Season 2 Discussion

[GHScorpiosRule]

I missed the Law & Order reference the first time, but caught it in the rewatch and smiled. He originally appeared on SVU while Mariska was on maternity leave, then joined the mothership permanently in its last two years I think it was. I'd only known him as one of Jim Carrey's triplets from Me, Myself, and Irene!

He's a very good actor. And I'm glad his ABC sitcom failed so that he was available to do this show.

Edited February 26, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[AuntiePam]

I was also wondering about all the the slightly racist digs with the food menus. What is the big thing with Asian food and Chipotle?

 

 

Because the only alternative to some variety of ethnic take-out is Subway or burgers.  ??  No racism there, just a hankerin' for something interesting to eat.

[Cattitude]

Nothing ever does happen until it happens. His presidency isn't over yet, plus there may have been threats that the public hasn't been told about. Note that there are official things about the Kennedy assassination that will never see the light of day in any of our lifetimes and pretty much everyone has seen the Zapruder footage from over 50 years ago.

 

I personally have shared Dre's anxiety about potential danger to President Obama because of the huge, almost unparalleled historical significance (in the US) it would have. There's a lot of real, visceral, racist hate out there for him and I can imagine there's no shortage of nutbags who would eagerly give up their lives to achieve a particular horrific place in history.

 

Thanks for your reply. I guess in general a president can and has been assassinated so to me the office itself causes fear of assassination. Also the office itself causes nutbags and haters to say hateful things. I don't know that race is the real issue for Obama more than being the president.

 

I guess what I was trying to say is his argument that racism lead to that fear when he walked in the open it almost showed the opposite that maybe due to past bad and valid reasons the fear is over inflated in today's climate b/c that fear of Obama being assassinated has been unfounded so far.

[ridethemaverick]

Thanks for your reply. I guess in general a president can and has been assassinated so to me the office itself causes fear of assassination. Also the office itself causes nutbags and haters to say hateful things. I don't know that race is the real issue for Obama more than being the president.

I guess what I was trying to say is his argument that racism lead to that fear when he walked in the open it almost showed the opposite that maybe due to past bad and valid reasons the fear is over inflated in today's climate b/c that fear of Obama being assassinated has been unfounded so far.

Race is a VERY real issue for President Obama. Not trying to be snarky but I feel like a person has to not be paying attention at all if they don't see that. Which is a privilege white folks have in this country so you definitely aren't alone there.

[anna0852]

I thought the show overall did well with this. Race is such a loaded issue and there are no clear answers, beyond 'treat all humans with dignity and respect'. I wish our society could get to this point.

[BoogieBurns]

I don't know that race is the real issue for Obama more than being the president.

 

Trust me, it's different. Look up some information on the limo all previous presidents have been driven around in, and then look at the new one they custom built for Barack. It's the most bulletproof vehicle that has ever been made. The makers of the car were instructed to give him extra protection because it wasn't just the "idea" of him being a larger target. They had reason to believe that people plan to hurt him. 

 

Remember when a person jumped the gate at the White House? Remember when that woman attempted to drive her car through to the white house? Remember how a ton of secret service members lost their jobs because they let any mistakes happen? Did you hear any of this happen for Bush Sr, Clinton, or W? 

 

Race is a very real issue. I went to a rally for Barack when he was running for president and we went through 3 checkpoints. This was before he was president. He was given secret service protection long before the standard time frame for others running for the same office. Less than 2 months ago, Bernie Sanders was walking around DC grabbing lunch, and had no security. That was out of the question for Barack. They don't announce all the threats to the public, but he gets a ton of threats based entirely on his skin color. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

I don't know that race is the real issue for Obama more than being the president.

His race has been made more of an issue because he's the president. There are a lot of bigoted people out there who cannot stand that a Black man is the constitutional leader of this country. I have seen and heard evidence of it with my own eyes and ears, expressed in the vilest of language, on certain well-known internet forums and blogs, and on overnight right-wing talk radio.

 

There are also people out there who are just hateful and crazy enough to act upon their wish to see the first Black president of the US killed while in office. Some of them might regard it as guaranteeing themselves an "extra special" place in history.

 

the fear is over inflated in today's climate b/c that fear of Obama being assassinated has been unfounded so far.

