The Revolution will be Televised

Part one of three

In the mid-1940s, there was an industry-wide crackdown on all suspected communists in the entertainment industry (even though being a communist was not a crime at the time). This crackdown unofficially began with the interrogation, incarceration and decades-long blacklisting of a group that would become known as “The Hollywood Ten”. The prevalent accusation levied against them was that they had knowingly inserted communist propaganda into their films. Their blacklisting would continue all the way into the 1960s.

I bring this up, to reiterate a known but oftentimes downplayed point- the importance and influence media holds over society’s consciousness and consequently, society’s inability to adjust when said media decides to challenge the status quo (for better or worse).

Great film and TV stories are by design, created to mine a certain type of reaction/feeling from the audience- most times either sympathy or empathy. By watching a story unfold from the points of view of the main characters, we understand the motivations for their actions hence, we understand why their highs are so pleasing and why their setbacks are so severe.

For avid TV watchers, we had become quite conversant with the white point of view. Thanks to the predominantly white stories constantly being told, audiences had developed sufficient empathy for the (white) middle class, 30 something. We had been exposed to their various stories and POVs, over several years, networks and television shows. Now, these were not bad stories, far from it, but this landscape was definitely not an accurate reflection of the real world.

Which leads us to the buzzword of the last few years- Representation. Minority groups have been clamouring for due “representation” in the film and TV landscape for years. This, unfortunately and perhaps inevitably, led to a wave of token inclusions. However, luckily, it also led to true representation, the type of representation I will focus on, the type of representation that has stoked the fires of the eponymous revolution.

If this is all new to you, grab a seat and Welcome to the Revolution.

Back in 2014, 45, then just an opinionated, old, blowhard, tweeted (shocker) his opinions on ABC’s new show. This was not an isolated viewpoint. As we would soon discover, he wasn’t just some old man shouting at the wind but rather the most vocal of a hidden, constantly growing, group.

From early on it was evident the uphill battle Black-ish was going to face. This was not a new foe. It is a battle many “diverse” shows continue to face. The insertion of a black family’s story into the Modern Family and Big Bang Theory TV comedy world was such a jolt to the senses that the white majority did not know how to react. Of course, once this began to make them feel a little bit uncomfortable, they were quick to jump to the conclusion that they were most definitely the victims of “reverse racism”.

“Imagine if this was the other way around. A show made by and starring only white people”

“You mean every other show?”

Over the past four years, Black-ish has grown and continued to tell stories that few shows before it could even attempt. It has told stories about the various, often maligned, shades of the black experience. It has strived to thrive and continuously looked for ways to improve, despite the target on its back- a target very familiar to any person of colour operating in a predominantly white space.

It is not a perfect show and it has had some missteps during its 4-year run but it is a show that is willing to embrace what makes it different. It uses this peculiarity to appropriately represent those who have, up till now, not seen their lives, emotions, dreams and fears represented. They are able to celebrate a humanity that had for so long, not even been acknowledged.

Standing alongside Blackish, perhaps proudly, in the camp of shows accused of being racist against white people, is Netflix’s Dear White People. The first season of Dear White People had the high honour of being on my must-binge list of 2017. The second season, impressively, improves on everything good from the first season and deftly fixes the (few) criticisms of the first season. Dear White People, though billed as a comedy, ditches the sitcom-style that Blackish uses and employs a more adversarial approach to discussing the black experience. So, expectedly, even more white folk thought they were experiencing racism.

While Blackish can be seen as a mere representation of the black experience, Dear White People, especially in its second season, aims to have its characters front and center, fighting the banes of Black living (racists, online trolls, institutional racism, police brutality etc) while also building on its brilliant work from the first season of examining the different facets of the Black Identity.

The Role of the Converts

“…the fact is that certain members of the oppressor class join the oppressed in their struggle for liberation, thus moving from one pole of the contradiction to the other… Theirs is a fundamental role, and has been throughout the history of this struggle.” — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Converts from the oppressor class are always essential. The revolution does not succeed on the whims of the oppressed alone. The converts intrinsically have an important role to play as former “oppressors” who now understand the plight of the oppressed and are determined to use their privilege to correct these wrongs.

It is because of this, that I appreciated that white people were able to watch shows like Blackish and Dear White People and learn. It gave them an avenue to be able to, understand and empathise with the Black experience. An opportunity for them to see points of view other than their own. The Revolution was catching fire.

What I had not yet noticed though, were the other Revolutions starting. The Revolutions in which I was the oppressor, in which I would need to be the willing convert.

