Why Are We Still Romanticizing Struggle?
For generations, Black communities have been taught to wear pain like armor. Struggle has been packaged as strength, exhaustion mistaken for ambition and survival celebrated as a success story.
Are We Still Watching Reality TV or Just Trauma Bonding?
Reality TV is supposed to be fun, but for Black viewers, it’s often emotional labor.
Streaming promised variety. What we got instead was recycled chaos. “Find Love or Pop the Balloon” began on YouTube as a rarity: a dating show that saw Black love without filters. Created by Arlette Amuli and Bolia “BM” Matundu, it was soft, layered and unapologetically Black.
It felt authentic. Then came Netflix.