We don't know that it's unfounded. As I and others have commented, we might not know about threats made to Obama's life which were more than idle. I imagine that on November 21, 1963, the average American thought the fear of JFK being assassinated was unfounded...so far. I imagine that on March 29, 1981, the average American thought the fear of an attempt being made on President Reagan's life was unfounded...so far. Just because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't happen.

 

This may be getting off-topic here. If this discussion continues it probably needs to go in the Social And Race Issues In Black-Ish thread.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Joimiaroxeu

[stanleyk]

He thinks the cops are always right and that if black people just behave themselves -- Ruby's seven words? -- everything should be fine.  He just doesn't get it. 

 

To be clear, I'm pretty sure Ruby's "seven words" are not about "if black people just behaved themselves, then there would be no problems!" They're about "you say what you have to and you do what you have to, in order to stay alive, no matter how unfair or demeaning the cop's behavior might be." That was reiterated by Bow saying that the main thing is coming home alive (paraphrasing).

 

In other words, this:

 

I watched this episode with my two sons, and we had an ongoing discussion about the show, the police, racism, Pres. Obama, etc. (I'd DVRd the episode and could pause it at will). I understood Bow's desire to protect her children, but the truth is that black children have to be raised a little differently than children of other cultures. It saddens me that I have to talk to my 8 and 10 year old boys about how to conduct themselves if confronted by the police. And the sadder reality is that how they behave doesn't always matter.

 

I'm white, but my son is black. I can never know what it's like to be black in this country, but I do at least know (a little, very little) something about being the mother of a black boy. I think it is really hard for most white people to understand the heart-clenching fear I feel when I think of my son being stopped by the cops some day, and how much I think about how to prepare him to handle that situation so that he comes home alive. I think about how few years we have left before strangers no longer see him as an adorable moppet and instead as a threat (that age, for black boys, BTW is TEN. That's when strangers start to see them as no longer children. Ten!). Every time he puts the hood on his sweatshirt up I think, "only a few more years before we have to talk about that." I dread the necessary conversations coming, because, like Bow, I hate to think of my son's realization that the world that's loved him so much so far won't continue to do so, that he will have to swallow his pride and act in ways his white friends won't have to in order to make sure he's safe. It's not an exaggeration to say I think about these issues on a daily basis. My son is three. THREE.

 

So I can't know what it's like to be black but I do know the fear for my child, and it is very real. I get Bow's desire to protect her children from the reality, to preserve their innocence for a little while longer, but in the end I have to come down on Dre's side: they need to be given the context and the tools to survive.

 

I keep trying to type responses to some of the "not all cops!" and "we shouldn't teach kids to hate cops!" comments above, but that way lies madness, and this is after all a board about a tv show. So I'll just leave it at...I think those commenters are missing the forest for the trees. I liked that they did this as a bottle episode, and I liked that they showed the real, rough emotion as well as the differences in opinion among the family members. It was true(-ish) to the characters (I'm not sure Bow-the-hippie would have been quite so pro-cop, pro-the-system, but someone needed to take that side, I guess) and gave some balance to the episode.

 

So kudos to Black-ish on continuing to tackle difficult topics. If people think the topic is too much for a comedy, I don't think anyone who is watching a show that is explicitly about the black experience in America and specifically about raising black kids in a white world should be surprised that the show is discussing issues of police brutality and racism in the justice system.

[Nanrad]

As a white person I hope this doesn't come off wrong I truly mean it to be curious.

 

I understand the feeling Dre was trying to get across with the Obama thing, but in the end NOTHING has ever happened to Obama so isn't that saying he is a lot safer than everyone thought initially?

I know the worry was there but reality is nothing have ever happened.

 

Second I wanted to listen to JR point of view but that outfit looked so distracting I could not take him seriously. Donuts on a show about police. Really?

 

I was also wondering about all the the slightly racist digs with the food menus. What is the big thing with Asian food and Chipotle?

 

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

There are those who explained Obama's threats and the precaution taken to protect him, but that wasn't Dre's point. I remember being in high school and feeling dread and even remarking if they'd let a black president carry out his presidency. This fear was cultivated due to how blacks are treated NOW and in the past. Think about Sandra Bland, Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, etc--blacks already knew and heard about stories about that or had their own experiences. And just racism overall. So, imagine the dread of a black person being given the most powerful position in the world? Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean that there weren't attempts or the fear wasn't valid. But, Dre was getting at: no matter how happy we were to see Obama in office, we were still afraid of him getting assassinated, especially since race relations haven't improve for the better either.

