my past, I don't think anyone would really be surprised-are you?

RCP