The Prevalance Of Institutional Racism In Sitcoms

Sitcoms are known for the laughs they bring and morally based episodes that cater to an audience that may face relatable everyday issues. Such as a boy liking a girl and getting his first kiss or parents having to discuss a broken curfew which all ends with things going back to normal and the lessons learned. But what happens when sitcoms deal with racial issues in society that don't always end in a happy ending? In this post we are going to be looking at institutional racism portrayed in sitcoms. Sitcoms such as Blackish and Fresh off the Boat, show how significant institutional racism is in our society and how severe the impact can be on various racial groups through racist ideas and stereotypes that hinder representation for both African Americans and Asian Americans.

To understand the severity, we must first know what institutional racism is. Tom Head, award-winning columnist defined institutional racism in his article, “The Definition of Institutional racism..” as, “societal patterns and structures that impose oppressive or otherwise negative conditions on identifiable groups on the basis of race or ethnicity, “ (Head). Meaning there are certain ways institutions try to hinder or single out races from institutions or laws made equal to everyone. Head also exemplifies where this type of racism is found. He says, “ oppression may come from businesses, the government, the healthcare system, the schools, or the court, among other institutions,'' (Head). Heads claim is that the same institutions created to support us are the same ones that oppress different groups based on ethnicity. Though we have certain laws such as affirmative action and fair employment act (Team), racism is still being flooded within many places we assume are safe places for all.

Let's look at institutional racism in the school system as seen through the ABC sitcom, “Fresh off the Boat” and the episode in question, “Hi, my name is..”’(Fresh off the Boat). Fresh Off the Boat is a sitcom about a family finding their way in America. In this particular episode, the family goes to the bank to open the youngest son, Evan, a bank account for a free toaster. Evan becomes conflicted of his name when his mother (Jessica), tells him she's glad he likes his name because it was “totally random” (“Fresh off the Boat” 00:2:11) , which makes him question his identity because his name was just chosen to have an E in it because his older brothers names start the same with no special meaning behind it. To ease his mind, Jessica shares the story of how she got her name; Here is where the racism kicks in, it's the story of how she got her American name and neglected her chinese name to have a more successful future. A flashback is presented of her listening to music and her sister coming into the room sporting a pink robe with the engravement “Connie”(“Fresh off the Boat” 00:03:28), which became her sisters Americanized name . She subtly tells her sister she is going to keep her chinese name which then pans to what she actually meant by calling her sister a “sell-out for not keeping her birth name (“Fresh off the Boat” 00:03:39). However at Jessica's freshman orientation where she introduces herself to the rest of her class and telling them her name is, “Chih Tsai Hsia, meaning colorful sunset glow”, (“Fresh off the Boat”00:04:11-25). The students tell her it a beautiful name but suggest, “Maybe we can call you ‘glow’ which is easier to pronounce(“Fresh off the Boat”00:04:29). This shows how unintentional but intentional racism can be when people choose to not recognize you by your actual name because they don't have the effort to learn it or find it too hard to remember or pronounce. This can also be seen in her business class. It starts off where her professor is discussing Butte Juice, a company that almost went out of business because outside its origins of Montana people mispronounced the company as “butt juice”, which later changed its name to become successful (“Fresh off the Boat” 00:05:22-41). This can be a similar idea towards those with culturally diverse names. Jessica's professor refused to call on her in class because it was hard to pronounce her Chinese name, she asks why he couldn't just learn it and he replies, “Are you really going to have this conversation with everyone you meet?”(“Fresh off the Boat”00:06:20) He compared her name to the Butte Juice name change saying, “people didn't know it was delicious until it went by a different name, that's what made it successful (“Fresh off the Boat”00:06:41). She ends up changing her name in the efforts to fit into the American society and gain more opportunities through her name just like the Butte Juice debacle. The episode ends with Evans grandmother telling him, “Names don't matter..your name doesn't make you, you make your name“(“Fresh off the Boat”00:19:10-33).

