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Is Black-ish a good show?
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The show's title is provocative and generalizes the African American community

The title "Black-ish" reflects the double standards that exist in relation to the black community. While it does strike an ironic tone, "Black-ish" treads the border between being racist, and a true reflection of society.
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The Argument

The title of a show reveals a lot about the intent, premise and tone of what is to be aired, and "Black-ish" is no different. The "ish" screams inadequacy. It suggests the idea that behaving in accordance with the stereotype of a certain race is inherent, and those who do not adhere to the said norms are somehow inferior to the rest. Those who do not fit into the age-old stereotype are criticized by those who do, encouraging reverse racism. It also pushes those who, while belonging to a particular race, do not conform to such stereotypes into an abyss of identity crisis. Creating an entire show on race is groundbreaking; but with it also comes certain problems. In their effort to try to point out just how unconsciously racist the society is, they also revealed themselves to be part of that clan too. Had the show been titled "White-ish", the uproar that would have followed, expressed by the African American community, would have definitely been hard to miss. This reveals in some way the hypocrisy on the part of the black community.

Counter arguments

The use of the title "Black-ish", much like the entire show itself, is ironic. It is deliberately used in order to show the double standards that exist in society when it concerns the black community. They criticize the whites for their discriminatory behavior against people of color, but do not bat an eyelid when indulging in the same behavior with the whites or those who are darker skinned than themselves.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] - 'Black-ish' promotes the idea of racial behaviour being inherent, and those who don't conform are inferior in some way.

Rejecting the premises

References

This page was last edited on Tuesday, 7 Jul 2020 at 22:15 UTC

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