Ethnorotica.com

Black? White? WTF?

9 March 06

There’s a great new show that courageously tackles the subject of race in America—a show that is smart, cynical, funny, and at times even heartwarming.

That show is called The Boondocks.

Then there’s this other show—a show that purports to confront racial stereotypes yet promotes the idea there’s such a thing as a “typical” white or black family; a show that lets us wallow in our cherished superstitions without really confronting them; a show that pretends a little spray-paint and makeup can stand in, even on a temporary basis, for something as complex as racial and cultural identity.

I’m talking of course about Black. White. The premise is simple enough: two families—one black, the other white—“switch” races via the miracle of cosmetics, then walk a figurative mile in each others’ shoes.

In the right hands this formula might possibly make for a compelling hour of television. However, Black. White. is hamstrung by weaknesses in the cast (with the exception of the two kids, the lot of them are nauseating dumbasses) and piss-poor format choices (the families live together so any lessons the series might have for us are lost amid the din of know-nothings debating subjects beyond their comprehension). Some shocking instances of racism—which might have served as a starting point for a real dialogue between the families—are overshadowed by the fathers stubbornly butting heads over trivial matters.

Plus, that makeup? Not simply creepy but space-alien creepy. As in not convincing at all. As in my eyes are burning! (Although I must admit blackface does wonders for the little white girl’s bad skin.)

In the end Black. White. has less to say about race than it does about the vacuity of American culture. Perhaps this is the point, but I doubt it—the producers of this television series take themselves way too seriously to engage in the sort of sublime irony that Aaron McGruder writes into The Boondocks. As it is the show comes across as an infomercial for Ice Cube—as an aging hip-hop star’s desperate last bid for renewed cultural relevance. Indeed, promos for Ice Cube’s latest album are plastered all over the program as well as its (don’t laugh) myspace page.

I may continue to check in from time to time—after all it’s hard not to rubberneck at this disaster—but I think Black. White. is for posers; you know, the white folks and uppity negroes who like to pat themselves on the back for being so gosh darn progressive. It’s got about as much street cred as the Black Eyed Peas. It makes Crash look like Do the Right Thing.

More: Television, Black, Stereotypes, Racial Bias, Controversy, Black. White., The Boondocks