We've discussed perceptions of the black family during this unit. Our readings have included political perceptions as well as social ones. The black family's reality is non-normative primarily because of chattel slavery. Some families never regained their "brokenness" from the displacement of loved ones. Fortunately, the black family's resilience is evident because we are dialoguing about this today. And, while we recognize many positive images of the black family on television today like: Queen Sugar and Black-ish, the derogatory perceptions still remain. And, black communities remain forced to be compared to the white paradigm of what is considered "family." I mentioned these television shows because they are atypical. They include non-traditional family members like grandfathers, aunts and others. Some siblings are "half" siblings with different mothers and one father. So, I ask you how do images of today's black family compare with your own?
Due: Fri., 10/7/16 by the beginning of class.
The media likes to portray the African American family as a broken family. Though I have never looked at my family as broken, reality is, we may fit the criterias. When people ask me “am I the oldest or the youngest” it gets annoying to have to explain why I am the oldest and youngest. For my Mom, I was her first child, but for my Dad, I am the “youngest”. I put youngest in quotation marks around youngest because Papa was a rolling stone, therefore, there is no telling how many siblings I really have. Anyhow, before I was born, my parents were broken up and my Dad had a new woman. When Christmas world come, I would wake up at my Mom’s house and open my presents with my little sister and then go to my Dad’s house and open those presents with my older brother and sister. Living in a home where there is no male caused my Mom to raise me and my sister to be independent. There were no “male jobs” in the house; stuff had to be done, so we had to do it. I do feel like I missed out on some things without having both of my parents in the same house, but if you ask me, it is better that way. The media has a way of making it seem like children of a broken home are doomed, but that is not true! I turned out good; besides having a true example of what love looks like, I believe I am okay.
ReplyDeleteI concur. The media does have a way of "shaming" folks from non-normative households. And, I also believe that while you say you don't know an example of what "love looks like," I disagree. You know that you and your sister are loved. When you meet your spouse, neither of you will know how to "make it work," but you'll learn. As long as you're open to learning - anything is possible, especially w/ family.
DeleteAlthough the media categorizes us into how black families are and how we are broken families. I don't know whether to get mad on how the media portrays every black family because I haven't seen a movie on a normal family yet or is it that I think what really raises my temper is when another person who hasn't been in our shoes tells the story on how are "life is". I would feel better if it was autobiography movie. In regards to how images of black family compare with my own, I can relate to the movie Pariah that we watched in class earlier this week. I have a cousin named Trina, She has to live with her grandma because her parents wouldn't let her stay in the house, until she changes her prefernce on women. She calls me crying sometimes, and all I can say really is that its still somebody out here that loves you. The biggest problem she is facing is not having nobody there for her when our grandma dies. But thats when she has to put her overalls on and face life right, I suggested that she had to make a choice and stay with it. In the ending of the movie Pariah she had a choice she had to leave in order for her to realize who she really was.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, I would compare the families that I saw on TV to my personal family. I would see a mother, father and a few siblings and think that my family had to be perfect because that's the way that society portrayed what a family is supposed to look like. When I was a kid I always used to watch Madea movies or plays with my dad for fun. In just about every movie there was a broken home; whether there was a single mother, deadbeat father, or an abusive relationship there was always a problem in the home. To me, seeing those movies as a child and not being able to compare it to my family, made me think that families like that didn't exist. As I got older my family stopped sheltering me and started to tell me things about my family. I was told that I am the only child that my mother and father ever had with each other. My two older sisters are my mother's children that she had when she was 19. My oldest brother is my father's son from a previous marriage that left him with no money and a crazy ex-wife that never left his new family alone. It was secrets like this and others that started to poke holes in the image of my "perfect" family.
ReplyDeleteWhen we watched the movie Pariah, I saw my own family on screen. In this case my oldest sister was Alike. My sister would wear boyish clothes and always throw a fit when my mother tried to make her wear a dress to church. Just like Alike's mother, it was like my mother saw it coming too and tried to change her before it was "too late". My mother tried to buy her dresses or tried to curl my sisters hair, but it would almost always end in an argument. Their relationship wasn't the best because of it. Just like Alike's father, my father was the same way. He was always in denial about how my sister would act and dress; he would think it was just a phase and tell my mother to let her be her own person and that someday she would grow out of it. He would always have to have the last word as well. He could control the whole household with one word, my mother included. When my sister actually broke down and told my parents that she was a lesbian, it was nothing like what had happened in the movie. My parents were pretty calm. My father was accepting and fine with it but my mother was pissed. Now my family is at a much better place. My mom and my sister get along the way that they should and there isn't any tension most of the time. At this point, I see that while my family isn't "perfect" we still love each other and what we have been through together has only made us stronger.
In the media today, the "black family" is portrayed in many different forms, but also many similar forms. I believe as a whole the media's modern day image of the black family hardly relates to my own. With that being said, there are many similarities between the media's black family image and my own that I can relate to, especially in Tyler Perry's films.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, every generation (or 10-20 years) the media (movies, television, books, plays, etc.) seems to portray its own version of the "black family." In the 1950's through 70's, the black family was often portrayed as struggling, poor/in poverty, yet very close-knit and loving. The households often included a hard working father while the mother stayed home to raise the children and take care of the home. We see this "image" in plays such as Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" (1959), and the renowned television series "Good Times" (1974-79).
In the 1980's - 90's, the "black family" really gained a presence in the realm of television. This era seemed to leave a lasting effect on many African-Americans to this day. During this era we see images of successful black families in television shows like "The Cosby Show" (1984-92), "Family Matters" (1989-98), and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1990-96). Each of these series depicted black families who were not only financially prosperous, but also fit the 'American' depiction of what a family is supposed to look like; 1 father, 1 mother, married with children.
In my own life, the black television sitcoms and movies during the 1980's and 90's era most depicts my own family and upbringing. Growing up, although I didn't have very close relatives, I was blessed to have a close-knit immediate family (Father, mother and 1 sister). I am blessed to have grown up in a successful household such as The Cosby Show. I compare The Cosby Show to my own household because just like in the series, my immediate family provided my sister and I with love, respect, care, encouragement and also financial support. I was taught how to earn money the right way, go after my dreams, and most importantly, love God.
In the 2000's and 2010's, we see the black family in media take a slight turn. In shows like "One on One" (2001-06) we see a young girl growing up with just her single father. This went against the "normal family" we were so used to seeing in the media. In the realm of film/movies, we see Tyler Perry come onto the scene in early 2005. As discussed in Robert Patterson's "Woman Thou Art Bound," Perry's movies often 'rely on the racial, gender, sexual, and class ideologies and discourses that produce these problematic stereotypes' within the black family.
When it comes to my relatives outside of my immediate family, I often relate to Perry's films, being that they eerily depict my maternal-side relatives. Tyler Perry's film "The Family That Preys" (2008) depicted my maternal-side relatives so much, it was almost weird.
With real life black families in today's time becoming more "nontraditional" than what we are used to, I believe we will see the future media depict the "black family" in ways we never really thought of before. It is only a matter of time before we begin to see black families depicted in media with possibly two fathers or two mothers in a homosexual/lesbianism relationship, young teen mothers/fathers, and/or families of interracial marriages.