[spaceytraci1208]

Brilliant episode...this one turned out to be a mic-dropper.

Perfect description

[luckyroll3]

Shalamar!  Lol!  Of course I started to singing to myself, "Get ready.....Tonight! Gonna make this a night to remembaaaaah!"  Love Shalamar.

 

And Diane was trying to smother her brother and Jack is the one that has to leave? Diane wanted to separation, so she should move out. And there is no way Bow would let Jack sleep in the closet. She would've set up a cot or something in the room. Even though it made for funny TV, it just seemed out of character.

 

I couldn't understand why Diane was disciplined for that.  Her behavior was completely out of line, yet she seemed to be rewarded by getting what she wanted.  I full agree that Diana should have been the one forced to move out of the room since she requested the separation, coupled with her behavior.  

[ridethemaverick]

I thought the show overall did well with this. Race is such a loaded issue and there are no clear answers, beyond 'treat all humans with dignity and respect'. I wish our society could get to this point.

Racism is structural, so the answers lie far beyond treating people with dignity and respect.

[attica]

I think the rush to disclaim 'not all cops' (as stanleyk suggests) is a way to assuage feelings. But the problem is that it doesn't matter if 'not all cops' are racist or corrupt, if the underlying system is racist and corrupt. And it is, by every metric. That the bad apples are consistently protected by their forces, their district attorneys, their communities makes it impossible for the not-racist cops to impose a not-racist paradigm. To use a cliche, the only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing, and I see a whole lot of nothing being done with the exception of complaining of being painted with the same brush. Which isn't really anything after all.

That the episode focused entirely on discussing the current state of affairs, and how to keep something so nebulous as Hope, with not even a line given to electoral activism disappoints me.  Elections really can have consequences, both locally and nationally.

[peeayebee]

There are a lot of bigoted people out there who cannot stand that a Black man is the constitutional leader of this country. I have seen and heard evidence of it with my own eyes and ears, expressed in the vilest of language, on certain well-known internet forums and blogs, and on overnight right-wing talk radio.

I've heard it in my own house. From my BIL. There's no reasoning with him.

 

There's this kind of ugly racism, but there's also the kind that many people are just not aware of, feelings about blacks that are ingrained and unnoticed. For instance, some people, police included, see a large black man as more dangerous than a large white man. 

 

To be clear, I'm pretty sure Ruby's "seven words" are not about "if black people just behaved themselves, then there would be no problems!" They're about "you say what you have to and you do what you have to, in order to stay alive, no matter how unfair or demeaning the cop's behavior might be." That was reiterated by Bow saying that the main thing is coming home alive (paraphrasing).

I think the first time I became aware of this was 1994 or so when a black co-worker (mother/grandmother) told me how she had to instill in her son how to behave with police. I'm glad we worked together because she made me aware of a lot of black issues and culture.

 

(I'm not sure Bow-the-hippie would have been quite so pro-cop, pro-the-system, but someone needed to take that side, I guess) and gave some balance to the episode.

 

Also, she was trying to be hopeful, esp for her children, so I don't see that as out of character.

[AuntiePam]

 

That the episode focused entirely on discussing the current state of affairs, and how to keep something so nebulous as Hope, with not even a line given to electoral activism disappoints me.  Elections really can have consequences, both locally and nationally.

 

I don't know the timeline for filming so maybe it's already too late, but can we hope that they'll address the election -- or politics in general -- at some point? 

[sinkwriter]

 

 

Bow: "That's Jack's Highlights."

Dre: "She doesn't know my interests."

 

I really don't know why, but that line of Dre's made me laugh the hardest. It was just the way that Anthony said it - just cracked me up.

[sinkwriter]

 

It has not always been standard for children to have their own rooms.

 

Sad Truth. My older sister and I had to share a room all the way up till she left for college. I missed her very much, but it was still glorious to finally get some privacy and a room of my own for a couple years. (Especially because we had had to share a room all the time, while our younger brother - the baby of the family and only boy - got to have his own room. *grumble grumble)

 

LOL.

