Black-ish: A Brief-ish Assessment: Black-ish is a new comedy series on ABC that presents the anomaly, that is, the life of an upper-middleclass black family in America, centered around a father’s desire in reinforcing black values, albeit stereotypical values, in his family, within a white dominated society. Verne Gay of Newsday writes that “It’s a show about shifting cultural identities in a mass-market world that has appropriated that identity … to sell stuff.” One would be remise not to mention the Cosby Show when discussing Black-ish. The Cosby Show aired over 8 seasons and 202 episodes. The Cosby’s, similar to Black-ish’s the Johnsons, were an affluent black family with multiple children, two professional parents who sought out to instill cultural values in their children, all the while dealing with extended family members, professional challenges and more. What separates the two shows however, are their titles and Black-ish’s explicit and constant addressing of black identity within the context of a white dominated society. The Cosby Show never explicitly presented itself as the mold out of which African American families should cast themselves; the show was about “The Cosby’s, who happened to be black.” Black-ish however, with its incessant white/black comparisons, and whimsically accurate portrayal of black-professional life, seeks to present itself as THE black experience, starting with it’s over generalizing title. The show almost seems to indulges in a subtle, respectability politicking; presenting ideals to a society that consistently appropriates aspects of black culture. No one show will ever be the absolute voice of an entire demographic, especially a demographic that is so varied in its socioeconomic/cultural distinctions. So I ask, why did the producers set themselves up for the predictable level of scrutiny that would come with such an over generalized title? Will & Grace was a show that dealt with some gay themes, but wasn’t called Gay-ish, George Lopez’ show wasn’t called Mexican-ish and neither was the Soprano’s Italian-ish? Why Black-ish? I’m not sure if it’s possible for blacks to appropriate their own culture, but if it were, this might be a first. But then again, maybe it’s more exploitation than appropriation. Surely, the producers sought to capitalize on the hullabaloo that the title would garner. They must’ve considered the sentiments that come along with the qualifier “black.” In a way Black-ish’s title is the modern day Black-ploitation of titles if you will. My opinion isn’t some erudite rouse to provoke controversy, but what might seem as just a simple, harmless comedy show, can often be the platform on which the larger society draws conclusions about a group. Maybe I’m not living in the faux-post racial America that’s being touted as of recent, but it has been quoted that, people who refuse to understand human psychology are doomed to be victims of psychological manipulation; because 2 episodes in and Black-ish continues to kowtow to tired stereotypes and the kind of racial subservience that we’ve come to expect with Black media. James Poniewozik of Time Magazine writes that “Black-ish becomes something more complicated–about wanting to find that place where you’re not defined by your race, yet your culture doesn’t become irrelevant.” I think this statement is true and is particularly the reason, I’m not completely writing off the show. There is much truth in the show’s premise even if I disagree with the nature in which it attempts to present this truth. The show is funny and is one of many growing alternatives to the hair pulling, shower rod clutching, backstabbing regressive “reality shows,” that much of America has become accustomed to as the portral for ‘blackish” behavior.” Black-ish isn’t a problem, if the trend of diverse programming continues; with shows like this, Scandal, 50 Cent’s “Power”, Viola Davis’ upcoming “How to Get Away With Murder, and a host of others, it is refreshing to see an assortment of characters being portrayed by black faces once again. Conclusively, my fear is that, the premise on which Black-ish runs along with the method by which it engages the viewer, could easily get tired, boring, and predictable, resulting in its subsequent failure. If Black-ish lasts longer than 3 seasons, it would have been successful-ish. Thanks.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 19:03:21 +0000
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