Ahleesha Dean
ReplyDeleteComing from a family that I wouldn't consider "traditional", this topic is something I feel very strongly about. I have conflicting emotions when it comes to watching movies that portray "the white picket fence, happily married with 2.5 kids". Hollywood has expressed these kinds of families enough, and because media is such a powerful marketing tool to convey messages and how you should "live", I even think black directors and producers haven't completely touched basis on attempting to prove that there is no such thing as a "normal" family. Tyler Perry explains indirectly in his movies that to be considered a traditional family, both husband and wife should be happy while the wife lacks the focus of being the breadwinner/most successful and instead, focusing more on being a good mother and good to her man. His movies, in my opinion, do not exactly try and "identify" with black families, but more so tries to almost dictate or infer how we should live to be considered that "traditional" family. The closest show I'd say that touches reality and has authenticity would be "Queen Sugar". Watching this show has opened my eyes more and I was proud to watch something so realistic and relating. This project hits the closest to reality and what a black family could be like. It focuses on the struggles centered around three siblings, and even the most privileged successful one (Charlie) is facing a struggle within herself and her intermediate family that may not be on a financial aspect (Ralph Angel) or the lack of comfort and love (Nova). I would even say that she would be notorious for almost "running" away from her situations, obsessed with the thought of being perfect. Like my own mother, she really isn't a fan of letting people or even our outer family know about any issues that lurk inside our home. She likes to put on a "cover up" and tells us how to act when we're around family at gatherings/functions. When it comes to my own family, I can identify with this show the most even if the struggles aren't the same. At the end of it, the overall message and outcome is still the same: What looks good on the outside isn't as good on the inside, and we are all dealing with internal conflicts. I have family members that I don't even reach out to and vice versa, but I know we are all struggling with something in life and we come together sometimes not exactly recognizing each other's issues head on. We acknowledge that there are issues, but we never tackle them or talk about it. I strongly do believe that there is no such thing a traditional or nontraditional when it comes to family in general. There is nothing average or normal about any of it seeing as though we've all grown up in different kinds of ways and were taught certain customs, traditions, values and/or morals.
Throughout unit two there has been many different images of black families, mostly dysfunctional images were shown with limited positivity. The films shown in class did hold a lot of validity as far as the films being authentic. My family compared to the images are not as traumatic but we definitely have one issues. Queen sugar is realistic and I’m pretty sure there are black families like that experience things such as that. Movies and Hollywood images have gave society ideas of a perfect family and how we should be as families but in reality there is no exact way a family should or shouldn’t be. My favorite film we watched was Priya because it had a lot of reality people are going through issues like that every day. I guess you could consider my family as traditional even though we have issues, every family is traditional I my option because there is no certain way to have a family unless it becomes a blended family. A blended family are those related to one another by marriage and that not being traditional doesn’t mean it’s wrong or right. Morals and values taught throughout shapes a family, there is no certain way a family should be as we know were all different but that’s what makes us unique and our individual families makes us unique as well because that’s what shapes us and molds our personality
ReplyDeleteIn today's society we see many depictions of the "black family". Though many media outlets like television shows or movies illustrate some realities of what it is to be apart of a black family, they often follow a common narrative. The narrative where the father is absent or has many children, the mother is struggling on her own, and the children turning to criminal activity based on their impoverished circumstance. What these media outlets fail to do sometimes is depict the variety of blackness and black family. They try to stick to a common narrative of misfortune that has been perpetuated in many films throughout the decades.
ReplyDeleteIn class we watched two films that showcased that the black family can be dynamic and complex. In the first film we were asked to examine homosexuality in the black family. Dee Rees provided the viewer with an depiction of a two-parent home, working father, and stay-at home mom; which is primarily common to white narratives. I believe in doing that she was trying to show viewers that two parent black homes exist and black families experience similar issues to that of a white family. In the other film Ana Duvernay, depicts black ownership, wealth, success, while also depicting the struggles with incarceration and drug addiction. Her characters are multi-dynamic and all posses various qualities.
I can appreciate that some writers are trying to dismantle this perception of the black family being limited to unfortunate or ignorant circumstances. I always felt that in films sometimes that blackness was only represented one way and that my blackness was determined by what I saw on television. I was raised by the single mother who struggled initially to make ends meet, growing up in the rough streets of the Bronx, New York. My father has many kids and we all have different mothers. Seeing a piece of my reality being depicted all the time on television made me feel sad, because I knew people who had their mom and dad in their lives. I didn't want to be perceived as a stereo-type.
However, what I did also realize was that just because my mom was a young single mother who struggled initially, she was not a "single black mom". She was immigrated from Jamaica to America to secure a better life for me and coming from a foreign and impoverished place to America, it's not easy to adjust right away. However, she went to college graduated with her bachelor's and master's from Fordham University, which is a really good school. All while making sure I was in a really good catholic school or charter school in the city. She did this all on her own. She didn't have a whole bunch of kids, live in projects and rely on government assistance like they try to make all single black mothers to be. Our black narrative was not the typical black narrative depicted in the media, however it did have some aspects of the typical "black family".
So what I feel is necessary and crucial to construct of blackness is showing the many aspects of it. Not everyone is going to experience the "black narrative" that we so often see in media. And even if your life mirrors that narrative, that doesn't mean you should limit yourself to becoming what society expects of you. I believe that in indulging in these ignorant movies and reality shows, we are sending the message that that is an authentic depiction of blackness.
Reality tv shows like Love& Hip Hop and Basketball Wives are accurate examples of that, black ignorance. White people watch these shows and believe that's how black people behave. It kind of ties back to that "single story" we spoke about earlier in the unit; where Chimamnda Adiche explains how the danger of the single story is that it dehumanizes people and breeds ignorance. Which I believe is why white people can continue to feel the way they do about black people in 2016. This single story of the "black family" and "blackness" being encouraged by the media that makes people believe that that's all we're limited to being.
DeleteI'm attaching a video of a comedy skit by Aries Spears speaking on the differences between white families and black families. It a funny way of showcasing the differences in perceptions of the white family and the black family.
https://youtu.be/h_Uj1FRmLao
My biological mother and father never married. However, my father has always been in my life. Both my parents went on to remarry and have other children. I have two step brothers and two half sisters. I have never viewed my family as broken even though my parents are not together. If anything, I always considered myself to be lucky. I have two families instead of one, I get to have extra grandparents and extra aunts and uncles. As a child I used to brag about having two Christmases. Having a blended family can be a beautiful thing, it means there are more people to love and look out for you. Compared to the "black family" narrative we see in the media, I can identify with some things but not all things. The family I identified with most was the family from Queen Sugar. When I was younger, my parents could not really afford to take care of me all of the time so I spent most of my time with my grandparents like Blue. When I was young I did not understand why I did not live with my mom or dad all of the time, but, as an adult looking back I understand. My mom was only nineteen when she had me and she was still in college. At nineteen you are still a child and at age twenty-two I can honestly say I still would not be ready for a child. I commend my parents, grand-parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for raising me. My life and many other black kids lives are proof that you can come from a non-traditional family and be a contributing member of society. I disagree with how the media is always blaming the black family structure for black community problems. Other ethnicity's have many of the same problems we as black people face. Divorce in the US is up for everyone, however, we always hear about the black demographic. This makes people think that blacks are not capable of love and marriage and it is an unfair judgement.