 

I think one of my favorite parts was Bow trying to imitate the guitar riff from "Jack and Diane." Heee. 

[tennisgurl]

This episode reminded me of old sitcoms like All in the Family, or Good Times (the most wrongly named sitcom in history) where the family would sit around, and talk about political and social issues, while throwing in some zingers to lighten the mood. I would also mention The Carmichael show, which some other people mentioned. It frequently deals with political issues, but in a sitcom fashion. I am really glad they decided to do this episode. I still love this show, but I feel like it has been getting away from dealing with political issues, but in a sitcom way, to just a typical family sitcom. A good family sitcom, but one that was losing its edge after the first part. This came back with a vengeance. 

 

The radical cat family. Heh. For an episode that was really billed as a Very Special Episode, it did have several laugh out loud moments to break up the tough topics. And thank God. I had actually just caught up with the uber gloomy American Crime, and was all "Black-ish will cheer me up!" before I remembered what the episode was going to be about. But it turned out to be a good thing. Gave me a lot to think about, especially as a white person from the Midwest, who has never had to deal with issues like this. I plan on telling some of my friends and relatives about this episode, because I think they need to think about this more. I think this show is important, and I think this episode is important. Kudos to them. 

 

Also, I could really go for some Chipotle.   

[peachmangosteen]

Black children don't really get to be innocent.

 

Fuck, that hit me. 

 

I'm not a regular viewer of this show, I've only seen one other ep, but I saw the description for this ep when I was setting up another recording and thought I should DVR it.

 

I thought it was brilliantly done. I'd like to see this show earn an Emmy nom for it tbh.

[fountain]

I thought it was a really well done episode and gave me a lot of perspective and insight.  In my province, the most discussed racism issue is with Indigenous people and the topics discussed in the media in my province are somewhat different than I see in US media.

 

I thought the show was a good mix of serious and comedy.  I am always concerned that when comedies do special serious topics that they have the potential to make light of a situation but this episode seemed to fit the family dynamic.

[JennyMominFL]

Thanks for your reply. I guess in general a president can and has been assassinated so to me the office itself causes fear of assassination. Also the office itself causes nutbags and haters to say hateful things. I don't know that race is the real issue for Obama more than being the president.

 

I guess what I was trying to say is his argument that racism lead to that fear when he walked in the open it almost showed the opposite that maybe due to past bad and valid reasons the fear is over inflated in today's climate b/c that fear of Obama being assassinated has been unfounded so far.

Except that he has had 40% more death threats than any other president in history. Those threats have included his wife and children.

[mansonlamps]

Except that he has had 40% more death threats than any other president in history. Those threats have included his wife and children.

I'm genuinely curious where this statistic came from since it seems like information the secret service wouldn't give out to the general public.

[peeayebee]

My sister (not a Black-ish watcher) asked if I wanted Chipotle last night. Of course I said yes.

[Irlandesa]

AllI was also wondering about all the the slightly racist digs with the food menus. What is the big thing with Asian food and Chipotle?

 

All the Chipotle talk felt like well placed product placement just like last week's car. 

[topanga]

All the Chipotle talk felt like well placed product placement just like last week's car. 

Do people still eat at Chipotle? Won't you get E. coli and die?

[RedHawk]

All the Chipotle talk felt like well placed product placement just like last week's car. 

 

Yes, especially since the company is trying hard right now to save their brand.

 

Do people still eat at Chipotle? Won't you get E. coli and die?

Apparently the Johnson family never heard about this. Heh.

 

[roseslg]

Oh, Chipotle hasn't suffered.   I live/work in NYC and there is ALWAYS a long line during lunch time.   I've been recently too.   

[peeayebee]

Do people still eat at Chipotle? Won't you get E. coli and die?

We eat there maybe once a week. We joke about playing Russian roulette. But, heck, we just enjoy the food. Besides, the company is under such scrutiny now and has undergone training and so forth that I don't think it's a problem anymore.

[lucindabelle]

Really fascinating stuff! My older brothers shared a room and I had my own... When my brother and his family came over, we began separating the boy and girl when the girl was about seven I think (he's four years older)... Might have been a little sooner. Just seemed appropriate somehow.

