The Neighborhood - A Review
Oct. 2nd, 2018 08:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatJust finished watching The Neighborhood starring Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield, although my fav's are the supporting cast, including Cedric's two sons, his wife, and Max's son. Max and Cederic are the weakest links...which is not a bad thing.
I laughed my ass off watching this. Which is RARE. Most sitcoms barely get a smile and often an eyeroll. (I hated Everybody Loves Raymond, could not watch it. The Jamie Fox Show gave me hives. Despised Two and a Half Men. And Big Bang is hit or miss. Also Modern Family, The Office, Parks & Recreation annoyed me. How I Met Your Mother -- was only good when Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan were doing their thing, otherwise I was irritiated. I hated Ted.)
But this was funny.
It makes fun of "racism" and it points out how the problem is much deeper and more ingrained than expected.
I've never cared whether people were black white yellow or purple. Actually no one is purple. Which is a shame...because I love purple. So if you find anyone who is actually purple -- please send them my way, I'd definitely go for them. Nor do I care if you are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Wiccan, Shaman, Hindu, or Scientologist (no wait, I care about that. Scientology is a cult. Go away.)
I also do not care if you are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Aesexual, Transgender, etc...Or if you are fat, skinny, big nosed, tall, short, etc... and I've never understand why anyone else did. I'm admittedly only sexually attracted to men who are my size and taller, and happen to be bigger than I am. Which is a bit of a problem since I'm 6 foot and over 200 pounds and 75% of the people I've met are much shorter. Also you can't be married. I find out you are married or in a relationship -- I lose interest like that! I hate competition. I won't fight for a man -- a) they aren't worth the trouble, b) why bother? This explains why I'm still single.
People are tribal idiots. I like dreamwidth because I can interact with folks without all that garbage. We're just us. All the rest, gender, etc is stripped away. I loved fanboards for the same reasons. People went by pseudonymes, in most cases you had no idea what their gender, race, age, etc was and it DID NOT MATTER.
What I love about this series is it makes fun of the tribalism, of the privelege or the racism.
Butler: My father has issues with white people. But he's not racist. We can't be racist. We are "racial" but not racist. You are "racist".
Max: No, we're not.
Cedric: There's two types of white racism. One: The sort that is overly nice to you. Who wants to be your friend to demonstrate that they aren't racist. And Two: the sort that is openly racist. Both are racist.
I'm the minority in my current work group. Everyone around me except for three people is POC, And one of those is Russian. Also it's mainly male.
It's an odd feeling being in the minority. It has made me question everything I know and feel and think. And realize, fuck, racism is ingrained in all of us. We live in a racist and tribal culture. Racism is a direct result of tribalism. Like it or not the two are connected. To do away with racism we have to kill tribalism and kill cultural specificity, and that ain't happening any time soon. People for some reason or other identify themselves by their culture and ethinicity. They won't let go of it. And as a result racism will never be eradicated. You can't have one without the other.
We have to let go of a part of ourselves to do away with racism. This series makes that so clear.
Cedric loves his neighborhood. He loves it because it is "black", because it is "his people". Because it's always been this way. Both his sons are rebelling against this attitude as backwards. Max is struggling with similar attitudes from his mother and young son.
There's some great jokes here.
Cederic: You are the Johnsons? Like Magic Johnson and Dwayne Johnson?
Max: Yeah, that's my last name and this is my son Grover Johnson.
Cederic: Grover Johnson??? Really? Why?
I roared with laughter. Why? Ah.
College friend: I read your book. But you do realize Sharon and Yvonne are Black Names right?
Me: Wait. What?
College friend: You might want to change them.
Me to my Gran: My friend read my book and said that Sharon and Yvonne are black names.
Gran: She's from Texas, right?
Me: Yeah.
Gran: Yep. That's Texas.
The human race is deeply flawed in this respect -- we are insanely tribal. I see it every day and I see how it is killing us slowly. My great grandparents, one of which was born in the US, had to be taught English by my grandfather -- because they never moved out of their German enclave and refused to learn. The building I live in is populated by old Russian Jews who never learned English. Never learned the native tongue of the country in which they reside. Who never embraced its customs or traditions. Never let go of their tribe. They aren't friendly. They only associate with their fellow Russian Jews. And they don't consider themselves racist. But they are.
I've been challenged lately. The Universe is forcing me to look at my own prejudices and fight against them. And it's hard. I'm in pain. I physically hurt and I'm irritable. And I have to find a way not to give in to generalizations, which are very easy to give in to, and not to give in to hate, which is also easy to give into. I rage inside my head and verbally. But, I also do meditation each and every day, and push it aside and do nothing that would hurt anyone. And it is NOT easy.
What I loved about The Neighborhood is it shows how hard it is for everyone.
Cederic's son, the one's whose name I can't remember tells Max that if he feels he doesn't fit in and is struggling, imagine for a minute how hard it is for him, a young black man wearing a hoodie. If he feels judged here, how does he think a young black man struggling to find a job does? The difference is clear -- privilege. One race has power the other does not. Racism exists on both sides, but the only one of the two has any power -- which is WHY the racism exists. If they were equal it wouldn't.
Lando: Do we have Monday off?
