American Idol

My American Idol: Everybody Hates Chris

I am not going to lie I do watch this show and find it to be funny and interesting at times. But, after listening to Toby’s version of her American Idol, it made me think to start looking deeper into the things I watch. I honestly have been one of those people that have been naïve to certain messages that are hidden within media. So, when thinking   what to pick for this assignment I immediately thought of the show Everybody Hates Chris. When I started thinking about the show it made me think is this how they think all lower income African American families act. That all black mothers are loud, threaten to beat/kill their children, and only think of themselves. Then that the father works two dead end jobs, counts every cent of food that is wasted or put into a child’s mouth, and has all these medical problems. In almost every episode the mother is yelling at the kids and threatening them if she finds out something. Also, she is constantly investigating something she feels is going on behind her back and finding ways to work the system when it comes to paying bills. The dad is always going back and forth between his two jobs and is mainly complaining about not having enough money, just enough to get by and his gout/other aches and pains. If you look at the very broad aspect of the spectrum, yes there are African American families that are on a lower income level and their money is tight but overall this show serves no justice in how African American families live. Also, I wonder do people that watch this show think not only is it lower income African American families that act this way, but do all African Americans act this way.  If asked to give the show a score on a scale from one to ten, I would give it a five.