TVSquad

Hot Ghetto Mess, a new series on BET based on the Web site HotGhettoMess.com, has already courted some controversy before its July 25 premiere.

The new series features user-submitted videos and street interviews meant to encourage viewers to change themselves and their communities for the better.

Or, it's a show that exploits stereotypes, and it's the reason both Home Depot and State Farm Insurance have asked to be dropped from the series.

The Hot Ghetto Mess site was created by Jam Donaldson, a black lawyer who is also a producer on the new series (hosted by Charlie Murphy of Chappelle's Show). The site, which as of this writing had nothing on it except a single image and no links, typically features photographs of black people decked out in hip hop fashions and haircuts. Donaldson's goal is a "new era of self-examination." The TV series will not just feature blacks.

The question I would ask: where is the line between representing your race and/or culture in a positive light and the individual self-expression that all young people seek? Generations change, but one similarity that runs throughout is that the youth culture will always listen to music, watch TV shows and wear clothes that both challenge and enrage their parents and society in general. That's not unique to one race and never has been. It's a complex issue, and it will be interesting to see how this new series approaches it.