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DeleteThe image of the black family is portrayed in many different ways, which includes TV shows and cinema films. I present day I feel as if there are a lot of negative portrayals of the black family, but some positive ones as well. An example of the positive image of the black family includes TV shows that had either two parents or single parents in the household that was stable and functional. Some of these TV shows include: The Cosby show, Blackish, Julia, Family matters, Everybody Hates Chris, and What’s Happening. An example of a negative portrayal of the black family is the show Empire. Even though many people adore the show, it does have its down falls as far as how it portrays the black family. The matriarch of the show “Cookie” spent over 20 years in prison for taking the fault for her husband Lusious over a drug deal. This left Lusious to be a single father raising their three sons alone. The family success of the music company was build off of drug money. Their family is very dysfunctional, having the mother always at some odds with the father, the sons having their own emotional and psychological problems, and the cases of sexual promiscuity. This shows the negative of the black family, as well as just because you have two parents involved does not mean that the family is functional. This link below is a list of shows that showed the black family in a single parent aspect and two parent aspect.
http://madamenoire.com/564551/10-sitcom-single-parents-who-held-it-down/4/
http://madamenoire.com/326770/tv-shows-defied-preconceived-notions-american-black-family/
I would in fact say that the black family is compared to often to the normative “white” society’s views of what a family is supposed to look like or be like. The typical normative family includes things such as: a mom and a dad in the household, with 2 kids or more, and maybe a family pet. The father is typically the bread winner, while the mom stays home and take care of the house and kids. Anything that defies this way of family life is considered by society as being “non-normative or non- traditional”. I feel like no matter which type of family dynamic a person is raised or brought up in, everyone’s experience is different therefore it is not right when media or people generalize the family types. All in all the image of the black family is what we ourselves make it to be, no matter what media shows, at the end of the day we as a people know who we are.
I would have to say SOME of the images of today’s black family can be compared to mine. I wouldn’t categorize my family to be “broken” but like any other family, my family has its flaws. I was raised in a loving household with both parents, my older brother and sister. It was extremely important for my parents, who are faithful Christians, to instill a relationship with God in my siblings and I’s life. But as we grew up and ventured out into the world, we were all faced with trials and tribulations. My older siblings experienced life fast and had to deal with the hardships that came with it. My brother became a father as a 16-year-old and now today at the age of 27, is on his 3rd child. My sister, who was 19 at the time, got pregnant one month before her freshman year of college. Despite this, I love both my brother and sister with all my heart and I admire them for all of the challenges they’ve faced at such a young age. They are great parents to their kids and were/are blessed to be able to provide for them, then and now. Although it was hard at first for my mom and dad to accept the choices my siblings made, they never neglected nor have a change of heart towards them, like the media displays today. If anything, the birth of my nieces and nephew brought our family closer. This type of love goes beyond our household as well. We have close relationships with my aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of my family. Being that I’m currently the only college student in my family, they all push me to do something with my life. They’re all hard on me about school and encourage me to the best I can possibly be. I love my family so much for this because it has motivated me to be someone and to accomplish great things.
ReplyDeleteCompared to false portrayals of the black family in the past, I believe today’s depiction is beginning to display a more accurate/relatable family. Like the show,” Queen Sugar”, the complexity and “non-traditional” lifestyles of black families are one that many African-Americans can agree with. More television shows and movies should display this diversity and not ones that give false impressions of black people. Like my family, many other families go through problems, but the love and unity is one that America needs to see more. The new wave of strong black families are making a comeback and I hope it’s here to stay.
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ReplyDeleteImages of today’s black family relates to my own family in some aspects, and some it does not. As seen in the movie “Pariah” this family has a lot going on. This is the similarity that connected me with this on screen family. My mother has 5 daughters and 1 son. We all have different fathers except for my twin sister and I. I had the decency of growing up in a 2 parent household until the age of 10. Unlike the rest of my sisters and my brother who had to grow up without their father’s in their life. My third oldest sister Demetria reminds me much of Lee in the film. She never was sure on her sexuality, but tried to find herself. My mother could see that my sister was changing. She tried her best to pray and talk with her and remind her that this is probably just a “phase”. Being raised in a Christian household the bible tells you that being gay or being with someone of the same sex is an abomination. This was just one aspect that drove a wedge between the two of them but also affected my relationship with her. Meeting her new girlfriend every few months became annoying and I would soon hope that this was just a phase as well. I also remember hearing my parents argue some nights and it would frighten me. My sisters and I would huddle up and afterwards my mother always came and comforted us to let us know everything was okay.
ReplyDeleteIn “Women Thou art Bound” Perry states that marriage is the solution to a multitude of problems. I cannot identify with this statement. After my parents divorced not only did my mother feel free, but I did as well. My mother works extremely hard and taught all of her children the skills and life lessons we needed to survive. Marriage wasn’t the solution for my mother. She needed to find herself as she had become so lost in my father. She used her village “family” to help raise us all. You don’t NEED a man or marriage to be happy or successful. To some this may be considered a broken family, but I call it a unique family. There are different aspects to every Black family. No one is perfect, everyone goes through something. People just display them in different ways.
In media evolution of the black family, there seems to be a constant battle of breaking stereotypical roles and staying true to black values. These black values can include religion, food, music, or getting a steady financial status. However, usually media represents the black family as a damaged system. Unlike the standard white or “normal” American family, there is never really the household with “2.5 kids, two-story house, and a white picket fence.” Frequently, it is the narrative of separation between mother and father, whom have unstable socioeconomic backgrounds. Meaning, if the family is not in poverty, it rises up from poverty in some manner (maybe through entertainment or illegal activity, not really through education). It truly is a repetitive cycle that limits the possibility of other lifestyles. For example, in my personal family there is little to no separation between family members. My parents are happily married, and my mother is an independent woman that doesn’t rely on “keeping a man or keeping the husband happy.” With some of my friend’s parents, (even in the cases of divorce) parents there is still an equal level of support and respect. On the other hand, the importance of religion and God is extremely present in my family. I not only see this with my family, but also in the family of my black friends. It is a part of black culture. It’s a staple.
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ReplyDeleteIn today’s society, the image of the black family has shifted from the Good Times stereotype to the Obamas. What I mean by that is that in the media the image of the black family was one that carried a negative connotation to it. Such as being in poverty, no father figure, drop out teenagers, gang affiliated family members or even drug addicted ones. I believe that over the years the black family “image” has come a long way from shows such as My Wife and Kids, Everybody Hates Chris, Blackish etc. The Obamas have been in the media for eight years, a real black family that bring the black image to new and positive level within the media.
ReplyDeleteTyler Perry creates a plethora of diverse characters with in the black community. As we learned in Unit Two in “Woman Thou Art Bound” by Robert Patterson, Tyler Perry focuses on his female black characters being married. This symbolizes that black women aren’t whole until they are married, yet Perry has a kid and isn’t married, it’s truly a double standard, and that’s why I think I can’t relate to his movies.
I never thought that my family fit into any television show that was until, I watch Queen Sugar. The show conveyed authentic characters in the black community .for example I have some family members that are drug addicts, some that drive very fantasy cars, and some that take the bus. I really could relate the grandfather Ernest Bordelon played by Glynn Turman. His character reminded me of my grandmother. My grandmother was the glue of the family; if you needed anything she would help you. When my grandmother died my family separated and lost contact over little arguments. I think the importance of creating authentic and relatable characters is because people need something to actually feel that relates to them.
Brianne Green
ReplyDeleteI feel as if filmmakers love to show the “typical” broken family. When I was younger I wouldn’t really compare what I saw on television to what was happening in my own family. I never really thought that deep into it until I got older, around the time I was in high school. I would find out little things along the way that showed me that my family wasn’t as “close knit” as I thought.
