Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Boondocks:The N-words (UNCENSORED)

The Boondocks is a show about a old man, Robert Jebediah Freeman and his two grandsons Huey and Riley Freeman. Once Robert retires he moves out of chicago's south side into a small suburb named Woodcrest, IL, for a better life. Woodcrest is a predominantly white neighborhood, So the freeman's are some of the only blacks around. The Boondocks first aired on Cartoon Networks, Adult Swim, in November of 2005. After the the first season ended in March of 2006, it was named one of the top 10 most controversial cartoons of all time, by Time Magazine. The show recently just finished its fourth and final Season in June of 2014. The one of many controversial issues of the show is the use of the word nigga. Some are very enraged that  Cartoon Network would allow such language. But the creator of The Boondocks, Aaron McGruder, argued that “... this is what night time tv is for…”.  This also this brings up issues such as, using nigga is music (rap and hip-hop) or just using the word in general. McGruder argues that he never would use nigger on his show, only nigga.
From what i've experienced, i've met people who are totally offended by the use of this word, i've met people who use the word, but are offended when someone else uses it words them. And i've met people who use it and doesn't care if anyone else uses it. But most people would agree there is a difference between nigger and nigga. Nigga is defined as used mainly among African Americans, but also among other minorities and ethnicities, in a neutral or familiar way and as a friendly term of address. It is also common in rap music. And nigger is defined as extremely disparaging and offensive; a contemptuous term used to refer to a black person. Nigger has been used for hundreds of years now, and has been offensive since it was first used, so it’s understandable why anyone would be offended by its use. In my opinion if you use nigga or nigger, you should not get offended if it said towards you. To be totally honest, I use both, and I don't care if its used towards me. McGruder said in an interview on Nightline, that “I would never use nigger in my show, My cast and I only say nigga..”. In McGruder's defense he has given a well written show that is not also entertaining but absolutely hilarious. What people have failed to realize about the show is that the idea of each episode isn’t to start controversy, but to provide an idea of what america is like today. McGruder says that “This isn't the “nigga” show. I just wish we would expand the dialogue and evolve past the same conversation that we've had over the past 30 years about race in our country… I just hope to expand the dialogue and hope the show will challenge people to think about things they wouldn't normally think about, or think about it in a very different way.” This is exactly what The Boondocks provides.
Most contriversal Scenes from the boondocks. (May contain strong language)


2 comments:

  1. Nice post, the media needs to stop relying on the profanity and focus on more family oriented television.

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    1. This is true, but its late night comedy. It's not common that a family oriented tv-show is on at 11 pm on a week night.

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