African-American family sitcoms - Assignment Example

Black Sitcoms The black sitcom has been around for quite awhile, and they are often used to show social situations and give social commentary about the way that blacks live in America. These shows have different messages, however. Good Times, about a poor black family, had the message that, even when people are poor, they can still have good values and the parents can raise their children right with a loving hand. The Jeffersons showed that poor, uneducated blacks could make a great success of themselves with some hard work and pluck, and this show, too, showed good family values. The Cosby Show was a show that did not really reference the black experience, but their family values were also excellent. Their message was that blacks can be well-educated and wealthy. This essay will examine each of these shows. The first black sitcom that will be analyzed will be Good Times. The particular episode is titled Black Jesus. The basic premise of Good Times is that it follows a struggling black family who are living in the ghetto – Michael, who is the youngest child and eventually is a militant black man, but, in the early days, he was a young boy who was very much into black power and black rights; JJ, the oldest child who was a gifted artist and a wisecracker; Thelma, the middle child, who's identity was somewhat nebulous, although she did seem to be into black rights as well, but not as much as Michael; Florida, the mother, who is very religious and had an iron will and was intelligent and kept her family in line; and James, the father, who was struggling for work and could sometimes be temperamental and dominant, but was also very loving. This episode was a typical episode – the jokes came from various aspects of what it meant to be poor and black. This was a sitcom in the 1970s, but its jokes still seem fresh and relevant and timeless today. In this episode, JJ was working to enter an art contest, and his topic was a pimp who lived in the neighborhood. Thelma didn't think that this was an appropriate thing to paint, but JJ pointed out that this pimp made a lot of money not doing much of anything, and that he was the “same dude who got shot and ran seven miles to the hospital” (Good Times). This line was good for a laugh. JJ also showed that he painted a portrait of Jesus who was black, and this Jesus was based upon “Ned the wino,” a local alcoholic who everybody knew. Michael loved the idea of a black Jesus, so he put the picture on the wall in place of the real Jesus. Florida, the Christian woman, didn't like the idea of the black Jesus, until Michael pointed out that The Bible indicated that Jesus had “hair like wool, and eyes like fire,” which means that Jesus might have really been black. At that point, Florida changed her mind about having the painting on the wall. Then, everybody in the family started to experience luck. James' bet on the horses paid off, and he went to the IRS for an audit and found that they owed him money. Thelma was asked out by somebody she liked. Winona, the neighbor, who had a disastrous date, but it turned out that the guy was rich. James decided that it was black Jesus who was bringing the family luck, so he wanted to keep it on the wall. In the end, JJ entered the black Jesus in the art contest, but lost, but the black Jesus was hung on the wall alongside the traditional Jesus. This was a typical episode of Good Times. JJ had most of the cracks, and these cracks were jokes that reflected the ghetto black experience. The crack about the pimp being the same guy who got shot and had to run 7 miles to the hospital got many laughs. Another crack came when the family debated on whether Jesus really was black, and Michael pointed out that Jesus was lost in the desert, and JJ said “that makes sense. If ever people were lost, we are it.” This shows the type of gallows humor, where people who are oppressed make light of their situation, which is often seen in black sitcoms that focus around poor blacks. Other jokes make light of their desperate situation – such as Florida talking about running into Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor in the laundry room, and Winona making a crack about James being audited because the IRS was trying to “disallow his yacht for business.” These are the ways that these people are getting by, without getting too depressed about their situation – making light of it. The family is intact, however, which is something that is a good thing to show for poor blacks, seeing as there has always been a problem with illegitimacy about the blacks who are low on the socioeconomic ladder. This family is really a role model in a lot of ways for the poor blacks, because, even though they are poor, they are tight as a family and they all have excellent values. None of the children are stealing or dealing, and all of the children have some kind of goals in life. JJ wants to be a famous artist, and Michael grows up to be a black activist. Thelma also has goals, even though hers are not as formed as the others, but, at any rate, she also does not get involved in crime. This is because of the parenting skills of Florida and James. James is a disciplinarian, but also has a soft side, and it is obvious that the kids won't cross him. Florida, too, instills love and discipline. Both of them instill excellent values on their