The show “Blackish” is a family sit-com about the Johnsons, a three generation, black upper-middle class family living in the city of Los Angeles headed by two working parents, a show that can lead to comparisons with the "The Cosby Show." Black-ish is a sitcom that criticizes and debates modern day issues such as racism, upbringings, class, religion and politics via comedy whilst not being offensive to any particular group of people.
Dre Johnson has it all: a great job, a beautiful wife “Rainbow” (a Doctor) who is mixed half black and half white, five kids; Zoey the eldest child, Andre Junior, Dian and Jack who are twins and baby Devante. They have a big home in a classy neighborhood, but as a black man, he begins to question whether all
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his success has brought too much cultural assimilation for his family. With the help of his father, Dre begins to try to create a sense of ethnic identity for the members of his family that will allow them to honor their background while preparing them to embrace the future. This warm-hearted comedy confronts various issues like episodes dealing with police brutality to one finding gentle humor in how long the services in black churches can be. Plus its ability to find quick-fire laughs in both racist stereotypes and Dre’s ability to see them everywhere. Growing up in the hood area without good and adequate security and with divorced parents usually affects the upbringing of children and thus leads these kids into becoming gangsters and sometimes makes them get heavily involved in drugs.
This is usually the case of a good number of kids who grow up in such conditions. They use their upbringing as an excuse to venture into criminal activities and they don’t pursue a higher education and this doesn’t give them a fighting chance in the real world. The lucky few are the ones who decide to rise above hate and are lucky to get out. This was the case of Dre Johnson. Although growing in the hoods of Compton with a divorced mother, he was able to avoid all the negativity of the hood and only looked forward to the positive side. With this he was able to graduate high school with a scholarship and was able to get into a university to get a higher education and now being the head of the “urban division” of his office. He also once referred to himself as his ancestor’s wildest dream. This indirectly is a message from black-ish to its viewer telling them not to use their upbringing as an excuse not to aspire for the best in life. Everyone should always look towards the positive side no matter how hard the situation may be or seem. If someone was able to get through such a situation and still make it therefore anyone can do the …show more content…
same. Another topic that this show was able to tackle was the results of the last elections which President Donald Trump emerged the winner. Although this episode had little to no humor, a message was passed across. The election results had mixed feelings from different people not just in the United States but every part of the world. The show was able to leap head first into the tensions surrounding the elections and how the winners and losers, people who were on different teams, supporting different people are now supposed to be on the same team. This episode in particular was titled lemons. This episode shows the Johnson’s, a pro Clinton family, flawed by the results of the elections. The children were given a day off from school as a day of reflection. Rainbow, on the other hand, is taking refuge in activism. At Dre’s work, everyone is reacting to things just a little bit differently. People are distracted, but in slightly different ways. In one set piece, “there is no way we’re getting any work done today” gets repeated in the office conference room as November 9 becomes December 9 becomes January 9. People are angry and looking for someone else to blame. (On a whiteboard in the firm’s conference room is scrawled a question—“Whose fault is this?” under which is written, alternately, “THE GAYS / LATEEN-OHS / THE BLACKS / WHITE WOMEN.” Each blame-ee has been crossed out as the workers realize that fault cannot be neatly assigned. At one particularly moment, Lucy, the firm’s employee, makes a confession: She voted for Trump. Not because she likes him or agreed with the claims and threats he made during the campaign, she says, but because she gave Obama a chance twice and hasn’t seen her life get much better. “It’s eight years later, my dad’s still out of work, my hometown is about to go under,” Lucy tells her colleagues, “and Hillary comes out saying she’s basically going to keep everything the same.” Lucy was conflicted about her vote. But she wanted to shake up the system. At this point, all began seeing things from each other’s view especially that of Lucy’s. Change is inevitable to anyone in life either good or bad and it also motivates people to try things differently and to occasionally get out of their comfort zones. Just because a situation or system might seem right and pleasant to you doesn’t mean it automatically works for everybody, and black-ish has been able to get that message across with this episode that no matter the situation we all have to come together as one. We are a stronger when we are together and not standing alone. The Internet has been played a major role in technological advancement for the human race. Although the internet has a lot of advantages, it also has disadvantages especially when it comes to content’s that are less appropriate for children. Well this particular episode of black-ish, Tackles sex talk and the influence the internet has had on our society and also on the.