Jessica is only one of millions who have had similar stories such as this become their reality. For example, Carla Herreria, writer for the Huffington Post writes about Chloe Bennetts experience with name change for success in hollywood in her article, “Marvel Actress Changed Her Chinese Surname Because ‘Hollywood Is Racist’” (Herreria). Chloe Bennet, a white/chinese actress of the hit Marvel show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D tells why she felt she needed to change her given last name to have success in Hollywood. Herreria says Bennet, “argued with fans with her decision stating, ‘it means I had to pay my rent, and Hollywood is racist and wouldn't cast me with a last name they don't feel comfortable with’”,(Herreria). This insight allows us to see how just names affect certain races success in entertainment. To truly understand what this actress is talking about you have to understand that Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIAS), have a long history of being unrecognized in television. Have you ever wondered why you don't see many APIA’s on television? Deo E. Meera shows how prime-time television has unrepresented this minority in her article, “Missing in Action: ”Framing Race on Prime-time Television”, she points out a study done in 2004 and 2005 that showed how many broadcast television outlets such as ABC, NBC etc have a lack of APIA diversity. She says, “among the 75 prime time programs in the fall 2004 season only seven feautred at least one APIA character, (Meera). That's such a small fraction to be represented, television has such a huge history of not presenting APIA’s in their programs. Deo’s points out that even if you see someone that is APIA, “Three major stereotypes that frame APIA’s in primetime television include, (1) the model minority, (2) the sexually undesirable APIA man, and (3) the sexually availability of APIA women”, (Meera). Stereotyping in television provides less and less representation and jobs for actors/actresses such as Chloe Bennet. These stereotypes cause negative effects on our society because they show us that APIA’s men aren't the desired love interest or the APIA women is suppose to be this overly sexualized exotic women and it not only demeans but it dehumanizes them. Fresh off the Boat is one of the only sitcoms to have full representation of Asian Americans out of the hundreds produced annually. Herrerla’s article also talks about the history of representation by “white washing”, asian characters with white actors to appeal more to an audience. She shares, “a 2016 study of diversity in the film industry showed that there are extremely few Hollywood movies with Asian characters, roles and storylines. When Asian characters or themes are included in a film or show, storylines are often tweaked to fit a white actor.. Scarlett Johansson in “Ghost in the Shell..,” (Herreria). Because Hollywood’s most popular actors/actresses are white, they'd rather give parts meant for asian representation to someone who fits the image Hollywood masks.

“Back in the day we didn't have many choices..It wasn't just food and toys, it was our choices of what we could actually be in life. See limited choices limited what we could imagine for ourselves, and thusly, what we become,” (“Blackish” 00:01-29).

As we look at the sitcom “Black-ish”, titled “ToysRn’tUs”. In the beginning of the episode Andre, the father, starts off the show with the above quote. The quote stands out for a lot of African Americans who grew up in poverty and only means of success would be from the stereotypes of ang affiliation, rapping or playing professional sports. For his family it goes towards the role models we choose and representation we prefer. For instance the episode Diane, the youngest daughter, gets a white “Girl Story” doll from the families neighbor Jeannine. Bow, the mother, lets Jeannine know that she wants to return the doll to get a doll that looks like their family so that Diane has role models to look up to. Jeannine says that she could look up to the doll because she's a doctor but Now says she's a doctor too but Jeannie says the doll is a “REAL” doctor (“Blackish”00:00:54-1:23), which is a stereotype in society that Black women aren't real doctors or couldn't be doctors because there's only according to an article by writer Ayana Byrd of Colorlines, “ 4 percent of the doctors in the United States are Black, despite African Americans make up 13 percent of the overall population,” (Byrd). It's so rare to see because the stereotype is that only doctors we see our white or Asian. Andrey and Bow try to tell Jeaninne that they are constantly aware of things such as, “how many black people are in a restaurant, how many black characters are in a movie..”. (“Blackish” 00:1:30-45) to allow her to understand they want their daughter to have role models that look like her. So Bow and Diane go to the Girl Story store and walk into a sea of white faces (dolls) with backgrounds being doctors, lawyers, amazing women in history, Bow isn't able to find the black dolls she asks the associate where she is able to find them and is directed to the back of the store where only TWO dolls are found representing black women in history as, “Sassy Saddie and Equally sassy Selma” (“Blackish”00:05:25-30). One doll is shown to be a runaway slave that knows how to read and one that had multiple children. These depictions, are racial stereotypes of black women; Black women are always faced with the accusation they are sassy with an attitude or they have an abundance of kids. Bow is furious and demands her voice to be heard through protest of the dolls which ends up accidentally setting the store associate on fire while she tries to stop Bow from burning the white dolls as she holds a sign that says, “Black toys matter” (“Blackish”00:15:45-16:00). The episode ends with Diane saying she didn't need a doll to have a role model her mother was her role model all along. But what hits home the most is when the Bow is in bed with her husband Dre and tells him that when she walked in the store, “ the messages are so clear. There is something better, were not as good, `` (“Blackish”00:19:15-20).Bow is showing how hard it is for any person of color especially a child to walk into an establishment and not see herself in the toys, not see the new pretty doll that everyone wants isn't a representation of themselves.

