Where My Dogs At?: Have MTV and Snoop Dogg Gone Too Far This Time?

Is the show an outrageous satire or just plain out right degrading? That is the controversial issue going on right now with the show Where My Dogs At? on MTV. The show recently depicted a cartoon look alike of the rapper Snoop Dogg walking with two black females on a leash.

The cartoon figure of Snoop Dogg walks into a pet store with the two black women dressed in bikinis, he then orders the women to get him a latte as they bend over and scratch themselves. At the end of this cartoon segment the Snoop Dogg caricature puts a pair of rubber gloves on in order to clean up cartoon poop left on the floor by the women.

Several people are very upset at the fact that MTV has allowed this to be aired on national television. The show is also stirring up controversy because of the fact that it is geared towards young teenagers and comes on at 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays; the same time that most children are indulged in Saturday morning cartoons and other shows. I have to admit that I am completely appalled at the fact that this television station has allowed for this type of show to be aired.

"Where My Dogs at?" is based on real life celebrities and pop culture, which is seen through the eyes of two wisecracking stray dogs named Woofie and Buddy. The cartoon voices are comedians Tracy Morgan and Jeffrey Ross.

MTV stated in an August 9, 2006 CNN article, that the episode "Woofie Loves Snoop", which was first aired on July 1, 2006, was "in fact a parody of an actual appearance Snoop Dogg made where he was accompanied by two women wearing neck collars and chains." This appearance was at a recent music awards ceremony. MTV also stated that "We certainly do not condone Snoop's actions and the goal was to take aim at the incident for its insensitivity and outrageousness."

Despite the statements by MTV several prominent African-Americans have begun to speak out against the show. Many African-Americas feel that it is very degrading to Black women as well as the race as a whole. New York Daily News columnist Stanley Crouch has condemned the segment as being misogynist, racist and crude.

I have to agree with him that this show is all of these three. Stanley Crouch also implored that the segment was an extension of dehumanizing images contained in gangsta rap videos aired by MTV and projected "around the world as black culture."

MTV2 has stated that they do not know if they will allow the show to be aired ever again because of the controversy sparked by the episode. They are also unsure if they will continue the show "Where My Dogs At?" for a second season.

After visiting the forum at AOL's Black Voices, I realized that many African-American people feel as if this show has taken a major blow to the race. Several Blacks felt as if the loss of great Black historical figures has caused an incredible negative impact on the African American race. Some responders on the forum went as far to say that the KKK was probably laughing at us saying that they can retire, because these Negroes are destroying themselves.

I think that placing something like this on television for young viewers is disgraceful and it is hurting to us all. Not only are Black women affected but also so are so many other women. Women are constantly being degraded on television stations such as MTV and BET, but the worse fact of all is that these women are allowing themselves to be degraded by the music industry.

Hip Hop and rap has been an open door for males to humiliate the woman by calling them outlandish names as well as exploiting them as only sex objects. Women have begun to believe that the only way that they too can make it in the music industry or in life is to show their body or to degrade their self in order to gain access to the luxurious lifestyles that the rap industry is constantly glamorizing. Not only is Snoop Dogg selling his soul but so are so many other rappers who spit out lyrics that hurt not only themselves but so many other people.

It is time for the people of Hip-Hop to take another route and for Snoop Dogg to own up to his disgusting behavior. Of course I don't really believe that he will own up to his mistake because it will hurt his image. Snoop Dogg has young children, a wife, and millions of fans and he needs to realize that anything that he decides to do in his life will impact someone. It is time for someone to stand up because Malcolm or Martin are no longer here. Someone needs to stand up and call out the entire music industry in front of the masses for the degradation of our culture; the only hard part is getting someone to listen.