Every “typical” thing that the media portrayed, my mom and her siblings went through it and they are presently going through it. I learned that my mom and her siblings were close when they were younger but as they got older they began to drift apart trying to “find themselves” so to speak with their own individual families. I feel like my mom’s side of the family relates more with the first few episodes Queen Sugar at the moment. Not scene by scene but I can definitely see the similarities as I reflect on my mother and each of her siblings. There are the privileged siblings like Charlie, the ones that are in between like Nova, and the ones that are just trying to make it like Ralph Angel.
I don’t really know my dad’s side and I’m still learning about his side to this day. From what I gathered about his childhood, things were kind of “typical” with my grandma taking care of home and my grandad out farming. There’s still a lot that I don’t know about his side.
Even though my parents weren’t together as a couple and I didn’t grow up in the perfect household, both of my parents were active in my life and they were actually good friends in the end up until my dad passed away. I don’t like to think of my family as “broken”. We’re just different and things could be better. I believe that every family has similarities but no family is exactly the same.
The media depicts the African American family in many ways. You have the functional family such as the Cosbys and you have the dysfunctional families like families depicted in Tyler Perry movies. Although you have various depictions of American American families, most are depicted as "dysfunctional" or "broken." I can honestly say that I can personally relate to a "broken" family. My mother and father was not married when I was born.
ReplyDeleteMy father was in and out of my life until I was about six years old and that's when he stopped seeing me for good. I never really realized how not having my father in my life effected me until I got older. I started to realize that literally all of my black friends came from a two-parent home and it really made me wonder about my family.
Although my mother was a single mom, she always made ends meet and she was always happy. I can say based off of my friend's families that the African American family is depicted negatively. I know plenty of families that are completely functional, loving and supportive. I just hate to say that my own family does compare to one that may be considered "broken."
The readings about the black family relate to my family in some ways but miss the mark on most.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, we never had the mixed family narrative. We moved around constantly, so we didn't have too many close family friends. And my parents did not approve of us calling people other than our family, Aunt or Uncle or the like. We were not particularly close to extended family either. So unlike most black families who cling to other black families in a community, we were often the outliers.
In "Woman Thou art Bound", the author states that "...he (Perry) suggests that women in particular need to conform to the expectations of heterosexual marriage", more than likely the need to stay at home and/or procreate. My mom would probably fall under that category, as she is a homemaker and has had 8 kids. And as I mentioned in our WOW moments, I thought it was weird that the author seemed to say that Claire Huxtable being submissive to her husband was heterosexist. It was never portrayed as a bad thing to me, though my family had strong biblical values so it’s not surprising that it was not seen as an issue. Aside from that, my brothers, sisters and I weren’t raised differently despite being different genders. The same roles and morals were instilled in us. Cleaning up after, cooking, cleaning, etc weren’t women’s jobs and getting a career and being able to protect oneself and others weren’t just for men. Yes, we were taught that men were meant to be the head of the household. But my parents never taught me that a woman couldn’t function without a man; in fact they made it clear that women should be independent until such a time as they chose to be with someone.
And my family wasn’t always as independent as it is now. While my father has always been the sole provider the house, we struggled to get to midclass. We were homeless for awhile, as well as living on government assistance.
https://co.midland.mi.us/Portals/0/Midland%20County/Images/Department%20Images/Health/Personal/WIC/wic-logo_27594145_std.gif
My mother was part of the WIC program while she was pregnant with my sisters, just because there was no other way we could afford to feed everyone. In Moynihan’s “The Negro Family”, it mentions that about 14% of Negro children were receiving AFDC assistance at that time, and that the situation was worsening. We were better off than most because we were receiving parental support from at least parent but it was still hard to get to the point where my dad could support us all without an issue.
Overall, I think my family seems to fit what is deemed the ‘traditional Negro family’, though I would say the values that we’re taught aren’t the norm.
The media today describes the average African American family as a single mother, working hard to make ends meet, and a father who’s barely in the picture. It is a very popular stereotype that makes people outside our race think they know everything about the black family based on what they’re showed on television. This relates to my family because I grew up in a single parent home. Although I lived with my mom, I saw my father very often, and was well supported by him. My father doesn’t relate to the average black man they portray on tv. I think that is what discourages some people about black men because of what they see in the media. When other races, mainly white, are portrayed as successful businessman and breadwinners for their families. I feel that this is very unfair, and there needs to be more positive things about black men in the media, because most of them are successful and hardworking. The show Queen Sugar portrays a positive and negative outlook on black men. Although it shows a father who takes good of his son, it also shows that he’s an ex con and robs a gas station. This another thing a lot of people think about black men, because a lot of them have been to jail. There aren't a lot of positive shows about black men and I think that needs to change.
ReplyDeleteParis Brothers
ReplyDeleteIn today's society I feel as though media such as movies and television shows black families as "broken". I believe that this adds to the stereotypes that are put on black people. Most shows, show black families as poor, spilt, and drama filled. If the family has money, most times the family has a lot of drama. A example of this would be Empire. I think that this put black families in a negative light.
Throughout class we have discussed and watched films focus of the black families. We discussed Tyler Perry's films, where it seemed as though Madea in his films was like the person the family would go to for advice. Madea is seen to be like the grandmother figure in black families. We watch Queen Sugar, this television show seem to show the different types of lifestyles that are in the black community.
I feel as though Queen Sugar is the most relatable to how my family is. I could see some similarites in Queen Sugar. On my dad side of the family are some who are very privileged and then there are some who have to work hard to make it. In Queen Sugar, it seemed as though the dad "Ernest Bordelon" was the glue in the family. On my dad's and mom's side of the family my grandmothers play that role. On my mothers side of the family there are some similarities to Queen Sugar as well. I think that in every family regardless of the race, there are similarites because no one family is perfect.
I agree with everything that you said Paris, especially when it comes to the black families who have money, having a lot of problems. In one Tyler Perry show The Have and Have Nots the black family is very wealthy but they are unstable. In addition, the mother is struggling with their son being gay and she does not accept him. On the top of that her husband is having an affair with a white woman! She even had an ex-convict threaten to kill her son because she could not get her way.
DeleteNow that you mention it, I can see both of my sides of the family resembling some of the characters in Queen Sugar. I can actually see myself resembling Charley, because of how well put together she was and how she was about her business.
In today's society the black family is typically portrayed as a family that struggles in more than one way. For example, in the movie Pariah, Alika constantly struggles with her sexuality, especially dealing with the dynamics between her family. Her parents Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson ultimately don't agree with Alika's lifestyle and often deny its existence. Mr.Ferguson is portrayed as the typical hard working black man. He works long shifts, but neglects his wife during the time that he is present. All around, Mr.Ferguson has the final word in the household and his word is law. Mrs.Ferguson constantly submits to her husbands demands, despite the way her treats her. This is often the case displayed within stereotypical black cinema films. My family and I can somewhat relate to the situation, but to an extent. In my opinion, the role of Mr. and Mrs.Ferguson displayed in the film is somewhat exaggerated when it comes to my family and I. It is undeniable that my family has dealt with many hardships. Fortunately, our struggles have only made my family stronger as a whole. It is true; my father is the dominant provider within my household. With that being said, ironically he doesn't have the final say-so in the family. In my family my mothers word is law. Even my father respects her decisions based on the love and support he has for her. Unlike most black families portrayed in media, my family is extremely close and supportive of one another. I have two brothers and three sisters. My father is an international truck driver and my mother is a pre-school teacher. Including me, there are six siblings in total. Despite what most people assume, my family is very strong and well provided for. Naturally, we have had just as many problems as the next family, but it has never torn us apart. My siblings and I were raised with good intentions, respect, self motivated aspirations, and all around kindness for others. I never said that we were a perfect family, but are surely not the family projected in today's images.
