Black-ish (2014-)

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Black-ish (2014- )

Black-ish (styled as `black·ish) is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It premiered on September 24, 2014, and ran for seven seasons at ABC. Black-ish follows the upper middle-class African-American family led by Andre 'Dre' Johnson (Anthony Anderson) and Rainbow Johnson (Tracee Ellis Ross). [1] So far, black-ish is running the seventh season, aired on ABC.

The show producer, Kenya Barris, insists that 90% of the episodes are based on real life. The show aims to use comedy as a way of coping with more severe socio-political problems affecting black cultural identities. [2]

Plot

The series follows an African-American upper middle-class family led by Andre 'Dre' Johnson and Rainbow Johnson. The show revolves around the life of the family, juggling a number of personal and socio-political issues. [3]

While Dre, played as the father, appreciates the opportunities that are open to him, including a nice home and a possible promotion at his firm, when "Black-ish" begins, he is also deeply concerned that his children are drifting from their own sense of what it means to be black, partly because they have grown up in such relative comfort. [4]

Black Racism

In a bitingly funny pilot scene, a Hollywood tour guide guides a party past Andre's home, telling her clients,"You’ll see the mythical and majestic Black family out of their natural habitat and yet still thriving![5]

This scene points out the racist perception, in which finding a rich Black family in an exclusive residence is deemed as “out of their natural habitat”. In spite of the guide's reference to the grandeur of the scene, Dre points to the intrinsically dehumanizing attention of white people, which frames them as if he and his family were animals on safari.

Dre also uses a euphemistic expression to denounce how white people have always discredited black people in both senses of the term—"to put it mildly, credit has not always been the easiest thing for a black man to get, whether it's a credit card application, the birth of a rock 'n' roll, or civilization itself" (Season 1 Ep. 04). [6]

Controversy

In 2014, a petition was submitted to change.org asking the network to cancel Black-ish, arguing, "We find it racist, socially damaging and offensive, based on the notion that non-stereotypical black people are less of a race than others." Some condemn this show for being so outspoken in dealing with problems and for perpetuating racial stereotypes. [7]

Black Empowerment

Black-ish is former President Obama's favourite film, but it remains one of the most controversial comedies on TV, with many 'feeling uncomfortable’ viewing it. [8] For Barack Obama, the show is like seeing his family on the television.

Dre's white pride merges with Black Nationalism and the development of cultural identity. In Season 1 Episode 3, aside from underlining his black nationalist sentiments by "searching for more black friends" for his son, Dre resorts to euphemistic terms to describe how black people have advanced against the hindrances of white people throughout history.

Thus, he says to his daughter, "Some species will thrive in any environment".

Reference

  1. Black-ish. January 15, 2021. Wikipedia. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  2. ‘Black-ish’: one of the most misunderstood shows. June 23, 2020. www.theboar.org. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  3. `black·ish. blackish.fandom.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  4. In ABC’s ‘Black-ish,’ everyone has racial issues. September 25, 2014. www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  5. In ABC’s ‘Black-ish,’ everyone has racial issues. September 25, 2014. www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  6. Examining Racial Taboo through X-phemism in the TV Show Black-ish. June 2019. ATLANTIS Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies 41.1 (June 2019): 143-161. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  7. ‘Black-ish’: one of the most misunderstood shows. June 23, 2020. www.theboar.org. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  8. ‘Black-ish’: one of the most misunderstood shows. June 23, 2020. www.theboar.org. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.