As we discussed the trend of dolls and how they can portray racial ideas and stereotypes we can look back in time at one of the most controversial studies. Erin Blakemore writer for History.com, discuss the Brown V. Board of Education case in his article, “How Dolls Helped Win Brown v. Board of Education,”. In Blakemores article he talks about the study Psychologists Doctor Kenneth and Mamie Clark who, “devoted their life’s work to understanding and helping heal children’s racial biases,” (Blakemore), created “the doll test”. This test was given to African American children to see how they understand the differences of color through discrimation and segregation. Blakemore goes into more details stating, “The children were asked to identify the..dolls in a number of ways: the one they wanted to play with, the one that looked “white,” “colored,” or “Negro,” the one that was “good” or “bad.” Finally, they were asked to identify the doll that looked most like them,” (Blakemore). The test not only showed there was a decrease in self esteem with African American Children but it also showed white kids felt they were superior because of the racial biases they grew up knowing. Blakemore says, “In the new test, child development researcher Margaret Beale Spencer tested 133 kids from schools with different racial and income mixes. This time, the studies looked at white children, too. And though black children seemed to hold more positive views toward black dolls, white children maintained an intense bias toward whiteness,” (Blakemore). Though there is an elevation for balck kids there is still the superior complex white kids sense in themselves over the other. These date back to early racism and segregation. Kids are taught to hate they aren't born that way. The way we raise our children says a lot about their own biases and what they view in the real world just like how Bow felt seeing all the white doll in the Girl Story store. It reflected her upbringing of seeing hatred amongst people of color which she tries hard for her kids to not be apart of.

“Humor is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.”

-Mary Hirsch, Humoris (Cohen, Roger, and Ryan Richards)

Fresh off the Boat and Blackish are incredibly significant sitcoms that show actual racial ideas and how they play out for those they are targeted by with a spice of humor that is enjoyable and keeps an audience self aware of these ideas. However not many feel these shows are as racially progressive and feel that they only make racism stronger and take it as a “joke”. Andrea Peyser, writer for the New York Times in her article, “Shows like ‘Black-ish’ perpetuate racist stereotypes”, believes that Blackish only makes stereotypes worse and “promotes ugly racial bigotry,” (Peyser). She believes that shows like Blackish only make racism harder to be taken serious. That these shows only promote more racism to be created and formed against race groups such as African Americans. Peyser adds, “We find it racist, socially damaging and offensive..Black-ish brings about the same kind of racial lunacy, making people of all skin colors appear biased, clueless and, most of all, racist. The show presents tortured portrayals of African-Americans with money, pushing the false notion that affluent blacks become middle-class members of the bourgeoisie — folks derided as ‘bougie’..” (Peyser). Though she has a point that Blackish does show a clueless racist remarks about themselves that isn't the intent of the jokes they make. In an article by the Humanity in Action publishing the article, “When the Truth Hurts, Tell a Joke: Why America Needs Its Comedians”, the article shows how humor is not used to promote racist stereotypes but to make an audience aware of their own biases and stereotypes so that those that are outside a race have no advantage over them. For example it is stated in the article that. “By playing on stereotypes, minority comics undermine the potency of the prejudices. States Merriwether-de Vries “I know what people in power say about my community and I’ll say it myself...This doesn’t give me power necessarily, but it destabilizes their power. It takes away their ability to use that stereotype against me,” (Cohen, Roger, and Ryan Richards). This idea allows many in comedy to identity what is being said about them without creating a circulation of consistent racism.

As I come to the end of my post I want to close with the idea that sitcoms do show there is significant problems in our society in response to racism. You can see through Jessica being pressured to lose her Chinese name to fit into society, which corresponds with Chloe Bennet doing the same to succeed in Hollywood that already lacks representation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans. We see that with Blackish Bows rage over the lack of African representation through the Girl Story Dolls mirrors the doll test study on how we perceive African Americans. Where Bo understands that within societies history, Black dolls and Black people are not seen to be successful and these ideas are considered inferior towards others based on stereotypes and “slave” history projected upon them. The sitcoms represented in today's discussion showed the issues of institutional racism is still a huge problem. Though these shows may seem to others to only make the issues worse, I believe these shows are aware of the issues and try to allow us to evaluate our own racial biases. I hope that the information presented gives off a sense of how things are working within a society. Thank you guys for reading, see you next post.