Burks 11 Shadress Burks 20 March 2014 The Cosby Show and its impact on the Black Community I. Introduction For years various images of African Americans and their way of life has been displayed throughout the many outlets of the media. From music to dance, art to acting whether negative or positive, our way of life has been touched upon and broadcasted across the world. Although, some stereotypical and some bearing absolute truth; it has help shape the way other ethnicities view us. From the early days of black and white television to the current state, many series have come and gone, making impacts along the way. Whether big or small, very few reach a level that evolves into a phenomenon that even 20 years later, people still remember. Too much surprise in 1984, NBC accomplished this by casting two African Americans as a married couple with five children in a family-oriented show we came to know and love as The Cosby Show. With an all black cast that included adults and children, the Cosby show gave us a look into a successful, black marriage with children for 8 years. For many growing up in whatever home life they had; whether low income, middle class, or wealthy, everyone looked at this family, saw the normalcy and wanted to strive for this level of success across the board. From the time the show aired, we were given a glimpse into a Burks I 2 childhood love that bloomed into a 30+ year marriage and a growing family. The Huxtables took us on a journey that focused on careers, education, family and love. Touching on so many different topics that affected the black community whether young or old, the show gave the world a taste of our outlook regarding race, civil rights, marriage, music and even learning difficulties among thei... ... middle of paper ... ...sses or be doctors, lawyers, and professors. The Cosby Show broke many barriers and many African Americans Burks 110 whether in the entertainment business or not can contribute some form of their success to the exposure this show gave them. Like the first Black President being elected, so many positive avenues came from seeing that we believe and want the same things White America wants; while showing how we battle everyday with issues such as racism and inequality regardless of how much money we have. In September 1984, NBC and Bill Cosby turned on the lights, opened their doors and gave us a seat in their living room as we watched for an hour the American Dream come true for so many who before us never thought we would live to see. References http:/ /thecosbyshoww.wikia.com/wikifrhe_ Cosby Show http:/ /articles.latimes.com/ http:/ /voices.yahoo.comfthe-cosby-effect
In the mid-1930’s, blacks were the stars of the show; this was a time for African-Americans to embrace their African culture. With art being the way that that honor is expressed, many argued the best form. Between high and folk art, there really is no best because both have positive aspects that can be shared.
“Leave it to Beaver” was a popular sitcom about a traditional nuclear family played out through the perspective of an adolescent boy whose curiosity and antics often got him into trouble (TV.com). Despite the show promoting positive family values, it also inadvertently shed light on a historically dark period of time in American history. One such instance was the lack of diversity on the show. Nearly 100% of the show’s characters were white throughout the six-season, 234 episode series. In the single episode that depicted an African-American, the character was a servant, further a reflection of the times when African-Americans where predominantly seen and treated as second-class citizens (Leaveittobeaver.org). However, this 1950’s ideal serves as a reference point to what typical families looked like and how vastly different they look now.
Although an effort is made in connecting with the blacks, the idea behind it is not in understanding the blacks and their culture but rather is an exploitative one. It had an adverse impact on the black community by degrading their esteem and status in the community. For many years, the political process also had been influenced by the same ideas and had ignored the black population in the political process (Belk, 1990). America loves appropriating black culture — even when black people themselves, at times, don’t receive much love from America.
Even though slaves had been free for almost sixty years, it was still hard to find well paying jobs in other areas nationwide. The lives of African Americans were so well established, the area was coined the “Black Wall Street of America”. You’d think with such well-rounded men and women that something like this would not happen just based on their skin tone, but that is far from true. Whites of the time were still extremely prejudice towards African Americans, despite the reputation they had. It was only a matter of time before something ignited the flame that had been burning for years.
There are many, many forces — physical, historical, cultural, and political — that shape and constrict the life chances of black males in the U.S. Some of these are longstanding legacies that may take generations to shift. But in other ways, the social, economic, and symbolic place of African-American men and boys is recreated and reinforced every day. In particular, public perceptions and attitudes toward black males not only help to create barriers to advancement within this society, but also make that position seem natural or inevitable. Among the most important mechanisms for maintaining (or changing) these perceptions are the mass media with their significant power to shape popular ideas and attitudes.
The Cosby Show is a wonderful sitcom about Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, commonly known as Cliff, and his family. The show revolved around the day-to-day situations faced by Cliff and Clair Huxtable and their five children. The show goes away from the one-liners that most sitcoms boasted and focused on the humor of real life situations that often occur in an average middle class family.