children. They might be struggling, but they are also loving and god-fearing and they are raising their children right. Some state that Good Times deals with stereotypes of poor blacks – that they are growing up around pimps and winos, that JJ has a smart mouth, and Michael is the sterotypical militant black. James is a stereotypical poor black man, and Florida is a stereotypical Aunt Jemima. But they would be wrong – James works hard. He just didn't get an education, so his prospects were limited. Florida is not an Aunt Jemima, but has an identity of her own and puts James in his place when need be. The kids defy stereotypes as well, as they are not shiftless, and they aren't into crime and they have goals. So, this is a positive portrayal of a poor black family, all in all. The other sitcom that was watched was The Cosby Show. The set up for this show is familiar to many Americans who came of age in the 1980s – Cosby plays Cliff Huxtable, who is an obstetrician. Claire Huxtable is a lawyer. They have five children – Rudy, Theo, Sandra, Denise and Vanessa. This episode was titled “The Younger Woman,” and the reason why the episode had this title is that Cliff had a colleague who was dating a younger woman (a much younger woman) after his spouse passed away. What is striking is that The Cosby Show is not a black show at all. The characters could have easily been white, because this is how little the show actually reflect the culture of the African American individual. It's not just that these characters are upper middle class. It's that there is not any kind of reference to black culture, at least black culture that would seem to be typical to the average viewer. There is not a nod to what makes a black person a black person. This ethos is even reflected in the appearance of three of the women – Claire is a light-skinned black woman, Denise is as well, and Sandra barely looks black at all. The others all look black, including Theo, Rudy, Vanessa and Cliff. That said, this is really a show that is more about family values than anything else. Cliff is the man of the family, but Claire really rules the roost. Cliff is just too docile to be anything but a loving husband. The two do not seem to have conflicts with one another. As with Good Times, the two individuals, Claire and Cliff, are raising their children to have good values. The humor is light-hearted, perhaps too much so – the ongoing jokes in this episode have to do with a screaming rocker named Clyde, and how Cliff hates Clyde and loves smooth jazz. In other words, there is a generation gap, and the show plays this up for laughs. Other running jokes in the episode include the fact that Claire wanted to know what Cliff would do if she suddenly dies, and Cliff jokingly said that, if he could meet a woman who looked exactly like her, he would marry her and not even put Claire's picture up anymore. Than the jokes were about how much younger the woman was that his friend was dating. In other words, the jokes and the situations that this family gets into would be the exact same as if they were a white family. Really, this sitcom was a white sitcom, it was just that the skins of the people in the sitcom were darker. What was good about this sitcom, however, was that it managed to squash the stereotype of the poor black. There tends to be the thought that blacks are not prosperous, and they have problems becoming prosperous. What this sitcom did, however, was to take the stereotype of the struggling black and smash it. Blacks could be doctors and lawyers, and they could be wealthy. They could live lives that were the same type of lives as those in the dominant culture, and they could fit in with society at large. This was the purpose of this sitcom, and it did this very well. It showed that not all blacks are struggling and in the ghetto, and this is most likely why it was so successful for such a long time. The third sitcom which was watched was The Jeffersons. This sitcom occupied a middle ground between the upper middle class Cosbys, who did not embrace black culture, and Good Times, which was about the black experience, but only about the poor black experience. The Jeffersons, which, as with Good Times and All In the Family, was from executive producer Norman Lear, who was known for his insightful social commentary in his 1970s situation comedies. The reason why the show occupied the middle ground was because the characters were poor, but George, the patriarch of the family, opened up a chain of successful dry cleaners, and, after that, they were “moving on up.” This means that they got out of the lower class neighborhoods where they were living before and were able to move to the East side, to a “deluxe apartment in the sky.” Therefore, this was a sitcom about successful blacks, as was Cosby, but, unlike Cosby, the Jeffersons did not forget their black roots. They still referenced the black experience in their shows. It was still very much a part of who they are, even if George sometimes tried to make it seem like he wanted to forget that part about himself. This episode, titled “George Won't Talk” is about a young man from the ghetto who wants George to speak to some of the inner-city children to try to get them motivated and give them hope that they can make a better life for themselves one day. George, however, was under the mistaken impression before the guy showed up