“…It happens, however, that as they cease to be exploiters… and move to the side of the exploited, they almost always bring with them the marks of their origin: their prejudices and their deformations, which include a lack of confidence in the people’s ability to think, to want, and to know. Accordingly, these adherents to the people’s cause constantly run the risk of falling into a type of generosity as malefic as that of the oppressors.” —Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Being a convert/ally would require a lot of introspection and a willingness to learn. I knew this because it was what I had been asking of my oppressors. I knew that I would need to check my privilege. In order to understand the other revolutions, I would need to take a step back and listen.

Similar to the Black shows, there is a paucity of female-fronted/produced shows. However, what they lacked in quantity, they ably made up for in quality. Several of the recent female-focused shows span various genres and employ varied storytelling methods, something for everyone.

In Insecure, we get a simple but highly effective story of black women navigating the nuances of loving while black, working while black and just generally trying to figure life out…while black. What Insecure has that few (if any) shows had before it is that its lead female characters are allowed to fuck up. These characters cheat, lie, enter toxic relationships and are even sometimes (most times?), the toxicity in the relationships. Sure, they are called out for it but what the show remembers is that that’s what life is- a continuous cycle of fucking up and learning from said fuck ups. I mean, it is what white men have been showing us in film and TV for decades.

Unlike Insecure, Jane the Virgin has anything but a simple story. There are four women at the center of its sprawling storylines, three of whom, the Villanueva women (Jane, Xiomara and Alba), I talk about with glowing praise in an earlier post. The fourth, Petra Solano is one of the most dynamic characters on Television- able to swivel from caring mother, to primary villain all the way to a victim with relative ease (sometimes all within an episode). Jane helps to open the door to another set of real-world-representing women dealing with some of the problems that are common to all women and some that are peculiar to them as Latina women (or you know, a virgin with a son). As such, the show has appropriately tackled many issues peculiar to that demographic, some of which have included realistically and faithfully interpreting Christianity in today’s world and the effects of immigration on both sides of the border.

Jane the Virgin’s fellow network (CW) mate, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a show that has unfortunately gone under the radar of the general populace over the past 3 years. Of course, any initial description of the show will have that title, which could initially come off as quite problematic, and the assertion that it is a musical comedy, might only serve to drive away even more viewers. However, this show is so much more than that. Using the musical genre for societal satire is probably an idea that has been done before but I will struggle to believe that it has ever been done this well.

Where the show excels though, is in its use of its generally more relaxed tone and the musical numbers that are perfectly interwoven into the show’s plots to (faultlessly) tackle some very heavy material, not least of all mental health. Without giving away too much, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and specifically, its just concluded third season has been established as a more than efficient vehicle for addressing and discussing mental health issues on mainstream TV. It may not be “Mental Health for Dummies” but it is more than capable of enlightening any willing participant.

I am very inclined to conclude with analyses of The Handmaid’s Tale and Big Little Lies and wax lyrically about their critique of society’s general treatment of women but honestly, at this point, I am not sure what new thing I could add about those shows.

Now, I’m not saying that the presence of all these shows stoked an activism fire in the stomach of every person that watched it. What it did do, however, is show the represented demographics that their experiences were not peculiar to only them. It validated their experiences by highlighting that they had every reason to feel however they wanted to feel about these experiences. It represented them.

What has also been interesting to witness has been the involvement of the actors and creators in the activism for the issues their shows talk about. They have practically become involuntary activists. To some, this might seem like an expected course of action- If you make a show advocating for “Black Lives Matter” or “#MeToo”, then you should be at a rally. However, that is not always the case and the rise in these “celebrity activists” has definitely spurred the general populace to fight for these causes that they are passionate about.

“But I suppose the most revolutionary act one can engage in is… to tell the truth.” — Howard Zinn, Marx in Soho: A Play on History

Truth in storytelling cannot be overestimated, especially in regards to those who have lived the experiences being told. In an earlier article, I alluded to the possible impact the release and adoration of Wonder Woman had on the rise of female empowerment movements (#MeToo, Time’s Up) in the following months.

Now, I am not brazen enough to tell you that some shows on the idiot box have led to widespread, worldwide activism and rallies for change. What I can tell you though, is that the impact of truthful representation knows no bounds. That feeling of actually seeing your fears, hopes, anger, joy- experiences you thought were only particular to you- being represented can only spur you on to start/continue fighting.

This truthful representation helps in one’s realisation that they are not alone in how they feel. That, by getting up and joining a rally or using a mere hashtag, you are not just one person doing a negligible act, you are joining a movement much larger than yourself. You are now a part of a society of like-minded individuals. That feeling of camaraderie is invaluable and it is in such societies that these revolutions will be won. For now, just keep watching because something great is (still) happening.

Bankole Imoukhuede

@banky_I