No Control, Censorship, or Limitations

Acham's basic premise in the conclusion of Televised Revolution: Prime Time and the Struggle for Black Power is basically that there needs to be more representation of black people on television. She calls for more diverse representations as well, along with more criticism of the Black community from within the Black community itself. I would have to agree with this. The problem with TV is that in order to get on the air and stay on, ratings and the number of people tuning in to view the show as an audience have to be really high. And if it only appeals to the Black audience, it's most likely to get canceled and taken off the air. However, as Acham argues, that's where cable television presents itself as a hopeful scene for Blacks to gain some ground in the struggle for representation.

The majority of the article sites Chris Rock as an example of....well, a lot of different things. My younger brother loves listening to Chris Rock's comedy sketches, and so I have listened to a few as well. Before reading this article, I was not crazy about him. I thought he 1.) used too much profanity, 2.) said a lot of offensive things, and 3.) had an annoying voice. But after reading this article, I've gained a lot of respect for him as a comedian and as a person. I realized he doesn't just write comedy because he's a funny guy (he actually studies comedy and is extremely well-educated). He has social issues he wants to address. He has aspirations of positive change for our society.

He is a Black man who confronts racism and issues within the Black community head-on, without apologies or worrying about offending other racial groups (White people, Asians, Indians, etc.). Through his humor, he is talking directly to the African American community. As a White person listening to his comedy, I felt offended and unsure of how to take the things he says. I felt afraid to laugh because there's not really anyone else in the media who confronts racism quite like Chris Rock: head on, calls his own community out for their mistakes, and makes people laugh while doing it.

There are TONS of White comedians who can say whatever they want about White people, and it's totally fine. So why am I, as a White person, trying to criticize a Black person for doing the same? Blue Collar Comedy Tour was a huge hit a few years ago. It featured four White, male comedians who said a lot of controversial things about White people and White sub-cultures (hillbillies, for example) but people loved it, and no one questioned what they were saying. As a White person, I think we need to stop trying to control what the Black community wants to put out there, and stop worrying that their depictions may being taken out of context. That's when true equality for representation will be achieved: when there are a multitude of Black representations, without control, censorship, or limitations from the White community.