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It is a well-known fact that normalcy is just some term that white America made up since they came up with the term and nationalized this term during the Great Depression, which is a whole different problem within itself. So what is the “normal” white family, its simple, the white man with black/brown hair, white and blonde stay at home wife with preferably two kids-one little blonde girl and one little dirty blonde haired boy. In this “dream” American family, everybody in the family is happy, comfortable, perfect, and very white. The reason I make this augment is because this white is right façade was practically plastered everywhere around America, from propaganda posters to Hollywood movies, for the purpose of trying to cover up the fact that America was financially and socially imploding. This unrealistic expectation has stuck and is still a reinforced unattainable standard for black families. Our families are supposed to have that white washed goal of what a family is supposed to be because if Black families can reach that “white” family level than their family / life issues will reach the American dream level. To reinforce the necessity of the white is right mentality, I believe that Hollywood Blaxploitation along with skewed studies like the Moynihan report-that said black females are the problem- have reinforced these terrible black family stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteWith all the Mammies and black bulls that are always in Hollywood black family movies that have practically brain washed America into thinking certain stereotypes about black families that are completely unrealistic. Today’s black family on TV is nothing like my family. My family is nothing like anyone else’s family, because we are unique. Every family has their issues and every family has their high points but to say that no family has its dysfunctions or that every family has some kind of drama with every member. I come from a two college educated parent household and both my parents work (my mother because she chooses to), I grew up in the upper middle class around all white people, I have two other siblings, and we all go to church every Sunday (and that church is a black church). From the outside looking in we have reached the “American dream” but our family has its many problems. My family is one that has “reached” what the white is right façade and that does not lead to happiness. The only thing that is partially relatable aspect that I can draw from the TV black family that related to my family is the Madea role, not the advice/ nurturing part just all the crazy and that is my mother and her mother. We do not have issues like infidelity, drugs, baby daddy issues, domestic violence, or any other cliché Hollywood black family stereotypical problems, we just have normal problems like how to discipline your children, what to spend money on, or something trivial like that. Hollywood is just a terrible entity that has created a monster of stereotypes of black culture, including the black family, in order to push their almighty white male driven agenda which is created because of white fear.
-Olivia Wright
Images of today’s black family compare to my own in many ways. I grew up as the girl who had “daddy issues.” Honestly I didn’t think I had daddy issues I think he was just the issue. I come from a broken family, being homeless, being a mom to my brother, not having parents in my life, and being victimized in many ways (let’s lack detail here out of respect) though all of this happened I also slightly lived the charity case film side too you know like the blind side minus sports career. I am now a part of a blended family, my father still isn’t in my life but hey I faced adversity and the cycle of dysfunction that was in my family and beat them. My father alone has seven kids that I know of and my step mother had three and together they adopted two sisters. My mother believes in God and she taught us to go to church. She’s not a Bible thumper she loves God but she “cuss” a little bit. My younger sisters act just like any young sister in any film. They get on my last nerve most of the time but at the end of the day we all hangout with each other before we hang with anyone else. My twin and I share a special connection however; I don’t know what to compare it to I don’t know many black family shows with twins. I’m also not close to five of my father’s children. Then there’s Michael. My older brother who tends to forget my age is no longer ten. He walked away from us at a young age but it was to get away from the negative things we faced. My blended family faced a lot but anything worth having doesn’t come nice and easy. Even Tina Turner said that. When my sister came out that she was a lesbian I just knew my mom would make her eat The Word till she “went back” and when my two adopted sisters got diagnosed with Asperger’s I thought again here comes something spiritual to fix this or my mom would tell the doctors they didn’t know what they were doing for she knew God. However, she did what moms do love her children unconditionally no matter what. One thing black families always believe is; how truly blessed they are. Which I truly am.
ReplyDeletehttps://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B79K-rCMZ7mWZTJmUXRYQUJrY2s
Media portrays the back family in many ways, most of which seem to be in a derogatory way. When I think of watching a predominately black family on TV shows or in a movie I think of people acting out of character, acting ignorant, fighting, a family in a broken home and struggling. This is not a reality in my experience being raised in my family. I grew up in a middle class home with both my mother and father who are both sophisticated and established in there careers. It seems like only the negative aspects of the black family are showcased in media because its more entertaining for viewers to watch, which can be detrimental to how other people view what black families consist of. Media is always evolving and there is no telling what we will see more of in the future but as of now I am not satisfied with the portrayal of our families.
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The images that television shows and or movies portray of black families today, illustrates some but not all of the characteristics that you can find in a black family. The media portrays the black family as “broken” and “unstable.” I mean we all go through tribulations but I do not consider my family broken and unstable. I also believe that some prominent African American directors, such as Tyler Perry is guilty of feeding into these conceptions. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy watching Tyler Perry movies and like we discussed in class he is a trail blazer, brilliant director and screenwriter.
ReplyDeleteWhat I enjoy most about his films, is that although he does exploit the typical black stereotypes, he illustrates towards the middle and or end why the characters act the way they act. Unlike white films, they do not do that. White people just assume that we act the way with act without having to go through experiences which could have altered our behavior. Like Robert J. Patterson discussed in “Woman Thou Art Bound,” Perry neglected to make Madea a mother to her own child which is why I believe that he is guilty of feeding into the conception of a broken home. How can Madea advise and guide those around her but she cannot even and does not even have a relationship with her own daughter? As a result, this idea would verify that Madea has a broken home.
Although Perry may feed into the conceptions listed above, he is brilliant in exposing the religion, faith and culture of a black family throughout his films. For example, in most of his films his characters go through trials and tribulations but throughout the movie they learn to never give up on faith, family is the only thing that you have and when times get hard you pray and go to church. I can relate to these characteristics and they mirror my family. Growing up, I was always told that if no one has your back in this world your family will. My parents made me go to church every Sunday and at church and through them I was taught that when life gets hard you should never give up and when you find yourself stuck in a corner you pray because the lord will make a way.