I know it's unrealistic but I laughed out loud when bow was consulting a text book while she was trying to analyze the twins.

[jhlipton]

I'm a white man in his 60's with a black wife in her 50's and no kids.

 

I loved this ep.  attica is right:

 

I think the rush to disclaim 'not all cops' (as stanleyk suggests) is a way to assuage feelings. But the problem is that it doesn't matter if 'not all cops' are racist or corrupt, if the underlying system is racist and corrupt. And it is, by every metric. That the bad apples are consistently protected by their forces, their district attorneys, their communities makes it impossible for the not-racist cops to impose a not-racist paradigm. To use a cliche, the only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing, and I see a whole lot of nothing being done with the exception of complaining of being painted with the same brush. Which isn't really anything after all..

 

Michael Brown may possibly have been reaching for the cop's gun,  We'll never know, because the cops (the so-called "good apples") never operated in a transparent manner, and the DA rigged the Grand Jury (defendants aren't supposed to appear, much less testify).  And the DA in the Tamar Rice case had a clear-cut case of murder (the cop fired in 5 seconds, which didn't allow him to even say "Police! Hands in the air!" -- he just started shooting).  Saying "Yes, sir; No, sir; and Thank you, sir" are no guarantees of survival.

 

Watching Barack and Michelle walk down the street -- I was terrified at the time, and boy, did that clip bring back memories.

 

OJ:  Almost certainly guilty, but again, the police and DA screwed the case so badly from jump (they should have treated it like a rich white murder, instead of a black-on-white murder) that "not guilty" (not the same as innocent!) was a no-brainer.

[yogi2014L]

Worst show ever. I watch this show to laugh (it's a comedy after all).  I will watch CNN if I want this type of thing shoved further down my throat.

I totally agree. I'm not at all saying that these issues don't deserve air time, but they get it. With all the bad news and tragedies happening all the time I really enjoy shows keeping sh*t light hearted!!!  The 24 hour news cycle really eliminates the need for VSE's.  

 

I can see why the show felt the need to address it but IDK, I turned it off halfway through. 

Edited March 2, 2016 by yogi2014L

[OnceSane]

Bow and Dre seek help with the house and kids, but Dre's hesitant to hire a black nanny despite her desire to care for the whole family. Meanwhile, Diane runs for class president; and Zoey helps her sister create a smear campaign against the competition.

[lucindabelle]

Well... I did think it was heavy handed, despite attempts at comedy. It was a bunch of people talking about ideas, while trapped somewhat artificially in the living room. And Very Important Ideas at that.

I remember as a little Jewish girl being disgusted by that Very Special Episode of all in the family.

This was a little better, but really, not much.

Best things were those montage bits and yes, as everyone has said, the observation about fears for Obama.

Zoey being all redeemed and deep was particularly Cosby like.

Yes, the ta-nahesi Coates book does it better, and it's as if the show thinks it's being clever by just referencing it (although in fairness I did laugh at dre having literally the same thought and being ignored).

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but this reminds me of how womens magazines often have some central feature on women's rights in Africa or something when really, I buy the magazine for fashion.

I don't mind some social issues snuck into the sit com, but this wss Emmy bait, heAvy and not very funny, one of those shows you're not allowed to dislike.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Serious question. I'm not being snarky or sarcastic.  But, since ABC was promoting this episode as a "Very Important" one and one that shouldn't be missed, and it was obvious it was going to be a serious one, why would those, who watch this show for the lighter, funny episodes, tune in to watch?

 

Personally, I didn't mind it. I liked it. But then, I grew up watching most of Normal Lear's shows, back in the "olden days" when what was going on in our country, race relations, sexism, ageism, women's rights, etc., were a part of the shows--a part of the fabric, if you will, of the shows and still made me laugh. And cry...and made me mad and yes, scared.

 

I'm just honestly wondering, that's all.

[jhlipton]

Yes, the ta-nahesi Coates book does it better, and it's as if the show thinks it's being clever by just referencing it .

 

Actually, I thought it was Product Placement (and Coates approved).

[sinkwriter]

 

That said, Anderson in his high flat-top and Malcolm-ian horn rimmed glasses made me laugh hard. I love the flashbacks this show does.

 

I think my favorite part about that moment was Laurence Fishburne's eyeroll after Dre finished his rant. Marvelous.

