MovieChat Forums > The Cosby Show (1984) Discussion > Did not accurately reflect African Ameri...

Did not accurately reflect African American life in the Reagan era


Come on. This was like a trip to dream land in an absolutely hellish era for black people in the U.S. Almost wonder if it was created to deflect attention away from what was going on at that time to make people at home think ''Hey look, they're doing just fine''.

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Not American but I think in general American shows of the time and now for that matter show people living better than they actually would be. The magic of television?

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Television always provides an escape but this was skewing the line and nearly a slap in the face. Do some reading on what exactly was happening to black people during this time - it was literally a nightmare for them. The crack epidemic, AIDS, huge job losses resulting in homelessness and a completely cut social safety net. There were areas in NYC (and elsewhere) at this time where black people were living in something resembling third world slums.. nothing but rubble and unheated buildings. Crime wasn't just ''bad'' - adult black men were being kidnapped by gang members and held for ransom especially store owners.

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Why you hold anyone to ransom if the people who care about them are broke?

Anyway, another huge fantasy of the era was Diff'rent Strokes and Silver Spoons. The super wealthy father.

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The Ewings in Dallas were hardly a typical family either!

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Although a decade earlier neither were the Walton's. Three square meals per day for a mountain family during the Great Depression? Bread served for most meals? Indoor plumbing? The OP needs to realize that very few people would watch a show about harsh reality.

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It also didn't accurately reflect the kind of person Bill Cosby is, but what can you do?

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It was meant to be a "role model" show.

Audience members who were black were watching intelligent parents who had an intact family have mostly good times together.

It's the same basic thing as a heroic cop show, superheroes, and so forth. You're supposed to be inspired by the fiction.

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Was it intended to be realistic? I think, like a lot of TV of that era, it was intended as an escape more than anything.

I'm curious why you think it couldn't of represented the black middle class, though? I appreciate it obviously didn't represent all black lives in the US.

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The OP sounds upset because the show didn't reflect a stereotype.

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The op is completely hung up on race issues. Take a casual look at her post history and you'll see it clear as day.

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So you're saying that there were no successful black doctors or lawyers in the 1980s?

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This 👆💯

Why not go on to the Brady Bunch page and have a moan about that being a completely sanitized version of what an actual blended family would have been like in the 1970s? Or the Cheers page for presenting a drinking hole full of happy-go-lucky, charming regulars as opposed to the reality of those who would spend all their time in a bar being sad, depressing alcoholics?

To single out The Cosby Show as being unrealistic betrays the agenda you are not so great in hiding.

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I believe that some such criticism has indeed been given to "Brady Brunch".
Some people don't like to watch happy upbeat TV shows, I guess.
When it comes to "Cosby Show" though, they brought in Cousin Pam and showed us a different reality.
But typically, Pam has never been that popular with the fan base.
You simply can't keep everbody happy at the same time.

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Uh , there were a A LOT of well-to-do African American families back in the 80s and before. I'm not sure what you're trying to prove here.

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Hellish era for black people? You mean full employment under Reagan? Btw, it's the Democrats who have been keeping black voters on the projects bribing them with welfare checks, not the Republicans.

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Too many colored folks are brainwashed unfortunately, and they believe whatevs their Dem leaders tell them. Don't think for 1 second that the politicians want their "constituents" leaving the 'hood.

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