Kristen Swaney April 10, 2011 CWV-101 Professor Carleton The Cosby Show This assignment proved to be a very difficult one for me, for the very fact that I just don’t watch a lot of television at all. I don’t find much of anything at all that is entertaining to me. So many of the sit coms today have such a dysfunctional portrayal of families and I find that many of them down right degrade and show nothing but disrespect for the father’s especially. Nonetheless I chose to use “The Cosby Show” as my program of choice because it is one I used to watch when I did find time for television viewing and found it somewhat entertaining.
I think that The Cosby Show had a very practical portrayal of how a family should operate. Although it lacked a direct Christian perspective, it was still a clean, positive influence on our society. It was humorous without finding is necessary to be vulgar or obscene like so many shows on television today. In addition to its clean proper humor, I’d say it was a step forward for African Americans in that it was the depiction of college educated upper class African American parents, raising their children to ultimately attend college as well.
Unlike many previously aired African American programs that painted a picture of these families being from the ghetto or always struggling to get ahead, this show was an example of how hard work and living by the expectations of society, that anyone could be successful despite their obstacles. I’d like to believe that the Huxtable’s portrayed a Christian world view although I can’t remember a lot of specific references to God or what they believed or them actually even going to church.
The very setting was of a warm, genuine family man who very lovingly raised his children with humility and of course, a touch of Cosby humor. He loved and admired his wife, and she loved and respected him. They were a team when it came to raising their children without undermining each other’s authority. The couple’s love for their children along with their wisdom was used to outwit their kids and their many mischievous attempts to achieve adolescent independence. This show depicted a strong positive father figure, a strong nuclear family; based on the very loving, playful marital relationship that
I don’t recall ever focusing on problems within their marriage. Both parents were educated and were professionals, who possessed affluence in society and exhibited fiscal responsibilities as well as building moral character in their children. There was a very apparent multi-generational family connection, as both sets of grandparents were frequently involved. The family embraced multiracial friends and there was very little if ever any derogatory reference to racism.
The Cosby Show had a very positive role in influencing my view of a family and how it should operate. How I wish I could acquire some of the naturally clever wit that was so often used to discipline the Cosby children, unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be within my natural abilities. The approach just seems like it would be so conducive to having your children understand the points you’re trying to get across without all the negativity. I only wish more of the television viewing options were more like this today.