I chose this video because it raised my awareness by questioning the difference between positive role models, such as The Cosby Show, and positive images for all African-Americans. The issues discussed and comments made by the cast piqued my interest and helped change my perspective on the history of African-American representation in the media, especially in the realm of television. Color Adjustment contains more than just endless ‘talking heads’ – it has elements of fact, history, and professional opinion all blended together in an engaging format. It was extremely exciting to hear the TV producers like Hal Kanter and David Wolper talk about their own productions in retrospect. Most importantly to me, Color Adjustment changed my perspective on African-American representation in the media by challenging me to think about images...
As a young girl I was infatuated with the Mary Tyler Moore Show. To me Mary was the epitome of a successful single woman. She showed up in the big city, and her hard work and dedication earned her a great job, respect, and ultimate happiness. The show’s theme song gave me hope that one day, with enough hard work and dedication, I could achieve my dream and eventually achieve my American Dream.
Woll, Allen L and Randall M Miller. Ethnic and Racial Images in American Film and Television: Historical Essays and Bibliography. n.d. Print.
In my opinion, African American are discriminated against and often stereotyped more than any other race. Discrimination was a common topic in the 1900’s and therefore many shows dealt with this topic. Another show that greatly showed discrimination was “A Different World.” In one episode one of the main characters, went into a jewelry store and because of her color she was not helped immediately by the sales associate. After being helped she was questioned about a piece a jewelry she wanted to buy because of the price. She purchased it and the next day returned it because she knew she was being discriminated against. The messages portrayed in these black sitcoms do not have an effect African Americans as a whole. Most rather take the easy way out in life by trying to become a professional athlete or a rapper rather than a doctor or a lawyer.
Research studies have shown that African Americans are currently the least likely ethnic group to be married in this country. This paper will examine some of the reasons why this trend exists when there was a time when marriage rates among blacks were about equal to those of whites. History, culture, economics and dominant culture influences have impacted the current trends in African American families. Many are choosing to postpone marriage, while others are finding alternative ways to cultivate family and raise children. Does the African American definition of family differ from that of the dominant culture? How has ecological systems influenced past and present trends in African American families? These questions and more are examined in this paper.
Harlem provided a source of entertainment for many people. With its Jazz Clubs and poetry readings it was the “hip” place to be. This was a shock to many African-American’s, who had never before had the opportunity to perform in such affluent surroundings. Oftentimes funding for these clubs or programs was provided by White Americans. This in itself was not a problem. However, the Harlem Renaissance became so dependant on the funding that when it stopped coming, there was no means by which to keep any of the clubs or literary cafes open. Some clubs in Harlem even discriminated against Black audience members. The popular Cotton Club, which featured solely Black performers, even went so far as to ban African-Americans’ from its audience entirely. Even in the Mecca of supposed racial equality, these sorts of discrimination were still prevalent. Advertisements for products produced by African-Americans were also skewed. Para...
It’s not easy to build an ideal family. In the article “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz, she argued that during this century families succeed more when they discuss problems openly, and when social institutions are flexible in meeting families’ needs. When women have more choices to make their own decisions. She also argued that to have an ideal family women can expect a lot from men especially when it comes to his involvement in the house. Raymond Carver, the author of “Where He Was: Memories of My Father”, argued how his upbringing and lack of social institutions prevented him from building an ideal family. He showed the readers that his mother hide all the problems instead of solving them. She also didn’t have any choice but to stay with his drunk father, who was barely involved in the house. Carvers’ memoir is relevant to Coontz argument about what is needed to have an ideal family.
During the 2004 NAACP awards ceremony at Washington, D.C., in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the landmark case Brown vs. Board of Education , Bill Cosby delivers a speech, which would be subsequently referred to as “The Pound Cake Speech, criticizing the lifestyle and lack of parenting in the African–American community. The speech has been severely criticized for it is delivery and topics expressed within it. Author Jerome Corsi notes, "Cosby was attacked both for his flippant tone and because his argument appeared to 'blame the victim' for the racial inequality and racial injustice suffered." The purpose of this essay is to examine why the use of comedy, partitioning of listeners, and scapegoating of African-American parents, as the sole cause of African-American social problems, lead to the poor reception of Cosby's speech.
Our opening discussion will also give the reader a sense of current debates and issues within cultural and media theory, emphasizing which issues and controversies are of crucial importance in the contemporary era. Our narrative will track salient develop- ments in the study of culture and media, supplying a mapping of the prevailing fields of theories and methods which have proliferated especially since the 1960s. Indeed, to pursue our KeyWorks metaphor, each perspective provides an opening into the complex terrain of contemporary media and culture, furnishing access to understanding the world in which we live. Each “key” will open doors to new domains, such as ideology, the politics of representations, and cultural