Overall I have enjoyed this unit! The more I watch films and or television shows that deal with black families, I find myself over analyzing everything and noticing things that I would have never noticed before. For example, in class we discussed how some children shows have racist tendencies and one show was the Proud Family. In the show why does the “Gross sisters” have to be the dark ugly sisters that steal money while LaCienega Boulevardez gets to be the pretty light skin foreign girl that every guys wants? In addition, if you ever watch Disney Channel or any other television shows, have you ever noticed that the black families always have to be light skin with curly hair or if the girl has kinky hair its long? When is the last time that you have ever seen a dark skinned girl with natural short kinky hair the star of a television show or even considered the girl that every guys wants?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPb4A071WDw
Clip of the “Gross sisters”
ReplyDeleteIn my family there is me, my mother, her children, my father, his children, my stepfather, and his children. A lot of people will say this is a negative perception of black families, when viewing it on television. For me, when families on television consist of multiple parts, such as: the father’s children, mother’s children, and another spouse’s children I view it as showing that the “white picket fence” families are not the only type of family to exist. Television has a strange way of getting it out there, because sometimes the drama of the show overpowers the overall message that families tend to be very diverse. Primarily, on television the type of families that we see were families that are considered “traditional.” I place the word traditional in parentheses, because personally I do not believe in families being traditional. There is no one way that a family is supposed to be. Throughout time television has went away from only displaying the “traditional family.” For instance, in class we watched the show Queens Sugar rather than simply consisting of the basic mom-dad and children family, there was outside family members who took part in raising children that were not their own. This family is a great representation of my family. Throughout my life I have not always lived with my mother, instead I lived with my grandmother and aunts. Media has a way of making it as though children who are not raised in a two parent home lack love and direction, I do not agree. For me, growing up being raised by other family members as well as my mother only bettered me. I am the child who graduated and started college early rather than coming the disturbed child that later turned into a criminal, like the ones depicted on television. For the most part there is no concrete answer when comparing television families to my own. Being that there is so many different types of families that are portrayed on television I can only pick around and say that some things are like that of my family, and others are not
ReplyDeleteThe media always been destroying black families from the beginning of time. I do feel like the 1980's- 1990's was the golden age. the best tv shows fresh prince, cosby show, jaime foxx show extc. you had a plethora of shows. in today's world everything changing, the media shows ratchet tv, they took good blue prints an twist them to make you feel like it is not even worth it. Now its shows fighting left an right, cussing each other out normalizing it. At least back than you had more good shows than bad shows that made you want a family an be together forever. when you watch white shows, it is so much structure its unbelivable. it is always a plus when there is two parents in the household that takes off alot of stress, give parents time to spend with their kid, so they dont have to run the streets, when it is just one parent. My mom tried her hardest 3 brothers 1 sister once my dad left she had to carried the load increasing her work hours from seven in the morning to nine at night. that was too many hours, it was no more structure after that. How can i learn from you and get the proper guidance when you spending more time at work than you do home. My mom being away from the house a lot caused us to be in the streets more. I had brothers that cared for me an wanted me to go the sports route, without them i would never made it college. Everything in life has to have balance.The media is the most powerful organization in the world, they control reality. I would like to see more shows with different type of families not the typical ones with dysfunctional families. how can my generation bring families back, when all we see is negativity to the point were is normal. It is time for a new media.
The typical black family is not really your standard American family. Blacks carry on alot of baggage from slavery. Baggage from slavery can include the ways slave owners chose to up bring slaves. For example " Slave owners encouraged black woman independent mindsets." This act is instilled in black woman today. My mother for example is very independent woman. Most African American women portrayed on television tend to be very independent. Mothers tend to be head of household compared to the male being head of household. Black families on television in my opinion are just a comic relief to black families in reality. I believe most black families are dysfunctional. At least I consider mine to be. Black tv shows tend to give the impression of togetherness and family. For my family we are not the type of family who sticks around each other. We love each other but we dislike each other. I feel like with black base tv shows they try and make to add the "American Dream" to their story lines. This means that the writers of the shows try and mix some whiteness in the black tv shows.So there are alot of angles in black tv shows that from my experience in watching are not typically based on the usual black family. My family consists of Me, My brothers, my father , our mom , our grandma, and aunts cousins and uncles. My mom and father our married and have been together since I was born. I just dont believe My family and the black families have alot in common.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up it was just my mom, my brother, my sister, and me. We had your typical “single parent” struggles. One income, so there was limits on certain things, my mom trying to balance being a mother and a father, and doing her all so she can provide for her kids. Marriage is something that doesn't exist in my family. It’s kinda like a hit or miss, and so far everyone has been missing. When I watched black films and tv shows that glorified the “white picket fence” family, I always looked up to them. For example shows like The Cosby Show and My Wife And Kids. I was that little girl that left the Tyler Perry Films wanting to be successful with a happy family, and the only way I could have a happy family was to be married. While nothing is wrong with thinking this way, it’s not everyone's reality. Now that I am older, I do believe that you can reach success without marriage or a family, and that your success isn’t measured threw your family.
ReplyDeleteThe media also portrays this concept of, if you are raised without a father in your life you will grow up to be this woman with a lot of baggage and with all your problems in life trickling down to, “daddy wasn’t there”. Me, being a product of “daddy wasn’t there”, I believe this is very untrue. Children who grow up in a single parent home can be just as successful as the kids who grow up in a 2 parent home. They can love the same, trust the same way, and overall go about life the same way as a child from a 2 parent home. But, again, this concept stems from the idea that the only way a person can be successful is if you are happily married.
Mariah Tillman
ReplyDelete“So, I ask you how do images of today's black family compare with your own?”
In my family I live with my mother, step father and my two half siblings. I know before my mom got married I was raised in a single parent house and my grandmother would babysit me while my mother was at work. A lot of people in my community lives this same narrative with just one parent being present. I do remember the times where it was days I wouldn’t see my other because she worked and went to school her passion to provide a life for demonstrates how strong the black woman really is. But as time moved on and my mother got married our whole family structure changed. Moving from working class to upper middle class has totally two different experiences. Just the resources that I was exposed to definitely changed my perception of thought because it was two parents in the building because I got balance it wasn’t always one sided also I was able to spend more time with my mother because it was two incomes coming into the house. But I will say some people don’t have the fortune in having that in their household. Instead of two parents it can be relatives that take care of their family members. I feel instead of trying to fit that two parent household image we embrace the diversity of different people coming together for the greater good of the child. I would even say friends fit into that part as well because my friends helped me grow as well as we see each other as family.
My family would be considered typical. Mom and dad met, dated a few years, got married, had kids a few years later. No divorces, no kids outside the marriage, etc. My dad grew up the same way. My mom on the other hand is the youngest of 11, and found out she had another brother a few years ago. She's the most successful out of her 9 older brothers, and one older sister.
ReplyDeleteThe type of family is a factor in life, but not the ultimate one. You as a person make the most difference in your future. I've seen people with nothing make something, and I've pitiful people work half as hard as me then blame the world for their ignorance.
How do todays black family compare with your own? My family is identical to some of the films such as Queen sugar and some common shows like the Cosby show that shows the good and bad. I was raised by both of my parents till they split around 4th grade. In my family I was raised mostly in my grandmother house were i stayed with my two uncles, mother and had a lot of cousins. I always spent time with my mother but I could not spend as much as time with him due to the other family issues and work. I feel as i watch my family on TV shows over and over, they resemble to my family problems to the T. I grew up in a bad neighborhood were i had to choose if I was gone do the right thing or not. Staying positive in the neighborhoods and school I was able to leave the bad neighborhoods and escape. I wanted to be different then the other kids around me that tried to influence me to go down the wrong road. Growing up without a father doesn't mean you have to act out or be bad or mad. I feel it just mean someone is missing out on a very special person that will be successful.