 

 

There are those who explained Obama's threats and the precaution taken to protect him, but that wasn't Dre's point. I remember being in high school and feeling dread and even remarking if they'd let a black president carry out his presidency.

 

*shudders*  That key word "let" was definitely running through my mind when (back after he'd first been elected) I watched President and Michelle Obama walk in that open air. In fact, I remember going through an entire argument in my own head while watching that historic moment. At first, it was all tears-streaming-down-my-face elation at such a gigantic moment in history finally coming to pass, seeing this well-deserving candidate accept the win and be presented as our first black President of the United States. But seeing him walking in the open, I suddenly found myself feeling that very bone-chilling fear Dre talked about, where you flash on all those that came before him who have been taken too soon and you just want to say, "No! Not in the open! Get in the car! Where are the secret service agents? Who's protecting him? Oh my god, what if something happens to him? How far will they let him get in his presidency? This is terrifying. Please, please don't hurt him." And then, "He is so brave. I can't wait to see what he does during his presidency. This is so good." And then, "Is he crazy? What is he doing? He's a target!" And then, "People need to see his strength and that he's going to do what he's going to do as president and he's not afraid of them. This is a huge moment. This is a step in history that needs to happen, or good change will never happen. More of this needs to happen in the world, more diversity in power (race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, all of it). This is so important." And on and on, my mind racing back and forth between that very hope and fear this episode touched upon. It's amazing how that brief speech Dre made brought all of that emotion right back. Definitely made me teary.

Edited March 4, 2016 by sinkwriter

[lucindabelle]

Answering the serious question.

I expected it to address a serious issue with some wiht and style. Instead it was a bunch of people sitting around talking with a manufactured reveal that Zoey isn't so shallow after all, grab the Kleenex.

I just thought it was very badly written, a play with no action and nothing at all at stake. The episode was entirely talking heads. Compare and contrast even sink or swim: dre wanted something. Here the only bit of real action was ordering dinner.

It's entirely possible to address a serious issue and do it dramatically... With humor or not. Playwrights have been doing it for years.

This just didn't work as a sit com or as a half hour drama. And I tuned in because I enjoy the characters and have found the writing witty and insightful.

I do think that this family would and should look at these issues. I just wish they'd come up with a story other than gem sitting around discussing the news.

[LibertarianSlut]

Answering the serious question.

I expected it to address a serious issue with some wiht and style. Instead it was a bunch of people sitting around talking with a manufactured reveal that Zoey isn't so shallow after all, grab the Kleenex.

I just thought it was very badly written, a play with no action and nothing at all at stake. The episode was entirely talking heads. Compare and contrast even sink or swim: dre wanted something. Here the only bit of real action was ordering dinner.

It's entirely possible to address a serious issue and do it dramatically... With humor or not. Playwrights have been doing it for years.

This just didn't work as a sit com or as a half hour drama. And I tuned in because I enjoy the characters and have found the writing witty and insightful.

I do think that this family would and should look at these issues. I just wish they'd come up with a story other than gem sitting around discussing the news.

I totally agree. I have watched this show faithfully on DVR, since season one, episode one. I always found it funny. It was funny because it was clever. Now, I no longer watch. After this episode, I have instructed my boyfriend to take this show off the DVR, and I'll never see it again.

As lucindabelle put it perfectly, there was nothing witty or stylistic or--this is my term--nuanced, about this episode. I watched this show as a comedy. If this was supposed to be a Very Special Episode, I wasn't aware, as I would have skipped it, just as I would have skipped Very Special iterations of other shows that have been mentioned, except I'm not old enough to have witnessed those shows. I do remember some (lowercase) very special episodes of Full House that have always bummed me out. Stay in you lane people!

Maybe I am sensitive. In season one, when Bow mentioned her nostalgia about the twins' Obama '08 onesies that she wanted to hold onto, I winced. I am never, nor will I ever be, a supporter of Barak Obama. I was hoping that wouldn't come into conflict with my enjoyment of this series, but now that they've come to loggerheads, my loyalties lie with my conscience and political opinions, as they always have, and always will.

So...good-bye Black-ish. It was fun when you had a light touch!

Edited March 5, 2016 by OnceSane

[hendersonrocks]

Stay in you[r] lane people!

