Poster of the series "Black-ish" -
Disney +
Disney + is launching a new section on February 23, Star, with content intended for “parents and young adults”.
In its catalog,
Black-ish
, a hilarious series that, according to its creator, makes it easier to talk about racism, by "passing information and knowledge with humor".
"It is very difficult to talk about race and racism because nobody wants to face reality and everyone wants to be absolved", says Anthony Anderson, lead actor and producer of the series.
This is one of the most interesting series that we will be able to see on Star, the latest section born of the Disney + platform, which launched on February 23.
Black-ish
, launched in the United States in 2014, tells the story of Dre, a former kid from the neighborhoods who grew up living the “American dream”, with his four children, his wife, his father, his big house in an affluent neighborhood of Los Angeles, and its dozen pairs of sneakers.
Except that he feels a little foreign in this white suburb, and starts to worry that his children forget the black culture.
This is how he almost fainted when his son confided in him that he wanted to play field hockey rather than basketball.
And that he decides to organize an African ritual passage ceremony for him.
In
Black-ish
, racism and racial social relations are not just one theme among many, they are THE central theme of the series, which is inspired by the life of Anthony Anderson, lead actor and producer. , and that of Kenya Barris, director and screenwriter.
“Kenya created the series based on the conversations we had together: we talked about what it was like to our children, our wives, our lives, to be the only African American in our neighborhoods, or our children are the only African Americans in school.
And my son wasn't just the only drop of chocolate in his class, he was the only drop of chocolate among all kids his age!
», Tells
20 Minutes
Anthony Anderson.
“Big buttocks, RnB and Hip-hop, this is the domain of blacks!
"
Black-ish
explores the consequences of the immersion of a African-American family in a middle-class and white world, both in everyday life, and also to work.
While he expects to be the first black to be promoted among the senior executives of his company, Dre is finally appointed deputy general manager of the “urban culture” department, where he believes he has been confined because of his skin color. , to make, he says, the "puppet".
All the more so as he abhors the expression “urban culture”, which seems to him to have been invented by whites expressly to appropriate black culture.
“Big buttocks, RnB and Hip-hop, this is the domain of blacks!
», He laments.
Black-ish
manages to tackle all these topics with a good big dose of humor, thanks to the character of Dre, who we laugh at about the concerns that his children do not share.
His son, for example, sees no problem in converting to Judaism, if it will allow him to organize a bar mitzvah for his birthday.
Racism, his children hardly see it.
“If you can't laugh at yourself, what can you laugh at?
"Comments Anthony Anderson, for whom humor" makes it easier to have certain conversations ":" In
Black-ish
, we tackle sensitive, explosive subjects.
We tackle it by dosing well.
We don't want people to misinterpret, whether it is perceived as too complicated or strange.
By passing on information and knowledge with humor, it makes conversation on the subject easier ”.
Donald Trump deemed the series "racist"
The series brilliantly shows the shift in vision on the perception of racism, when we change social class and generation.
Dre's children, who have known only one president in their life, ignore that Barack Obama is the first black president.
For them, this fact is something "normal", which they notice less than their father or their grandfather.
However, the debates that
Black-ish
has generated across the Atlantic show that talking about racism in a mainstream series is still far from easy.
“It is very difficult to talk about race and racism because nobody wants to face reality and everyone wants to be absolved.
Some say "oh this happened so long ago, it wasn't my fault, I wasn't part of it, we don't need to deal with it".
But yes, this needs to be addressed, things have been put under the rug for 100 years, and no one wants to take responsibility for what happened.
Because by assuming responsibility, we would then designate the culprits, whether on their shoulders or the shoulders of their grandfathers.
But the reality is that racism is a huge problem all over the world, not just in the United States, ”comments Anthony Anderson.
Anthony Anderson, main actor and producer of the series "Black-ish", in interview with "20 Minutes".
- 20 Minutes / Capture
Despite the picaresque aspect of the character of Dre, the fact that he is gently mocked, and that everything is done to make him ultimately very sympathetic to the public, this did not prevent Donald Trump from estimating that the series exhibited "racism at the highest level".
“It's their opinion, and they have the right, defends Anthony Anderson.
If you watch our series you will understand that it has nothing to do with it.
It is simply the reality of this specific family ”
"It is not a standard"
In France, where talking about racism is perhaps even more complicated than in the United States, because of a Republican tradition long blind to differences, how will the public react?
It is not impossible that some and some oppose the French model to the American model, deeming
Black-ish
"obsessed with race", as often when these subjects are discussed in France.
A criticism to which Anthony Anderson responds very calmly: "For those of us who are judged by our appearance alone, and not by the content of our personality, but simply by their skin color, it is a reality in that we live with, that we have to deal with.
But it is not a standard either.
We are all part of humanity.
"
Series
Disney +: All you need to know about Star and why you should subscribe before its launch?
Culture
Disney +: More than 95 million people subscribed to the platform worldwide
Disney
United States
Disney +
Series
Racism
Black
Culture