The title of this episode is “Their Eyes Were Watching Screens”. Rainbow catches ten-year-old Diane watching a dirty video— “German exchange student orders pizza in Tokyo and can’t pay for it dirty”—and immediately takes away her computer, but the damage is done. Poor girl just innocently Googled “sex” to learn what the kids at her school were talking about, but now Bow and Dre worry that their baby is irreversibly damaged. After Dre and Rainbow discussed on what to do about the present situation, they decide to spy on their kids, to try to find out what they’re up to online. Zoey is taking sexy Instagrams, posing in her bikini in her bedroom. Junior is watching videos of beheadings, while Jack is obsessed with PewDiePie, the hyperactive Swedish You Tuber. They decide to install a program that freezes the Internet if someone tries to access an inappropriate site and can only be unfrozen with a code. Bow suggests her birthday for the code, but of course Dre doesn’t have it memorized. This backfires with Dre, not having access to the Wi-Fi. The program also can’t distinguish between homework and porn. This led to Junior and Zoey pointing out that everything happens online, and their parents can’t stop them from using the internet. The episode ends with Dre and Rainbow well mostly Rainbow, having a real conversation with Diane about sex, as kids need to learn from their parents, not the
internet. The parents also had talks, with all their kids on the “internet”. Which is telling parental viewers not to turn a blind eye to issues like this because some parents tend to shy away from the “sex talk and other related issues” In conclusion, although black-ish is a family comedy TV show, that always portray real-life scenarios in both family and personal related matters. Even former United States president Barack Obama once said it was like watching his own family on TV during the meet and greet the members of the cast had at the with house with the president. So if you are looking for a show with great humor and still has a larger meaning and universal commentary on the human condition, this is definitely the right show for you and your family.
"Where I came from, in order to be down you had to be 'in'" (Shakur, 226). This quote, taken from Sanyika Shakur's (aka Monster Kody Scott) Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member relates the mind set of those growing up the concrete jungle of South Central L.A. This powerful account of the triumph of the human spirit over insurmountable odds brings the reader into the daily battles for survival. His story starts at the beginning of his gang life (being initiated at age 11), moves through his teen years (mostly spent in various correctional facilities) and ends up with his transformation in a member of the New Afrikan Independence Movement.
The Beulah Show, airing on ABC in the early 1950s, is the first sitcom to star an African American actress who plays as a maid to the Henderson family (Bronstein). In the episode “Beulah goes Gardening”, the Henderson discuss Beulah’s demanding workload―housework and gardening―after realizing Beulah did all of their gardening. Beulah tells Oriole, her friend, about her rosebush problem, and the next morning, Beulah sasses Bill, her boyfriend, into helping her. While the show may seem revolutionary with an African American actress and an innocent representation of a 1950s family, this show in reality demonstrates the harmfulness of the lack of diversity and misrepresentation on television. Tropes like “Mammy” and the “sassy black woman” are
Ghettos, low-riders, hip-hop, rap, drugs and crime, it has got to be a Black man right? Saggy pants, unintelligible language, lazy, and the lists continue to both stereotype and describe Blacks. Do Black Americans perpetuate their own discrimination? Are Black Americans creating their own low status in society? Black people around the world have been hypnotized into believing all their failures in life are due to discrimination, but are they correct? Blacks are often their own worst enemies, often the cause of their own disasters, and many don’t see that until it’s too late, if ever. Discrimination and prejudice are imposed upon Blacks, often because the culture they live in is not “acceptable” to the dominant society. On the other hand, an understandable reason for Blacks actions is often due to unattainable opportunities towards the American Dream.