 

The black creator, writers, and stars of this show have a pretty clear sense of what their lane is and it includes documenting, with humor and heart, the issues that every black family in America deals with on a daily basis. I respect the hell out of them for that.

 

That you're a) telling them what their lane is/is not, b) writing off a show because you didn't like one episode that didn't speak to YOU, and c) feeling your political beliefs are in tension with a TV show about black people because they dared talk about fearing for the life of our black president? Says more about you than it does anything about black-ish.

[LibertarianSlut]

The black creator, writers, and stars of this show have a pretty clear sense of what their lane is and it includes documenting, with humor and heart, the issues that every black family in America deals with on a daily basis. I respect the hell out of them for that.

 

That you're a) telling them what their lane is/is not, b) writing off a show because you didn't like one episode that didn't speak to YOU, and c) feeling your political beliefs are in tension with a TV show about black people because they dared talk about fearing for the life of our black president? Says more about you than it does anything about black-ish.

With respect to your viewpoint, I think you may be taking what I said about staying in one's lane out of context. Black-ish is billed as a sitcom. That is, a situational comedy. I was expressing my disagreement that the creators of any sitcom, regardless of race, should have "Very Important Episodes." It sort of offends my sense of comedy if a sitcom cannot be creative or edgy enough to use humor when portraying real and serious issues. To give an example, I think Chris Rock handled delicate racial issues with humor and aplomb at the Academy Awards. He was able to get his point across without becoming Very Serious at any time, and I applaud that. I respected Black-ish enough to have higher standards for it.

I have been wondering for awhile when Black-ish was going to tackle the police brutality issue. It has been at the forefront of national discussion at least since Ferguson. I thought they would have sprinkled a few comments about it here and there. I didn't expect not to hear about it, only to be hammered over the head with it. That's not realistic or accurate with respect to the issue. Did they even mention it last week? I think it did a disservice to shove what I agree is a daily issue into one recent episode, as if it just happened, which purported the idea that a black-American family would only begin to discuss this in 2016. Contrast, for example, how the American iteration of The Office dealt with the issue of homosexuality. It was subtle, humorous, but, yes, made a point.

I didn't object to Dre and Bow's shared fear that Obama might be shot on the day of his inauguration, as you suggest. I don't look at that through a political lens--it is the life or death of the executive-in-chief. What I objected to was what lead up to that discussion--the way it played out, as I remember, was that Bow, being the optimistic one, urged Dre to be more positive, as Obama had been elected president. Dre then countered that he had been afraid for the president's life, and the discussion continued from there, with flashbacks. It was implied that the family supported Obama since season one, and there was the whole episode with Dre's horror at the specter of his son becoming a Republican, and that didn't really bother me, probably because it was tongue-in-cheek. What put me off this show was a combination of the inability to use humor combined with Bow unabashedly and unequivocally asserting support of Obama (irrespective of the assassination discussion). Maybe I should simplify it this way--although I don't particularly appreciate it, a funny show can be political. I watch Real Time With Bill Maher for this reason. It's funny. Once a funny show drops the humor and gets political on top of that, I'm done. I apologize if I didn't make this clear in my first post.

At the end of the day, I watch sitcoms to relax and laugh. I watch and read the news to get my facts. I don't appreciate actors and actresses taking political stances at award shows--and yes, if it's mentioned enough, it will put me off of award shows--and I don't appreciate sitcoms taking overt political positions. If they do it enough, it will put me off the show. If that says something to you about my character, then so be it. I don't think my position is far out of the norm. People have stopped watching sitcoms for far less. I just made a decision to talk about it.

[Mabinogia]

I actually found this episode surprisingly funny. I was very impressed with how well they handled such a serious and very heated topic with a good dose of humor. The episode felt very "Black-ish" to me, that is it did not feel like I was watching some other show, or that they had taken a time out from the funny to teach us all a valuable lesson. I don't even feel like they were trying to teach a lesson like most "very special episodes" do but trying to show us white viewers another side of the story. At least, that's what it did for me. I do take for granted a lot of things that unfortunately people with a different skin color (as if there is only one way to be black and one way to be white and that one of those is inherently better) don't have the same experience.

