Brilliant Or Racist?

I'm a huge fan of Adult Swim, well the cartoon shows anyway not so much the live action shows. Live action shows should not be on a channel devoted to cartoons. That's beside the point though.

This blog is focused on a show that should be on one of the major networks, The Boondocks.

This is not a show for the racially squeamish. It focuses on a black family. There is Grandad, Huey, and Riley. Huey is the level headed scholar. Riley is the thug wannabe. Grandad is the reactionary who feels left out of the civil rights movement even though (in his mind) he was greater than Rosa Parks.

Then there is the surrounding cast, Uncle Ruckus. Grandad's best friend and a black man who believes he's white. Then there is the Dubois family. Tom is a black district attorney while his wife is white and a housewife. Their daughter Jasmine is a friend of Huey.

Their neighbor across the street is the rapper Thugnificent and his Lethal Interjection Crew.

The Boondocks is based on the comic strip by Aaron McGruder. Even though he is a raving liberal I respect his voice and his ideas. It is unapologetic satire and pokes fun at nearly everything from politicians to the hip hop culture. Many episodes have been banned from airing because of the controversial matter.

This is a satire that should provoke intelligent discussion on race relations as it is intended but instead tends to be taken at face value and easily offends those who are looking to be offended.

It should challenge viewers to become more aware of racial boundaries while hopefully producing a true color blind society where the people who make their living off from peddling racism disappear. Forever.

It will take a show like this in the mainstream (the reason I feel it should be a show is because our society has become more entertainment driven) to rip off the scabs of politically correct race relations and get to the issues that lie beneath. When the sun shines on those sores they will heal and go away once and for all.

Watch it, it'll challenge you too.