The African American family has had
a long history of being misrepresented in television shows and movies,
including animations. Television networks used to, and sometimes still do, have
a preference to show white American families on their shows and in commercials.
It is as if the white family is the standard family of America. In animation
during the mid-20th century, blacks were seen as dumb, foolish, and
lazy. In the 1941, Scrub me Mama with a Boogie Beat was released by Universal
Pictures. The short film depicted many families in Lazy Town as they went about
their day. Every single member of the families in this picture was a stereotype
of an African American. Mammy, her child the pickanniny, juvenile and resistant
to pain, and Sambo, a carefree and lazy black male were all horrifically
depicted with deep voices and big lips, the total opposite from the
light-skinned, skinny, and sophisticated woman visiting the southern town.
Though short films like these are now
not accepted in today’s society, modern producers and directors have still
found a way to negatively portray African Americans. Norbit, starring Eddie
Murphy, is another film that does not shed a particularly positive light on
African Americans. Though the movie was a commercial success, it was criticized
by being, “a cruel, crass, stereotype-filled comedy that is more depressing
than funny.” The movie played on many stereotypes of black women like being
mean-spirited and over sexualized. In addition, the movie illustrated an
unhealthy relationship between black men and women, which is rarely the case in
society.
However, shows like the Cosby Show
and the new ABC success, Black-ish have helped to shatter the negative
portrayal of African Americans. The Cosby Showed focused on an upper-middle
class family, a side of African American life that most people were not exposed
to before. The show did a good job at breaking racial stereotypes while
exposing people to black culture, including music, and art. Black-ish also
depicts an upper-middle class family and tackles with cultural issues and
concerns. Of course, these shows are met with some criticism. Henry Louis Gates
was upset that the show allowed white viewers to think that racism and
stereotypes were a thing of the past. Criticism of the latter show include that
the show does not embrace that fact that African Americans are still struggling
with institutional racism, and barriers based on race. “Black-ish serves to validate the
stereotypes that ‘keeping it real’ means that all black people play the same
sports, live in one type of neighborhood or that ‘fried, fried chicken’ is a ‘black
thing’.”
This
goes to show that the portrayal of African Americans is still a hot topic,
whether shown in the Jim Crow era, or on modern television. Networks and film
studios still have a long way to go when consciously depicting African
Americans, or any ethnic minority in the media. 
This was really interesting to read. I was just reading something that talked about current TV shows and Blackish was one show that the author thought would continue to be aired unlike other current shows. It makes it seem hopeful that it was appealing to the audience but of course it'll be met with criticism. I wonder if there will ever be a time where portraying an African American family can be met without any negative stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting and true. In the past, most African American families had characters in them that were very stereotypical. A lot of shows would have the males very lazy when it came to working and the wives were always home edging something domestic. The Cosby Show is an good example of an ordinary black family that goes against all of the stereotypes that are out there about black families.
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