that he, George, would be speaking at a college. So, when he finds out that he would actually be speaking in a basement in Harlem, at night, he tries to get out of it. The guy, played by Benson star Robert Guillaume, however, manages to stroke George's ego and talk him and his dry cleaners up to the people in the neighborhood, at which case, George agrees to talk to the kids. George, however, becomes upset because his cleaning van was stripped and clothes were stolen out of the van. The guy, Robert Guillaume, comes back with a kid named “Train,” who was the leader of the gang who stripped the van. “Train” also happened to be a childhood friend of Lionel, who was the son of George and Weezie. In the end, George forgave Train, and said that he wouldn't press charges against the kid, along as the kid showed up to George's speaking engagements. Train agrees. This episode is a typical episode of The Jeffersons. It has incisive social commentary about the plight of the poor blacks – Louise says that George should give Train a break, as Train is still poor, and the Jeffersons once were poor as well. Lionel and Train were childhood friends, after all, and Louise tells George that “there, but for the grace of god, go Lionel,” referring to the fact that Lionel could have easily been in Train's position if George did not become successful with his dry cleaning business. George understood this in the end, and tells Lionel how proud he is of him. In other words, the commentary of this episode is that poor blacks are a product of their environment, and if they steal and commit other crimes, it is because they literally have no other choice. George knows this to be true, and he understands how lucky he was – after all, he had ten strikes against him – one, he didn't have education; two, he came from the ghetto; three through ten – he was black. The heart of this family, at least in terms of instilling values on young Lionel, is really Louise. The male of the family, George, although he does have his moments, tended to be vain and foolish and a bit of a loud mouth. George does represent many of the stereotypes that one associates with African Americans in this way. He represents the stereotype of the peacock black man, the man who crows about himself and talks a lot of smack. But, underneath it all, George is a good man. Louise, however, is the woman who represents the best that a person could be, kinda like Florida in Good Times. She doesn't let George run all over her, and she puts him in his place when he is getting too full of himself. She is the one who reminds George of where he came from, and that it is his duty to give back. Lionel was always a good kid, even in All In the Family,which is the show that spun off The Jeffersons. Lionel was never a trouble-maker – he was always a good, studious young man, who was neither militant nor a slacker. He was just somebody who would go to college, marry a nice woman and settle into a middle-class life. Therefore, the individuals in this show are just as proud and full of positive values as the Huxtables and the Evans. Each of these black families displayed this in different ways, but they all had this in common – they all displayed the best family values. What was good about this sitcom, compared to The C osbys is that the family in this sitcom, even though they are successful, do not forget their roots. They want to help other blacks who were not as fortunate, as shown in this episode, where George takes time out to talk to ghetto kids who need hope. George references his humble beginnings as being born in a cotton field in Alabama, and admits that he made it in spite of his color. To watch The Cosbys, one would think that these people never struggled, and, what's more, there is no indication that they are the least bit concerned about the blacks who do struggle. It's as if they really want to even deny that they are black. The Jeffersons was also different from Good Times, in that this sitcom was a hopeful one. Good Times, while hilarious, was a show about desperate, abject poverty, and there never was an indication that the family could get out of the ghetto. The Jeffersons shows that it is possible to rise up from poverty and become someone who makes a comfortable living. Conclusion These three shows are all different, but they are all centered around black families. They have different messages. Good Times message is that, even in the ghetto, the black families are still living with solid values and, even though they have their trials and tribulations, it is possible to be close and happy and not turn to crime. The Cosby Show basically was a white show, in that there was little about black culture that figured into the equation. But it was a good show, because it destroyed stereotypes about blacks, and showed that blacks could be well-educated doctors and lawyers and live a very comfortable life. The Jefferson's message was that the blacks could rise above poverty and lack of education and make something of themselves. In this way, each of the shows gave a very positive message about the black experience, while showing close-knit families who instill excellent values in their children. References “The Younger Woman.” The Cosby Show. NBC. 25 Dec. 2009. YouTube. “George Won't Talk.” The Jeffersons. CBS. 30 Nov. 2010. YouTube. “Black Jesus.” Good Times. CBS. 18 Nov. 2010. YouTube. Read More