If you feel that Jimmie walker and Dave Chappelle are equals, that Beyonce' is of the caliber or surpasses a Carla Thomas, or that Tyler Perry as a filmmaker ( not entreprenuer) and actorsoars over his predecessors, commercially and artisticaly, then welcome to the great dividein taste. It seems the echoes of the "Chitlin' Circuit" still reverberates among performers and their audience. Mr. Walker and Mr. Chapelle: comedians, broad characterizations of inner city archetypes and the hypocrisy of the overall society. Okay which is satirization and which is easily dispensed crowd pleasing caricature? When Good Times came on and the Rise of J.J. began back in the '70's, it was something new and different, a recognizable family that resembled us whatever ones actual class level. It was also written by, produced by, owned by a white male (ostensibly a liberal) and network. It was only going so far. The show may have spotlighted an issue but never with consistency. Unless it was the Evan's family continued bad luck. But we had the loud colors of Jimmie Walker to blind us to that. Along with the fired up studio audience we laughed and slapped high fives at each of his putdowns of sister and baby brother. And what was an early showwithout "Dy-No Mite!" being hurled at us. But did you notice? The third serious adultin the family was young Michael. But he was a"childish militant" too angry, a little toofrightening because he was intelligent and had facts on his side. But hey he had to go to bed early so he wouldn't be organizing anything dangerous. Thelma was fated to be the Noble Mamma of the House and carry her burden like her mother Florida. But J.J. was thecool colored kid who was always funny. Not a dangerous, threatening, get me a white wenchin vengeance bone in his skinny body. Some would argue that Flip Wilson and Redd Foxxwere also downgrades of that era but I say the two men were both truly talented funnymenwith some hard years behind them, especially Mr. Foxx. Jump forward to Nell Carter's epic, housekeeper to a white cop! Did you smell crookedness in that situation? But Nell was spunky, overweight, and the three white girls loved her like she was Mammy from Gone With The Wind. The weirdness of Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Stewart's housekeepermothers giving their children up to their white employers for adoption. And the same actorfighting and losing the custody case. Jump forward and the rise of the pablum that is Will Smith, a taller, lighter, Sammy Davis Jr., and he didn't need a Rat Pack he was a rapper! This acceptance of mediocrity " because they are representing us" mentality I call Ebonysisthe unquestioning noncritical depiction of Black figures n politics, entertainment, and business because they're Black. So long deprived we happily jump for joy when a positive or semi positive image is dangled before us. Thus we have ineffectual political dynasts, corporate drones who mouth the mantra of their masters despite the falseness of it, but hey, they live in a gated community, kids go to a real college and both they and the young ones belong to real fraternities and sororities. Hip Hop has been mainstreamed like rock n' roll was, but instead of a Fabian or a Bobby Rydell, or the abomination of Pat Boone ( Tutti-Frutti? The Horror, the horror!)sound alike one note tale spinners make money while the truly talented have to plod along in the gale of aura trash. And Monsieur Perry has combined "Chitlin Circuit" Fip Wilson's Geraldine character, and GAWD! into a fortune.
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