One of my favorite shows growing up was The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. As an 8 year old, I couldn’t understand some of the plot points or the cultural jokes they made but I’d always crack up watching Carlton’s dance or Jazz literally getting thrown out of Uncle Phil’s house. (click on the picture if you want to see the GIF)
If you ever heard the theme song it pretty much sums up the series’ plot. Will Smith, played by Will Smith, is a street-smart teen from West Philadelphia. After he gets into a street fight, his mother sends him to live with her sister and brother in law in the community of Bel Air, California. His lifestyle often clashes with the lifestyle of his relatives in Bel Air. The Banks’ family is affluent black family composed of Philip Banks (father), Vivian Banks (mother), Hillary Banks (oldest child), Carlton Banks (brother) and Ashley Banks (youngest child).
In one episode Phil announces that he will receive an Urban Spirit Award as recognition for helping “our brothers and sisters in the streets”. This leads to Will making a class-based joke about Phil’s chauffeur, which Phil denounces due to his contribution towards black working class people. Phil realises that he “didn’t have it that hard” as his parents always loved him, thus making his rural background insignificant to his reputation. Despite this, he has always been a strong proponent of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Ethnic Trip reflects difficulties in incorporating black culture into an established institution, as well as understanding one’s own culture. In this case it is Bel Air Prep, an elite private school where the majority of students are white. Throughout Will’s time at Bel Air Prep, he is insistent on his own individuality. Will expresses his individuality through wearing his jacket inside out, decorating it with badges of black icons. Will says it is his individualism that has resulted in bad grades in history, due to no black culture being taught. This strives Vivian to help Will voice his opinion at a parents-teachers meeting. Eventually, Vivian ends teaching the class, however, Will conveys an arrogance over his own races’ history, feeling that he will gain good grades simply because he is black. However, Vivian confronts Will regarding his academic stagnancy, who defends himself by saying he had read Malcolm X’s autobiography three times. Vivian becomes irritated by Will’s response, stating that he is trivialising black culture by only studying specific aspects rather than its whole. This realization not only makes Will understand his own arrogance, but also the importance of understanding one’s own racial history. The Ethnic Trip shows how race should to be understood from both sides, that of established institutions hesitant in accepting change while individuals needing to fully understand their own culture.
These episodes show that The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is capable of sincerity, dealing with themes of race and class. These themes are never taken lightly, they are represented in a vivid and confronting manner. Each episode raises questions as to how race and class should be portrayed and discussed within society.
Sources:
Be First to Comment