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ReplyDeleteI’m immediately drawn to woman characters, played in some of Tyler Perry’s films, and just as equally, I’m drawn to Alike’s mother, Audrey in “Pariah.” The women characters in both, are very religious in nature, who turn to God during a time of crisis. Just like Audrey believes that God will deliver Alike from being gay, my mother had the church pray Satan, out of my sister and I. For a spell, according to her, my sister and I had lost our damn minds. I’ve watched my mother turn to her faith and God for everything, good and bad. She also attends church frequently, just as Audrey and some of Perry’s female characters. My grandmother is much like Madea, but without the antics. She’s the matriarch of the family, whose held it down for years. At 76, 5’2, she will condemn you with her words; minutes later, make you plate and pray for you. I was often angered by her as a child, and as a result; rebelled. She’d often remark how she knew “God had the last say so and that I’d eventually come around.” She was right. Another comparison, that comes to mind is at the dinner table; with Alike and her family. On Sunday’s, either mom or grams cook, and no matter what we must come. As children though, we sat at the dinner table as a unit. By the time my sister and I had reached our teenage years, our conversations were very open. My mother, sister, and I would talk openly about sex and dating, just as Alike does with her family. Specifically, I remember being told how important it was to wait for marriage, and how we’d go to hell if we didn’t. Then she’d assert how important it was to use protection if we couldn’t wait. To say the least, I was always confused, often calling her a hypocrite under my breath. Lastly, my family comes together just like the characters in “Queen Sugar,” during a time of crisis. We are very close knit, but believe in keeping private affairs, private. To provide some context, my Grandmother is a widow, who never remarried, and my mother is a divorcee.
Looking back at what we've watched and discussed over the past three or so weeks and the question posed to us for this blog assignment, I think I feel somewhat confident in saying that there is no "typical" black family. Every family we've looked at, from the one in Pariah, the family that headlines the Madea films, all the way to that episode of Queen Sugar, were all different from one another. I would say the common thread shared between them would be a large and diverse family, but the isolated, four-person unit in Pariah already goes against that. And though I would also characterize my own family as "isolated," it operates nothing like the family in Pariah.
ReplyDeleteMy family consists of my heterosexual parents, my two younger sisters and I. I have two half-siblings, older than me, and an aunt that lives with us a few times a year when she's not in Mexico with her husband, but these additions are merely satellites that show themselves only once in a blue moon. I have tons of cousins and aunts and uncles from my father's side centered mostly in the Virginia Beach region whose names and faces I couldn't recall even if I tried. Unlike most of the families portrayed, we don't really go to church anymore, nor do any of us spend much time together in almost any way.
However different my family may be from other black families portrayed in media, from print to film, television or poem, the one important thing, the one common thread among these varied portrayals is that we ARE black families. Big or small, tight-knit or independent. Every experience is a valid one.
In reference to the traditional "black family", my family may be just that family to fit particularly well in the different stereotypes . It is a wide mixture of the good and the bad as well as a lot of dysfunction thrown in there randomly. Growing up, my brothers and I stayed with my grandmother while my mother worked various odd jobs to support her children. She had had us at the ages of 16,17 and me last at 20 so life for her was only working to support us and so she would not hear me grandmother's mouth. My mother did not have the support system from my grandmother or our fathers as you see most families have in these different movies, but she did have it from my great grandmother and other relatives (at times). My great grandma was the epitome of everything a grandmother was supposed to be even if she could not do much after her stroke towards the end of her life. We all, even the children, had all pitched in to help care for her so she had consumed our lives in the best way possible. So I can say that our family was the "drop everything for family" idea that is shown in black culture. We would do any and everything for my great grandma no matter the expense. Furthermore, what I have also what I seen in a various amount of Tyler Perry films that describes my family, is the idea of the "chosen child" and the "black sheep child". My grandmother, for some reason or another treated my aunt way different than she treated my mother(the black sheep) and even today, there is a huge disconnect with that relationship. I personally believe that people, especially mothers, should not have a favorite child.... it takes away from the other children and the bond that they should share together. People make different choices in life and just because they may not always be the best, it does not mean they are any less worthy than another. Lastly in my comparison of my family to what I see black families displayed as, is the ideas of the strong and caring mother and the idea of the peacemaker (the person that keeps the family together). My mother has 5 children (4 boys and me) and she will drop anything and everything to run to our corner. She always says that she did not have that from her mother growing up, so she would be sure to be there for even the smallest things if we wanted or needed her to. The sacrifices that she has made for us throughout our lives in incomparable to anything else that anyone could ever do. Honestly, I feel it even more because of the way she treats me as her only daughter. She did not want me to struggle with raising children before I was ready and everything else... so when I graduated high school, I became the first female in our family to graduate without children. Additionally, in May, I will be the first female in my family to have a degree because she has shown me how important I am. Finally, when it comes to the peacemaker or glue that holds it all together, you normally see the grandmother.... in my case, it's me. I am the common factor between all of my brothers, my mother and my grandmother and a few other relationships. It's a demanding tasks and makes me completely furious when they act like they have no sense because it pains me to see my family not be so close. That's the dysfunction that is the black family and one I really wish my family could do without.
ReplyDeleteMy Family is very unique in every way that I believe, but I do believe my family fits a few of the stereotypical aspects of the black family. Well at least at first it did. My grandmother lost her boyfriend before my mother reached the age of two and my aunt was able to walk. So my mother never really had her biological father as she grew up. My mother gave birth to me six months after her seventeenth birthday and I saw my biological father up until my third birthday. I do not remember except for a few faint memories. Just like some of the stereotypical views of black families in films where there are teenage mothers, my family fit right in. Although my family was like that at first, single teenage mother with who left her daughter with her grandmother briefly to complete college things changed. My mom met her husband of seven year now while she was in college, they had been together since I was four years old. Out of this relationship produced three beautiful children who are my siblings. They are now eight, seven, and five. I am the oldest and the only one without the same father. Although my step father may not be my biological father, he feels like he is because he is the only father figure i have experienced in my life. Today my parents are married, both working, with four happy children. I would think we follow the typical black family with the families own individual issues pretty well.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up until age nine, my family was considered what most in this society would call a traditional family. My mother and father were still married and my two sisters and I had the same parents. However, when our parents separated my father moved to D.C while we stayed in North Carolina. Since this point I lived in the stereotypical “single mother” household, enduring many of the struggles that this type of family structure faces. Including my extended family on both sides, many of their immediate family structures match those of the black family images portrayed, though not all. I have cousins who were raised by great aunts, and family members who are married but children share different fathers or mothers. My great grandmother was married had 8 children, but wouldn’t be considered traditional family because when her husband’s parents died she took in his younger siblings to raise as her own. All the while, still having members in my extended family who have a traditional household, where their children share the same parents. That’s why shows like Queen Sugar and Black-ish are great because they’re showing different set ups of the black family. Showing that while some may be structured as a traditional family that’s not the only setup and that’s okay. While a child does need their mother and father, they can still get that same love and affection that is missing from other family members like an aunt or grandfather. Because of slavery it is no secret that It has been hard for African Americans (AA) to get back that traditional family structure. Epically with the many road blocks that AAs face, that are constantly tearing our families apart. Though we do have some shows today that’s broadening the publics image on AA families outside of the stereotypical box, many of these stereotypes are still widely by believed by the general public. Through the continued success of these shows and the ones that will come after them, these stereotypes will be challenged and hopefully develop enough buzz to educate the general masses.
ReplyDeleteMedia outlets depict the black family in many different ways. However the family dynamics they show on the big screen does not compare to how complex the black family is. Black families have struggled to find their identity and patch up the brokenness since planation owners separated us from our kin. Black women were not taught how to be mothers, instead they were ripped away from their mothers arm and sold like cattle. Black men were not taught how to be fathers, they were beat, tortured and humiliated in front of their families. Because of this and many other tragedies black families have suffered, but throughout the generations of suffering black families prevail through the oppression.
