My Life-Changing Switch to Only TV Shows That Feature Real Black Lives

Yes! Magazine ^ | June 7, 2018 | Zenobia Jeffries

[Obadiah]

I often pictured myself outside of my mostly Black life as a love interest for all of these stars.

Um... I think you did exactly what most other teens did, or else these guys wouldn't have made tens of millions:

[dfwgator]

[cyclotic]

I was flying somewhere with a co-worker once and the subject of COPS came up.

I told him that as long as you’re not a guy with a white tank top and a mullet, busted for beating your wife in Las Vegas, all would be OK.

A few hours later, I checked in my hotel room and was flipping TV channels. Lo and behold, COPS was on. The officer was telling a guy with a mullet wearing a white tank top to quit beating his wife. I watched a few seconds more till they pulled the camera to a wide shot to show the Las Vegas PD car.

I win!

[I want the USA back]

My switch to tv shows that depict only clean, gay-free, trans-free, non-marxist, respectful, non-racist shows that respect human nature and reality.

My TV is off.

[Obadiah]

I restrained myself from posting that.

[Cecily]

Shirley Hemphill and Danielle Spencer were hilarious on “What’s Happening,” and their busting of everybody’s chops had nothing to do with race. They were great characters, similar to the “Mama” character played by Vicki Lawrence on the Carol Burnett show and on Mama’s Family.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Festus on Gunsmoke sounds exactly like my Northern Missouri (Allendale, St. Joe, etc.) relatives although the show is set in Dodge City, Kansas. Perhaps the character is from Missouri.

[upbeat5]

“So three years ago, I made the commitment. I turned to shows that I believe told the truth, or at least a more realistic version of the truth when it comes to social issues—and Black people, period. I would only watch shows created by filmmakers of color or shows featuring Black actors navigating their TV world similarly to the way in which we navigate our real world. Because who can tell our truths better than we can?”

---

I think I’ll get my truth and my value from The Bible and prayer. I don’t think I would look to TV shows to get truth and my value. The Bible teaches that were all the same regardless of race. We’ve all fallen short.

To me this is just another person trying to play identity politics and slam “the white guy”. I think she is sincere but misguided.

[cyclotic]

You’re right. They were fun shows to watch because they were fun shows to watch, not because they lectured on race.

[Cecily]

Did she miss that a partially black woman just married a British prince?

[dfwgator]

Shirley Hemphill and Danielle Spencer were hilarious on “What’s Happening,”

I loved that show. Actually I pretty much watched all the black sitcoms from the 70s: Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, etc.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Aren't you lucky to have me to do it for you? :)

TV shows are fantasy. Even the "Reality shows" are carefully scripted. I remember someone asking me if Americans actually lived like they showed on TV. I asked him if the locally produced soap operas showed how people lived in his country. He laughed and said that no one lived like that and he got my point.

[RinaseaofDs]

Same here. Must see TV growing up. I remember when Freddie Prinze (right spelling?) committed suicide too.

Weird that the 70’s had more and better shows starring people of color than they do now. They were all hits.

George was the black version of Archie Bunker. Everyone back then believed blacks could be racist - the got to laugh at one every week.

Today? No such thing as a black racist.

[dead]

Reading the excerpt was plenty. I don’t know this person, so why would I be interested in every mental fart and scratch she’s had since early childhood?

[Obadiah]

[Persevero]

It’s his right to do so but were I to write about some decision I made to watch only white written directed and performed entertainment I’d be rightly described as racist.

I mean that is what racism is.

Thankfully I have not jumped on to the hate train and I enjoy entertainment from a racially mixed group of entertainers. Life is good.

[dfwgator]

I remember when the Jeffersons were still on “All in the Family”, occasionally Lionel Jefferson would tell Meathead that he went too far with his liberalism.

[Cecily]

They were all great and had so many memorable characters. I also loved The Flip Wilson show and Soul Train.

[dfwgator]

And lest ye forget who once appeared on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air".....

[hanamizu]

I learned early on that “all black actors” movies are not my cup of tea.

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I generally feel the same way. But you should try HBOs “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” now on YouTube. It is set in Botswana with an all black cast. But the stories and characters are good and “being black” and a victim isn’t what the series is about.