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But it has the same negative stereotypes that were in hit TV shows about rich white folks like Dallas, Dynasty or Falcon Crest.
This is after all about a wealthy black family. Scheming, greed, conniving, backstabbing, infidelity, etc...all part and parcel of these types of shows.
Frankly, i'm sure this show is no worse than the aforementioned shows.
I get that the show won't do favors for folks trying to avoid or abolish stereotypes, but some of these bourgeoisie black folks need to stop acting as if every black feature has to be a carbon copy of the Cosby Show....
All of the aforementioned are simply considered: "The American Way." I'm most positive the same or similar goes on in every large organization. Not sure about the chick fighting though!
Easy there. Decent Black people don't do "coonery" unless mocking it. Too; with more and more Black ladies stepping up and taking care of business in 2015, a LOT of what you've just said will become the exception. Decent Black dudes don't have anything to prove except maybe to the hood rats and the rats' brothers AKA the KKK.
Say what? Since when is coonery analogous to decent?
Did you ever watch shows back in the day about rich white people like Dallas, Dynasty, or Falcon Crest?
Well this one is about a rich black family...and everything that applied to those shows applies to this one.
It's got nothing to do with being ghetto or even black culture. It's about wealthy people behaving badly.
It's a damn drama. What do you folks expect people to do on a drama?
It's just like folks complaining about BET when their competitors (MTV, VH1) were doing the EXACT same lame ass programming.
But for some reason, it was only bad when black folks were doing it. White folks and bourgeoisie black folks wanted BET to schedule only positive programming for the black folks. You know...because only white folks can handle tv shows straight outta the gutter.
LOVE IT! With this, I will bow out because you have stated the facts so eloquently!
All of the aforementioned are simply considered: "The American Way." I'm most positive the same or similar goes on in every large organization. Not sure about the chick fighting though!
Yeah...The fighting, probably not. LMAO
And for those that single out Empire because of the fighting, go to YouTube and watch Joan Collins and Diahann Carroll beat the hell out of each other on Dynasty. It's all there.
If you think Empire needs to be taken off TV, then so does about 75% of the shows on TV. Don't blame the TV shows for any parental shortcomings. It's not their responsibility to raise your child.
I didn't watch that show, but wasn't that about a white meth dealer?
That's not a deflection, that's a fact. White folks aren't chastised like black people are when it comes to television shows and media. Wasn't The Sopranos regarded as one of the best tv shows of all-time? And what about Sons of Anarchy - a show about a white gang??
*crickets*
I started watching it the other day and caught the season finale last night. I enjoyed the show a lot for what it's worth, it was great TV drama and I'm not a big TV guy.
On of the black characters in the show went to Penn U. and is/was the CFO of the company, which brought an interesting dynamic to the show, so no, it wasn't just a bunch of thug rappers running around.
It brought up real issues such as glass ceilings, drug dependency, homosexuality, mental illness, religion, among other things. It's not just about black people acting ghetto and other trash, despite the opinion of some, especially those who haven't watched a single episode.
Oh look, people making broad generalizations and stereotyping based on a small sample size. What else is new.
Great points!
I love the show, it's a completely over the top Shakespearean drama with a lot of music, and some great splashes of humor. I look at this type of show as pure entertainment. I would never look at this show as a reflection of ALL black people, the characters just are who they are. The patriarch, and matriarch came from a criminal background, and started the company with crime money, it's not surprising that they do some very bad things. Their kids are not committing crimes, two are musicians, and one is a highly educated CFO.
As you stated, there are plenty of shows like Sons of Anarchy, or Breaking Bad where white characters engage in criminal behavior, and no one complains.
The characters are multidimensional. Cookie can be very tough and act ghetto at times, but just as often she shows herself to be a mother who deeply loves her children, and would do anything for them. It's obvious that the sons love their brothers, but they are also competing for power, that creates an interesting dynamic. There is also the age old story of children who desperately want their father's approval, but are dealing with feeling like they fall short for being gay, mentally ill, or not being talented enough.
There are people who think that all black people are criminals, they aren't going to watch this show anyway, and it's not like remaking the Cosby show is going to change their minds. Most people understand that this is just entertainment with specific characters, and not a reflection of ALL black people.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kidkaos2
No, I'm not going to argue that. I am going to argue that it isn't a racist phrase. The brutal reputation of Chicago politics stems from the corruption of the 1920s and has nothing whatsoever to do with race.
You have the nerve to take me saying that Chicago isn't a racist word and turn it into me saying that Chicago style politics was meant as a positive phrase and then accuse me of being coy? You're the one who just used a blatant strawman to put words in my mouth I never said.
im 99% sure of what you mean there, but you typed it in a weird way so im just going to assume, anyways.
I didnt put words in your mouth, nor did i say you were being racist . I said you are arguing as if that word is never used racially and it has been, and I didnt just mean the phrase chicago style politics. How many times have people mentioned violence in Chicago and then used "chicago" as a synonym for what ever the current subject is on violence involving african americans???
So yes it can be used a a phrase to describe race, and has been in this very forum many times.
The show represents many of the black folk in that industry and which is why black folk watch it. THIS IS HOW BLACKS AND HISPANICS ARE. People watch these reality shows because they relate to them on some level same way women want to emulate the house wives. I watch love and hip hop/black ink. I don't live that life anymore and its silly and mostly ghetto but I grew up with that. It's in me and will never go away. I get it, I like watching it but will say that I am glad I don't live or speak that way in public anymore because I would never keep my security clearance.
Let's give it up already, people like that stuff because they relate to it and most of them emulate that stuff.
Put it this way, I went to school with Nyc's Power 105 DJ Envy and we both grew up in Queens NY- he went to a great school and graduated with a business degree and comes from a great family. He has all the money in the world but at 37, he still carries that hip hop swag and the way he speaks or people he surrounds himself with is relative to the "empire". He is just stuck in that world to include having extra-marital affairs with Mena from love and hip hop. I chose to leave NY otherwise I would have been ghettoed out because my grandmother didn't know any better.
Last edited by halfamazing; 03-19-2015 at 10:52 PM..
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