The Fresh Prince of Reaffirmed Stereotypes

When the first episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air aired in 1990, audiences were shocked at how unquestionably different the show was. With the main cast and almost all of the supporting cast played by African American actors, the Fresh Prince was as innovative as it was hilarious. Common stereotypes of black people being poor, ghetto and criminal were rampant in American media prior to this time so the debut of a show where a black family were portrayed as bourgeoisie completely flipped the tables of African American representation.

Something that Fresh Prince did well was make fun of itself, but this was not always in a progressive way. The show satirised negative stereotypes of African Americans held by many white Americans and was often able to promote reflexivity among viewers.  However, portrayals of black stereotypes were not always presented in a way that undermined them, but rather reaffirmed them.

In one episode, the shows main character Will and his friend attempted to woo a woman in a waiting room, all of whom were African American. The friend sat down next to the woman and made crude, sexually driven advances. Will then swooped in to save the day and exclaimed loudly: “Excuse me Miss, is this abrasive negro bothering you?” As the whole situation was a set up, it showed the stereotype of black men as being sexually aggressive but in a joking, exaggerated way. Put into such obtuse terms as Will used, it created a humorous effect allowing the audience to laugh at the obvious attention drawn to this stereotype but not necessarily in a positive way. It seemed to be more of a ‘laughing because it’s true’ situation and is an example of regressive comedy.

In another episode, Will showed his Aunt Viv his brand new driver’s license, to which his cousin Carlton loudly chimed in “I think you’re confused Will, you need a license to drive a car not steal one.” This one liner of casual racism portrays the stereotype that black people are criminals. As it came from the mouth of someone from the same race as Will, it is seen as acceptable and funny by the audience.

These ambiguous jokes are taken light heartedly, but in all fairness show African Americans figuratively bashing other African Americans. While the show was praised for its focus on contemporary African American issues, the use of casual racism and regressive comedy only held it back from being a truly progressive show.