Delacroix’s boss, Thomas Dunwitty, feels entitled to be and “act black and no matter how hard he tries to be black, he will always be white. Dunwitty is a typical racist that loves and appreciates Black culture, but doesn’t love and appreciate Black people. In the movie, he only wants to use Black people for entertainment and only wants to see them portrayed as their stereotype, which is being ignorant idiots. He doesn’t want educated Black people on his network. No, he wants the obedient, compliant “nigger” who is willing to do anything for “massa”. Dunwitty wants a “nigga” show. He wanted to use “being a nigga” as entertainment. He loved the fact that the show makes an absolute mockery of slavery and Black people because he thinks it’s not racist or wrong because it was made by a Black person. This movie showed me that no matter how hard we try to destroy stereotypes, they will always be in effect. People don’t want a show that shows black empowerment, truth, positivity, or Black intelligence. They only want the ignorant Black people, the stupidity, disrespect, and negativity. People want Black people to be portrayed this way on television just to say “see this is really how they act”. Intelligent Black people with dignity
In sports, there is no shortage of black success stories. Meanwhile, two black men of prominence in Odessa (who are not athletes) fell from grace. Willie Hammond Jr. (the first black city councilor and county commissioner) and Laurence Hurd (a minister and desegregation supporter) were glimmers of hope for the black community that were both snuffed out. Hammond was arrested on charges of arson conspiracy and perjury and Hurd is in prison for burglary and robbery, leaving a hole in the morale of the black community that was not repaired. These losses, combined the with negative news of black people circulated via media, made the possibility of succeeding in a white man’s world inconceivable. Yet, there is no shortage of black success stories in sports, like Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson; in every area that is not a “rich man’s sport”, black athletes dominate. To the poor children on the Southside, there is something very alluring about the “Cinderella stories” of men from poor black neighborhoods rising to prominence through sports. Based on these examples, there seem to only be two paths for a black teen to take: criminal or athlete. Many of these teens aspire to be sports stars and depend on nothing else because there is nothing else. Some may become the superstars they hope to be or they fall into ruin as Boobie Miles, Derric Evans, and Gary Edwards
To determine what factors Brown had to overcome to become a success, we must look at what was against him. He was a black man in a white dominant society. The only factor that could have made Brown being black any worse was if he grew up in the South. He shows us this through his parents they moved from the South to Harlem to escape its prejudices. Like many black families Brown’s parents wanted to be the first Northern urban generation of Negro’s. He showed the kind of Southern black mentality his parents had with the jobs they took and the way they reacted to his quitting of what they called good paying jobs....
“According to, “The Jefferson,” it was one of the longest running sitcoms in the history of American television from “1975 through 1985,” The Jefferson show was mainly an African American couple living in New York City. However, the show tackles several controversial topics such as racism, suicide, gun control and adult illiteracy. “The show constantly used words such as “nigger” and “honky”, especially during the earlier seasons.” (Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation from 1995-2013)
Anderson’s theory examined African Americans living in America’s inner cities that are driven to follow the “street code” and work to maintain respect, loyalty, and their own self-image. The “street code” Anderson is referring to is “a cultural adaptation” which is the cause of violent crime in America’s inner cities (Anderson Article PDF, 3). Since these people are living in mainly impoverished neighborhoods with easy access to drugs and guns, as well as high rates of crime and violence, “everyone feels isolated and alienated from the rest of America” (Vold, 187). Anderson continues to distinguish between “decent” people and “street people.” Those who are “decent” families live in accordance with a “civil code” that upholds values in comparison with the rest of society such as maintaining a job, obtaining an education, protecting their children and following the law. Additionally, “street” families tend to fend for themselves, and when young, grow up without adult supervision and are often abused. This alone causes a dangerous environment because children then, “learn that to solve any kind of interpersonal problem one must quickly resort to hitting or other violent behavior” (Anderson Article PDF, 5). When brought up in an inner city “street” family, racism is a leading factor that causes the youth to construct a negative outlook on the rest of society. When these inner city, lo...
