Did Cosby Show Help Pave Way For Obama?
Did positive pop culture images of blacks, such as the Huxtables, pave the way for Obama to rise to the Presidency?
There’s an argument circulating that “The Cosby Show” laid the groundwork for President-elect Barack Obama by presenting an appealing black family, the Huxtables, to young TV viewers who grew up equipped to thwart stereotypes and barriers.
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It was Cosby’s firm belief in parental responsibility — and aggravation over ’80s programs — that shaped the creation of “The Cosby Show,” out this week in a boxed DVD set of the complete series.
“I was not happy with what we used to call family TV in those days. … They had all these shows where you just dropped to one knee and fired, then a car blew up or a plant blew up — all this dopamine-raising violence,” he said.
At a time when the sitcom genre appeared near death, the few family comedies that aired were especially dismaying.
Besides the Huxtables, there were other positive portrayals I remember seeing growing up. Being a Star Trek fan, I can remember (when I was about 10 years old) seeing Star Trek III’s Admiral Morrow (played by Robert Hooks) who was the Commander of Starfleet. I thought, “Woah, the highest ranking man in Starfleet is a black man“
- Admiral Morrow - Commander, Starfleet
Almost any role by Denzel Washington has been positive.
Denzel Washington as Dr. Philip Chandler in St. Elsewhere
Morgan Freeman as President Tom Beck - Led America during an E.L.E
Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian - Administrator of Cloud City, led rebel attack and personally destroyed the second Death Star. Only other character to wear a cape besides Darth Vader himself
Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Sisko - The coolest of all the Captains
Dennis Haysbert as President David Palmer
Like Denzel, Will Smith has played several positive roles such as Dr. Robert Neville in "I am Legend"
Roles such as these implant the thought that it is not so outrageous that blacks are in prominent roles - especially when it is reinforced by seeing it in real life.
Filed under: Changing World, Children's Issues, Race
Even though it’s not about TV, it wasn’t the Huxatbles that got me to see the positive light about Black people, it’s me being exposed to people that resembled them.
When I would visit my grandparents, most of their associates/friends were AA’s and they looked more like that family. They were teachers, professors, doctors etc. They lived in large homes and were college educated from Morehouse/Spelman and other HBCU’s. From my experience, my grandmother, along with some of their friends wanted their kids to marry people who resembled them and they all seemed to stayed married to each other for eternity it Just seemed that half of Black Atlanta was this way( at least in my eyes at that time). Even though I came from a single parent home, those Black people that I was around didn’t fit the statistic. Sometimes, when I look at TV and the negative images comes up about AA’s, I’m almost like “Please enlighten me” because that was not how I remembered it being as.
Obama has his own senses. Even though i loved the Cosby show, Obama probably had ” responsibilty” thought on his mind far before it came on TV.For all his critics know, maybe Obama experiences of race and parentage could have drove him to mention it.
I was a soap opera fanatic and loved Young And The Restless and Days of Our Lives( The ( DOOL) soap really got on my last nerves. It seemed that one plot took 100 years to come to light and a dead man was brought to life over and over. It just got too far fetched for me). I admired James Reynolds, who played the police captain on the show. It seemed that the people of Salem depended on this guy to solve the everything.It’s been almost 20 years since I watched it. I’m wondered has he retired from it or promoted to a higher position on the show?
Then I look at Blacks being in power on Y&R. However ,the only thing that I didn’t like about it is that if one sibling( In this case Kristoff St John) being in power , the other sibling/ family member had to be the thug.in this case Victoria Rowell’s character,Druscilla was thuggish before she changed her life and married Neal( Krisoff).
I also admire LeVar Burton. He played a good roles and he is one educated shrewd man. I watched Star Trek from time to time. I liked his Lt. LeForge character. he just seemed so sweet and was inspirational.
This article has got to be one of the most obsurd points of view that I have encountered. If anything, President Bush and his administration are responsible for Obama’s win.
Of all of the failures that we have expierenced with bush, one of his greatest achievements has been to put a HUGE dent in racism. You see, bush has been able to create a society of “rich VS Poor”. This, more than much of anything else, is responsible for Obama’s win. We, as a society, “love to hate”, we love to find some reason or rational reason that makes us better than the other guy. Just look at religion for varous examples.
While many see Obama as a great accomplishment, many of us feel sad that it took this long…
I would add the film malcolm x as showing african americans as eloquoent and effective leaders.
I think that President on 24 helped pave the way for Obama.
More “white people” voted for President Obama (including me) who NEVER watched the Huxtables.
So this whole Bill Cosby show thing is just, just nonsense. [We] have already spent eight years in a fantasy world; let’s it stop now. (Bill Cosby is a very funny guy. “Don’t let your pajamas touch my pajamas”. Dig?
While I wouldn’t go so far as to say Cosby got Obama elected, there is definitely something to be said for the impact of pop culture images on people’s collective mentality.
Just as the negative, stereotypical images of black people have effects in the real world, positive ones do as well.
Unfortunately we generally have more of the former. And it’s not just African Americans, but other groups as well Asians, Latinos, Arabs, women, etc.
Assalaamu a’laikum,
While these ‘predecessors’ may have paved the way for Obama, we should remember - if anecdotal media coverage can be granted much weight - that Obama’s ascendancy has precipitated a sea-change in attitude of many black youth - alhamdulillah.
I don’t recall Avery Brooks, Bill Cosby, Denzel, or even Dennis Haybert as inspiring children in the ghetto to finally say:
“It’s cool to be smart (now); Obama is my hero, I am going to do well in school and be a —-”
We should also question whether a light skinned Kenyan borne from a white mother, who has children that are already gracing magazine covers, really symbolizes the pinnacle of achievement for Black America.
Or whether this is a smokescreen drawn over our collective eyes, because our hearts yearn for symbolic justice on the cheap.
@ Doc
The point is that these figures possibly (subconsciously) made seeing blacks in prominent positions more acceptable in the minds of people.
@ Abu Dharr
More about making it more acceptable to whites than vice versa. Black children have to see real heros (starting at home) that can inspire them to achieve at high levels.
I feel that Obama is an achievement for black America in that he is the culmination of our legacy in this country. Without those that came before him, there is no him.
Salaam Alaikum,
I found your remarks about Admiral Morrow to be really touching. People don’t realise how these things matter to children and what effect they can have.
Insha Allah, I hope there will be strong Muslim role models on the media for my children (insha Allah) to look up to.
We should also question whether a light skinned Kenyan borne from a white mother, who has children that are already gracing magazine covers, really symbolizes the pinnacle of achievement for Black America.
What is this Spike Lee’s School Daze again? Light skin/Dark Skin? What’s next the paper bag test?
Oh and his Father being Kenyan? And his mother white? Okay…and go back 5-10 generations and you’ll get all of our African Fathers and Mothers. He just happens to go back 1 generation. So where’s the cutoff for his real Black man card? Oh and 85% of all Black Americans have White ancestry due to…obvious reasons. So that means what?
Lastly an interesting anecdote that hasn’t been reported. After then Senator Obama made the speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention that put him on the national map he was stopped and pulled out of the security line twice at Logan Airport. His name and race seemed to be proof enough for security.
Speaking of Obama’s name, I say all Christians sue for racial profiling as Barak is a Biblical name!
In Judges 4 beginning with verse 6 it clearly says,
One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.”
Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.”
“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.”
Honestly, I think hip-hop had more to do with setting the stage for an Obama presidency than any of the name/figures you note above.