ReplyDeleteMy own testimony of family struggles can be compared to some of the infamous Tyler Perry movies. Tyler Perry has received a lot of backlash for how he shows the black community and women. Perry’s works resolves around abuse, adultery and class oppression within the black community. Some would call his work “Coonery and Booferny” because the characters in his movies live out black stereotypes. But these stereotypes that people criticize him for are actual situations that plague the black community. Although some audience members might not want to see those characters on the screen, there are people that go through the same things. Madeas Family reunion is a movie that relates to my family, in particular my mother. In Madeas family reunion Vanessa is the outcast of her family. Vanessa a single mother of two kids works a minimum wage job to provide for her children. She struggles to make ends meet and be accepted by her family. Vanessa mother treats her like she doesn’t exist and focuses on her younger daughter Lisa. Vanessa’s mother hate for her comes from her late husband who raped and abused Vanessa. Instead of protecting her daughter, she chooses her husband and turns a blind eye to him hurting Vanessa. Growing up all I had was my mother , my grandparents allianated us out due to past events between my mother and grandmother.
In Madeas Big happy family, there is a scene when the big family secret is revealed to the family. As a teenager Kimberley was raped and got pregnant. Instead of caring for the baby on her own, her mother fakes a pregnancy and takes in the baby as her own. The same situation happened to my mother growing up. My grandmother got pregnant young so my great grandmother raised my mother as if she was her own. When my mother turned 12 after a heated argument with her cousin, her cousin ends up telling her that her sister was actually her mother. My mother was devastated and took a long time to recover. Although ALL OF THIS IS REALLY personal, it is important for me to make this connection. Growing up my mother made plenty of mistakes, but after learning about her past I understood more way she made the decisions she made. It gave me a new perspective of her and made me respect, love and cherish her all the more. Tyler Perry told my mothers story on the big screen, this showed me that my family wasn’t just fucked up, but that black families all over go through similar things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN-TejALJRw
The traditional black family is always seen as one with a lot of disruption going on but they can always or never come together during times of crisis or hardship. Being that we talked about Tyler perry films in class, many of his movies depict broken black families who don't really speak or keep in contact with one another up until a family member has passed or they need to come to together for support. They must put their own differences aside and whatever issue made them stray in the first place in order to become whole as a family and bring peace. In other notions, it is a large family that loves one another with a few bad eggs here and there. The family participates in reunions, cookouts etc. in order to keep the family in the know about one another and see who they haven't in awhile. I know my family is somewhere in the middle because on my moms side there is traditional black family Christian values that some like to up hold but still do not speak to one another if something goes astray. My fathers side are either all together at one point or not at all. The men have all had their share of problems but always call on one another for something. Usually if two aren't getting along another will step in to fix it or just leave it alone and let them squash it themselves if at all. I wouldn't say I'm part of the traditional black family full of problems and only come to together when someone dies(which happens a lot) but certain family members only talk to certain ones. Like "family groups"
ReplyDeleteThe black family is interpreted in films in many ways. Some may think black families are portrayed in a good or bad way but overall relatable. In most black films there is always a god fearing woman who is the back bone of the family but still needs a man to take care of her. The men in black films usually are hard workers and providers for their families. And then there's the grandmother who everyone goes to for advice, support and comfort. These are typical characters that we see in black films. Tyler Perry films show many examples of these characters. All his movies have God fearing women who need support from men. They usually end with a woman getting married to a good man implying that her problems are solved. In films like Soul Food the grandmother keeps the family together by having a Sunday dinner. Sunday dinner implies that all their issues go away while they are together as a family. It seems like all black films use church, marriage, and family gatherings to make their problems go away. To me it is stereotypical but it is also true. I was always taught to turn to God in a time of need. I was also raised in a two parent house house hold where I was taught that black love is important. And I also experienced good times being around my family but as soon as we are not together we got back to talking about each other. Even though black films have typical or predictable moments, they are very true and relevant to the black community.
ReplyDeleteToday’s black family is portrayed as stereotypes that are both similar and different from my own. First today's black family is displayed as a wide spread network of aunts, uncles, cousins and brothers that are separated by distance but all keep connected through the elderly in the family. This tends to be true for people in my family because much of the new things that happen in my family are expressed to my mother or grandmother which is then passed “through the grape vine” to others. But many black families are also shown to have many family reunions which in my family is not true. A reunion is a large gathering of people at a predetermined location to meet new family or reunite with the family hat hasn’t been seen in a while. However these gatherings are not present nor common place in mine or other black families. Finally the families in these productions make every family member have a role that they are supposed to fill in the family. The father is supposed to be the provider and he is supposed to take care of the family financially. While this may be true in other families as it pertains to mine, my mother is the prime money maker in the house. But according to black media she is supposed to be in the kitchen or at her man’s back. This is not true for my mother, in fact it is my siblings and I who cook for the family. Also one of the most noted things in black families is that the woman is supposed to be at the side of a many and have his back as displayed by Charlie in Queen Sugar. My mother does not have a man to stand by but in other families that I have seen the relationship is more like a partnership in which the couple lean on each other.
ReplyDeleteIn analyzing the different views of black families in media I found that my lifestyle relates to it in a particular way. The view of a black woman raising kids on her own may be seen as a stereotype, but in my life it's a living stereotype. The way Tyler Perry is mocked about how he portrays black families is wrong to me because a lot of the different views are realities just like mine. My mom is raising and raised all 3 of her kids mainly on her own and there's nothing wrong with that. Other's that have negative criticism about how different black families are portrayed have every right to speak their mind, but they must also realize that it is a stereotype and it is a reality in some cases just as mine. Like in Tyler Perry'a 'Meet the Browns' movie the mother is struggling to raise her kids and to make them do better than she did in life. And that movie is a perfect example of how these views of black families reflect into my life.
ReplyDeleteIn the media today, the black family is usually portrayed as a group of people who are broken and torn apart from one another. Media likes to convey messages that black families have high divorce rates, and most relationships the spouses are either cheating or abusive. I come from a family where I have two parents in the same home, everything isn't perfect, but in what life is everything perfect. My parents are both loving of each other and loving on their kids.
ReplyDeleteThe image of the black family today through the media and society is nothing like my family because we actually do the little things such as eat dinner together, go out on family outings, and also take vacations together. I think the media needs to get back to having shows like "The Cosby Show", and " The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" because those shows really conveyed a sense of unity and it also showed that black families can be wealthy and well off in society.
I strongly believe the power of media in the last few decades have evolved with showcasing the image of a black family . Unfortunately, media plays a big role in giving us negative characteristics such as always being aggressive or involved in crime. Especially , with black men and all the shootings occurring in today's society.During this unit, we critically examined the image of black families in media. I feel as though media should show a lot more diversity with black family life. Lots of black families have powerful stories different from each other.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, my family has been through a lot .We still have a strong bond and remain close through all the trials and tribulations. I believe media portrayed this in older shows years ago such as the Cosby Show , Good times and That's My Mama. These shows showcase black people dominating their own families or others. The strong love they had in their families was powerful. Maternal dominance is found in these shows.My mother dominated being a single mother providing my sister and I with a great foundation. Although, it was not a easy road for my mothe she did a phenomenal job raising my sister and I. My mom dying was the hardest tribulation for my sister and I but we still strive to live for her . The love she instilled in us makes it stronger for me to make her proud.
Image is powerful beyond measure. I think we still have a long ways to go with accurately portraying a black family in the right way.I am not satisfied with how black men and women are stereotyped . Media should show more positive characteristics such as perseverance , family pride, and resiliency during hard times.