Based on the title of the book alone, it is easy to say that racism is one of the many social issues this book will address. Unlike the normal racism of Caucasians versus African Americans, this book focuses on racism of the black elite versus African Americans, also known as colorism. Colorism is the discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically by others of the same racial group. Margo Jefferson says, “Negroland is my name for a small region of Negro America where residents were sheltered by a certain amount of privilege and plenty” (p. 1).
“Leave it to Beaver” was a popular sitcom about a traditional nuclear family played out through the perspective of an adolescent boy whose curiosity and antics often got him into trouble (TV.com). Despite the show promoting positive family values, it also inadvertently shed light on a historically dark period of time in American history. One such instance was the lack of diversity on the show. Nearly 100% of the show’s characters were white throughout the six-season, 234 episode series. In the single episode that depicted an African-American, the character was a servant, further a reflection of the times when African-Americans where predominantly seen and treated as second-class citizens (Leaveittobeaver.org). However, this 1950’s ideal serves as a reference point to what typical families looked like and how vastly different they look now.
In The Talk Canedy explains that she needs to teach her son how to act around the police. Things such as police brutality happen a lot more tech African American then it does to white people. A lot of white people tend to not understand the problems that African-American, Hispanics, Asians, and more go through on a daily basis. Learning from the Nicole Chung’s personal essay I was able to learn racism isn’t always clear. There are different forms of racism such as casual racism that people endorsed on an everyday basis that wait people might not even notice they are saying. This is just one great example of things that an African American man would need to learn that a white man wouldn’t. Not in all cases but frequently when you think of African-Americans you think of property. Although this is not a fair assumption this has a lot of the fact on life experiences. People with low social class and low income don’t forget to do things that people with high income get to do. This causes different races to have different life experiences. Another example can be college, certain races push college more heavily than others. Some families finally important in working straight out of high school well there’s find important in a college education. Depending on your race could depend on if you go to
The father figure is now shown more as a responsible, loving, and moral person with more realistic faults. Color now seems, through evolution, to be taken out of the equation for the African-American television families.
The episode of Everybody Hates Chris that was shown in class is an excellent example of the negative representations of black, lower class people in the media. Specifically, the episode addresses the common black stereotypes of having poor home lives, absent parents, and the overall belief that black people are more violent and aggressive than white people. The episode addresses the everyday stereotyping that comes in a day of the life of a lower-class black, male student at an otherwise all white middle-class school.
When a child is growing up he is frequently asked what he is going to do for money when he gets older. The more this question is asked to them, the more they feel like they have to have money to be happy in life. After many tries of trying to make a stable life at a low paying job, a criminal life maybe more appealing to them at they may start living life under the gun. As stated by William Wilson in When Work Disappears, “Neighborhoods plagued by high levels of joblessness are more likely to experience low levels of social organization, they go hand in hand.” In Chicago for instance, in 1990 there was only one in three in the twelve ghetto communities that had held a job in a typical workweek of the year. When there are high rates of joblessness bigger problems surface such as violent crime, gang violence, and drug trafficking. (Wilson P356-362)
I believe class played a huge part in the reason why he made the choice to rob the bank and help his mother out with money because they were very unfortunate with his mother working two jobs to keep up with bills and provide food on the table.Therefore coming from a low income area it's a higher crime rate for robbery in the low income area especially for minorities. Coming from a poverty neighborhood with high crimes I kind of know the struggles he goes through seeing his mother go through so much pain trying to provide things for the family . Sometimes thinking what can I do to help my mom from struggling and stressing out it kind of brings you down just by seeing your mother go through that phase. Living in a low income poverty neighborhood can have a huge impact on your life and with your decision making. For example Darius Monroe he was a good honor student with no record with