My self-image and perception of blackness was shaped by the television shows I was exposed to in my early childhood. During the early 90’s respectable black families and positive role models had a strong presence on television. However, negative images of blacks as slaves, criminals, or drug addicts.
In 2016 we are seeing more negative representations of African Americans than positive. The number of positive images of black people on TV has declined rapidly over the last 20 years. The question is why? Are these characters accurate portrayals of today’s black people? Are there not enough black producers making positive black shows? Or is this all by design? Could there be a systematic plot organized by the people who control what plays on television to only produce shows that misrepresent, and sometimes slander the persona of African Americans?
“The Cosby Show” gave black children hope that one day they could go to college, and be a doctor or lawyer like Cliff and Claire Huxtable. It paved the way for many other positive predominately black shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “In Living Color,” and “A Different World”- a Cosby Show spin-off. According to TV Guide “The Cosby Show” was “TV’s biggest hit in the 1980’s.” For many years we were able to enjoy reruns of the loved show.
Recent allegations of sexual assault against Cosby have interfered with the legacy of his work. Some of these cases have already been thrown out due to lack of evidence, which has brought the validity of other claims into question in the eyes of the public. Though Cosby has not been convicted of any crime, re-runs of “The Cosby Show” have been taken off the air.
Charlie Sheen recently admitted to knowingly having unprotected sex with women while he was HIV positive, yet his TV show “Two and a Half Men” still airs. Stephen Collins from the TV show “7th Heaven” admitted to child molestation on tape, yet his show still airs to this day. Is this a case of white privilege? How can Bill Cosby be punished for things he hasn’t been convicted of while these other public figures have been proven definitely guilty but are not punished in the same fashion? Is it possible that this is an intentional tactic to execute an agenda which aims to eliminate the positive black imagery from television?
Those who control what we view see the bigger picture. They market things to appeal to a target audience, giving the things we see on TV the power to influence us. So why not make a bunch of TV shows designed to misguide a generation of black youth so they will not be a threat? Why not keep black people misinformed?
Institutional and systematic racism is the reason for this way of thinking. Those in power know that if they replace shows like “The Cosby Show” with shows like “Love and Hip Hop,” a generation of kids who are loud, flashy, disrespectful, and violent with shallow career aspirations will be produced. An age of wannabe rappers, strippers, athletes, and drug dealers will cast a deeper divide into the racial and socioeconomic caste system which already exists. This keeps poor blacks poor or in jail, and the rich whites rich and free. The affront of the black image in mass media jeopardizes the mentality of the black community.
Black TV has changed because of an agenda to negatively program the minds of black youth. To change this we must stop watching shows that portray the black race in a negative light. Black people should only support shows that pro-
mote black growth. Shows such as “Black-ish” give us hope that there can still be positive and accurate depictions of black people on TV despite the powers that be. We must remember that just like we are what we eat, we are what we watch. Being a consumer of negative black imagery is just as harmful to the mind as consuming fast food is to the body.
- Anndrea Rouse – Contributor
