African American Sitcoms

Robert R. Means Coleman’s article, Black Sitcom Portrayals, he talks about the different ways that African American people are portrayed in particular television shows.  Throughout the article, he interviews different people or actresses/actors from different shows. 

I found a lot of the article interesting.  I obviously am aware of certain prejudices that Black people face from day to day, but when I think about the way that certain African American people are portrayed in television shows it kind of makes me confused why and how they do this and what race the particular director of the show may be.  I found myself during the article thinking if this director was white and making these black actors degrade themselves or dumb them down, does that make him a racist? If this director is black as well, isn’t he just making the stereotypes that are created already, worse?  

In specific to these questions, I found the part of the article that discussed the Fresh Prince of Belair interesting.  I haven’t watched this show in sometime now and I find it interesting that they talk about how J.C Cartlon is seen as the “good kid” because he has such good behavior and honesty, qualities that he says are uncommon in depictions of young Black males (81). I never thought about Will being sort of a charity case that he is described in this article, but it makes sense that he is portrayed as the typical black male who needs a place to stay, and just happens to have wealthy black relatives.  

Most of the series that are discussed in this article display wealth in the Black families.  In the Cosby Show, I never noticed how much of a stretch their lives are.  How they contradict the standards that have been set by society, by having a Black lawyer and Black surgeon as the parents of 3 beautiful, intelligent children.   

In discussion with how most of the sitcom stars appear to have lighter skin is another topic that I found interest in.  I have noticed that even today, society has accepted and even thought more beautiful or highly of Black people with lighter skin.  

Whiteness?

In Robert Means Coleman’s article, Black Sitcom Portrayals, he touches on issues and controversies regarding the way African Americans are portrayed in the media and more commonly in TV sitcoms. Throughout this article, Coleman interviews, or takes clips from different actor/actresses in these sitcoms to get their views of the way the black culture is portrayed through television first hand. Doing this, makes the reader feel a closer connection to what Coleman is saying, such as the portrayal of black females being portrayed as partner less and the common stereotypes of black people. It was interesting to read about the TV sitcoms and how they are portrayed. Shows like, The Jefferesons shows a black family, which is wealthy, an uncommon portrayal of the black sitcoms usually seen on TV. J.C.B says, “Yeah, I think its important to see because too may of our Blacks that achieve, the community for the most part tends to shun them and call them names, (such as) tryin’ to be White and all this stuff like that. And I think it’s positive to have more people that are showing advancement in life“ (80). It is sad to me that wealth within black communities can be seen as “whiteness” or trying to be white. It is in a way funny to me, that when black families are successful and wealthy they are seen as trying to be “white” while this should be seen as an inspiration. Shows like, The Jefferesons shows a Black family, which has many achievements which is uncommonly portrayed on TV sitcoms. Similarly, this idea of “whiteness” can relate to today TV show, 90210, which Julia talks about. In this show there is one black boy, who grows up in an all white, affluent community. Dixon could be seen from the Black community of trying to be white. This also relates to Via’s article. It is shocking to me to see the image of Gabourey Sidibe’s in Elle magazine. They alter her skin color on the cover to look “whiter”. It seems to me that media is trying to portray black people, but in a way trying to target “white” and “wealthy” audiences.

The "White Gaze"

I found it interesting that in both the Coleman and Havens pieces, the idea of pride in a positive image of distinctly African American society were prominent.

In the Coleman reading, it was women in particular who praised the depiction of strong, black women in black sitcoms. In the Havens essay, it was a more general pride in the way that The Cosby Show portrayed the modern African American family to all of the US and the world. It draws attention to the fact that television helps to formulate people's perceptions of others and that a positive image translates to a positive viewpoint.

The Havens piece also eluded to the idea of a racial lens through which society sees television and media in general. It seemed to me like the idea of the "male gaze" could be translated to race as the "white gaze." I did some research

and it turns out that the "white gaze" is a legitimate term in cultural studies. The articles I found all credited the whitewashing of American history with this "white gaze," and I can definitely see its effects in the comments from the two articles.

In Western art the influences of the "white gaze" are o

bvious. Caucasians are shown as the subjects of paintings and all others are merely background or a figure of interest only because of their "exotic" nature.

Truth-less Television

In the article “Black Sitcom Portrayals”, author Robin Means Coleman uses several viewer’s opinions to convey the message that people are sensitive about the way black families are portrayed in television sitcoms. One of the main themes seen in the article is the incorrect portrayal of Black people and families. “…some of the participants related that Black situation comedies present characters and situations that are so dissimilar from Blackness, that is, African American culture and communities, that they find the images, and the inherent messages incongruent to their lived experiences, beliefs, and values…” (84). This concept of inaccuracy of portrayal can be seen in any race or culture represented in t.v. and the media. Television is a misrepresentation of society, an escape from reality. These falsities take place in shows such as Grey’s Anatomy or Desperate Housewives. Not all Caucasian people are doctors, nor do they live in seemingly perfect suburban communities, and not every family depicted in television is perfect or ideal (there are several examples of this). This is even exhibited in reality television, not all Italian-Americans or people who live on the Jersey Shore are consumed by their appearance or hair. Television is not meant to be politically correct or precise, nor is it necessarily accurate in its portrayals, as fictional television is not real.