Tyler Hock
J 320
3/10/17
Dr. Hanna
Final Essay- need better title As a society, we have generally become more accepting of people with differences and minorities in our country have come a long way in their fight for equality. We have made strides leading to serious changes in America in an effort for true equality to exist in our culture. However, racism towards minorities still exists. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, almost one out of every three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime (how is this racism? – just because of the color of their skin? (Kirby). This racism does not only affect blacks, but many minorities. The Bureau of Justice Statistics also states that of those imprisoned, colored people make …show more content…
On February 4th, 2016, ABC premiered its show, Fresh Off the Boat, which revolves around an Asian- American family who had immigrated to America. Since it first aired, the show has received plenty of criticism because many deem the show to be racist. The title itself, Fresh Off the Boat, is often used as a derogatory term toward Asian Americans when they do not appear to be “American enough”. In this series, the family must deal with the various ways that society labels them, but is shown through humor. With the stereotypes that are generally heard about Asians are addressed in the show quite often and are not always taken in a comedic manner as they can still be taken offensively. In their research article, Naturalizing Racial Differences Through Comedy, Ji Hoon Park and others wrote, “Critical views on race in comedy posit that racial stereotyping serves an ideological function, normalizing racially defined characteristics and legitimating the racial hierarchy” (Park, etc 159). In other words, racial stereotypes and remarks in comedy tend to normalize those characteristics. This is shown greatly in Fresh Off the Boat, as much of the discrimination they receive is in a form of being talked down to with little …show more content…
The show follows an African American upper-middle-class family who live in the suburbs. In her article discussing Black-ish and its connections to racism writes, Pilot Viruet writes, “…Black-ish is dedicated to openly discussing and breaking down racist stereotypes” and that, “the show promotes non-stereotypical black characters” (Viruet). Stereotypes are exactly what the show revolves around because they are giving a true attempt at addressing them in a way that it is both humorous and with an effort to break down these racial stereotypes. Win the series first began, the pilot quickly introduced the fact that Dre, the father of the family, seems to be worried about how his kids have assimilated to their white surroundings and are beginning to lose their black culture. Black-ish first aired in September of 2014 and since then has received plenty of backlash for what is considered to be a family show. In the 25th episode of the series, Gold Digger, a song by Kanye West, was sung and uses the N word. The remainder of the episode then focuses on the word itself, what it means to people, the multicultural perspectives, and the different meanings that come with the
J 320
3/10/17
Dr. Hanna
Final Essay- need better title As a society, we have generally become more accepting of people with differences and minorities in our country have come a long way in their fight for equality. We have made strides leading to serious changes in America in an effort for true equality to exist in our culture. However, racism towards minorities still exists. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, almost one out of every three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime (how is this racism? – just because of the color of their skin? (Kirby). This racism does not only affect blacks, but many minorities. The Bureau of Justice Statistics also states that of those imprisoned, colored people make …show more content…
On February 4th, 2016, ABC premiered its show, Fresh Off the Boat, which revolves around an Asian- American family who had immigrated to America. Since it first aired, the show has received plenty of criticism because many deem the show to be racist. The title itself, Fresh Off the Boat, is often used as a derogatory term toward Asian Americans when they do not appear to be “American enough”. In this series, the family must deal with the various ways that society labels them, but is shown through humor. With the stereotypes that are generally heard about Asians are addressed in the show quite often and are not always taken in a comedic manner as they can still be taken offensively. In their research article, Naturalizing Racial Differences Through Comedy, Ji Hoon Park and others wrote, “Critical views on race in comedy posit that racial stereotyping serves an ideological function, normalizing racially defined characteristics and legitimating the racial hierarchy” (Park, etc 159). In other words, racial stereotypes and remarks in comedy tend to normalize those characteristics. This is shown greatly in Fresh Off the Boat, as much of the discrimination they receive is in a form of being talked down to with little …show more content…
The show follows an African American upper-middle-class family who live in the suburbs. In her article discussing Black-ish and its connections to racism writes, Pilot Viruet writes, “…Black-ish is dedicated to openly discussing and breaking down racist stereotypes” and that, “the show promotes non-stereotypical black characters” (Viruet). Stereotypes are exactly what the show revolves around because they are giving a true attempt at addressing them in a way that it is both humorous and with an effort to break down these racial stereotypes. Win the series first began, the pilot quickly introduced the fact that Dre, the father of the family, seems to be worried about how his kids have assimilated to their white surroundings and are beginning to lose their black culture. Black-ish first aired in September of 2014 and since then has received plenty of backlash for what is considered to be a family show. In the 25th episode of the series, Gold Digger, a song by Kanye West, was sung and uses the N word. The remainder of the episode then focuses on the word itself, what it means to people, the multicultural perspectives, and the different meanings that come with the