 

What hit me the most was the discussion of being pulled over. It was chilling to hear them discussing one of those sweet, privileged, harmless (except Diane the future serial killer) kids being shot because they said or did the wrong to the wrong cop. It is sad because they have a lot of money, they live a good life, but no amount of money can protect them from racism. Sometimes I really hate people.

 

But overall, this was a great episode and like I said, I laughed a lot more than I expected to. So kudos show. And thank you for not shying away from such a dark topic or making it sound too preachy. It was a little preachy but not as bad as other shows I've seen handle tough topics.

[ari333]

I want to laugh and escape, for a few minutes,  the horror that happens in the streets of  real life. That makes me selfish (?)

That is all

Edited March 5, 2016 by ari333

[lucindabelle]

I dont mind a serious topic. I do mind sloppy writing. And exploring a serious topic by having the characters just talk about it is sloppy.

[LibertarianSlut]

I also don't think this episode will garner new viewers or lose viewers. I also am glad that they didn't take this to Dre's office. I don't care about a white persons take on this subject. This is a subject where white people need to shut it and allow black people to have their feelings and thoughts because they are the ones going through all of this.

 

Well, the prediction there is inaccuarate, because I can personally account for two people who stopped watching this show because of this episode. The rest of what is quoted is, what I deem, very racist. No one has a right to tell one group what they can or cannot comment on. Similarly, I would never presume to be so wise to think that I was in a position to dictate to others what they can and cannot have an opinion on. It's very demeaning and un-American, and, to quote another poster, tells me more about you than what you seek to tell others about what they can say.

 

But LOL at all the people on twitter who are outraged about this episode. It's just like a couple of weeks ago when they realized Beyonce is black. They are shocked. Shocked! they would like you to know. And not a little disappointed too.

  

What does this mean? Everyone I know was aware has known Beyonce was black, well, since they knew Beyonce. Can you please elaborate?

Race is a VERY real issue for President Obama. Not trying to be snarky but I feel like a person has to not be paying attention at all if they don't see that. Which is a privilege white folks have in this country so you definitely aren't alone there.

So white folks are privileged enough not to have to think about race? That's an extremely condescending thing to say, and overwhelmingly overbroad. Unless and until you know all white people, and all black people, and all people of other races, I don't see how you're in a position to make any kind of grand, race-based determination.

  

I dont mind a serious topic. I do mind sloppy writing. And exploring a serious topic by having the characters just talk about it is sloppy.

Yes, in this I agree. I strongly disliked this episode for so many reasons, and people on here are helping me realize all of them. It's very odd for the episode to have ended with the family deciding to attend a demonstration. Shouldn't it have begun there? Or at least, shouldn't that have happened in the middle of the episode? All of the talk and none of the action made this episode feel, to me, that this endeavor was lazy and low-budget. If they're going to go to a demonstration, please take us with you at the very least. Lol.

I feel like this discussion took such an interesting turn. For awhile there, people seemed to feel the need to be apologetic before criticizing this episode. Now, more recently, people are simply speaking their opinions. As a fan of free speech, I see that, in and of itself, as a victory. It's like Prague Spring :)

[fishcakes]

This is why we can't have nice things.

[BoogieBurns]

For awhile there, people seemed to feel the need to be apologetic before criticizing this episode. Now, more recently, people are simply speaking their opinions.

 

I liked it better before. 

[OnceSane]

Keep it to the show, people.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jack and Diane are doing biography projects about each other in school, and Diane decides to shoot a documentary on Jack's budding basketball career. Jack is the star of rec ball but when Dre and Bow learn about travel ball, a much more serious league where all the pros start out, they find a way to get Jack in. The kids are much more talented than Jack is used to, and to Dre and Bow's dismay, he becomes a bench warmer. Meanwhile, Junior becomes a referee and takes his new responsibilities a little too far while Zoey meets a new love interest on the court.

[snarktini]

I didn't think it was too weird J&D were sharing a room... it seemed like they had embraced twin-com and didn't mind living together until recently.

 

If this were real life, I could see Dre and Bow waiting until Zoe went away to school, then giving Diane her room. It's not that far off. The girls could bunk up over holidays. (Or Zoe could get the spare room, if there is one and if that's where Ruby stays.)

[Jodie Landon]

Diane is mean as hell, but she was completely right about Dre. He's such a jerk.