Me: No, we don't have Columbus Day off...it hasn't been a holiday for the last ten years. Come in on Monday.
Rick: Wait, yes we do.
Me: I'm playing with Lando.
Lando: I should be with my people...reclaim it. (Lando is half Native American). It's our holiday.
Me: Other states have turned it into Indigenous Americans Day...
Lando: Yes, the celebration of my people.
Me: But it's not happening in NY any time soon.
Lando: With these politically correct times it will..
Me: Not until we get a new governor. He's Italian and for some insane reason the Italians have decided Columbus is their hero and this is their holiday..
Lando: Columbus was responsible for genocide and enslavement and atrocities.
Me: He also got lost. He was hunting for a way to prove the Earth was Flat and ran into a continent.
He had no clue where he was.
Lando: And other people got there first, like my people.
Me: Well also Amerigo Vesipucci...there's a reason we're called The Americas and not Columbias.
The Italians look like idiots celebrating him. But until we get rid of our idiotic governor, it's not changing.
See? Italians have privilege. Native Americans do not.
Italian co-worker: Obama is a terrorist - just look at his name.
Me: I could call you a Mafiaso based on your name, same concept.
We need more Darwin Awards.
Honestly, if we stripped all this crap away, we'd be human. Energy beings in organic matter. No race. No country. No nationality. No sexual orientation. No gender. Just us. I don't see why anyone can't see that? It's obvious to me.
But this show...this episode...really makes fun of the fact that we can't.
I gave you all that back-story to explain why this show worked for me. After reading various review of various shows -- I think we bring our own baggage to everything we watch. If you have a family and are struggling to make ends meet -- you will most likely love a family sitcom, if you are single and struggling to make ends meet -- a single person sitcom might work better. It depends. So, does comedy change minds? Does art? I don't know any longer. At this point, I wonder sometimes if we are all just preaching to our respective choirs. It's very hard to persuade someone to like or appreciate something who doesn't think the same way you do, or doesn't have the same worries and concerns. I work with a lot of people of color, most of my friends have been POC, and I've dealt with racism from whites, blacks, etc on a daily basis most of my life. I'm intimately familiar with it and have actively fought against it my entire life. My father did -- he was social historian specializing in African American History. So, it's in my blood. My brother is married to a Jewish/Cherokee woman, who people have identified as Spanish. My Aunt's children are Hispanic. I've had racist family members.
And yet, it still shocks me, like a punch to the gut when I encounter it.
So to me...this is funny. This is relevant. But you're mileage may vary.
Neighborhood: A
I laughed my ass off watching this. Which is RARE. Most sitcoms barely get a smile and often an eyeroll. (I hated Everybody Loves Raymond, could not watch it. The Jamie Fox Show gave me hives. Despised Two and a Half Men. And Big Bang is hit or miss. Also Modern Family, The Office, Parks & Recreation annoyed me. How I Met Your Mother -- was only good when Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan were doing their thing, otherwise I was irritiated. I hated Ted.)
But this was funny.
It makes fun of "racism" and it points out how the problem is much deeper and more ingrained than expected.
I've never cared whether people were black white yellow or purple. Actually no one is purple. Which is a shame...because I love purple. So if you find anyone who is actually purple -- please send them my way, I'd definitely go for them. Nor do I care if you are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Wiccan, Shaman, Hindu, or Scientologist (no wait, I care about that. Scientology is a cult. Go away.)
I also do not care if you are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Aesexual, Transgender, etc...Or if you are fat, skinny, big nosed, tall, short, etc... and I've never understand why anyone else did. I'm admittedly only sexually attracted to men who are my size and taller, and happen to be bigger than I am. Which is a bit of a problem since I'm 6 foot and over 200 pounds and 75% of the people I've met are much shorter. Also you can't be married. I find out you are married or in a relationship -- I lose interest like that! I hate competition. I won't fight for a man -- a) they aren't worth the trouble, b) why bother? This explains why I'm still single.
People are tribal idiots. I like dreamwidth because I can interact with folks without all that garbage. We're just us. All the rest, gender, etc is stripped away. I loved fanboards for the same reasons. People went by pseudonymes, in most cases you had no idea what their gender, race, age, etc was and it DID NOT MATTER.
What I love about this series is it makes fun of the tribalism, of the privelege or the racism.
Butler: My father has issues with white people. But he's not racist. We can't be racist. We are "racial" but not racist. You are "racist".
Max: No, we're not.
Cedric: There's two types of white racism. One: The sort that is overly nice to you. Who wants to be your friend to demonstrate that they aren't racist. And Two: the sort that is openly racist. Both are racist.
I'm the minority in my current work group. Everyone around me except for three people is POC, And one of those is Russian. Also it's mainly male.
It's an odd feeling being in the minority. It has made me question everything I know and feel and think. And realize, fuck, racism is ingrained in all of us. We live in a racist and tribal culture. Racism is a direct result of tribalism. Like it or not the two are connected. To do away with racism we have to kill tribalism and kill cultural specificity, and that ain't happening any time soon. People for some reason or other identify themselves by their culture and ethinicity. They won't let go of it. And as a result racism will never be eradicated. You can't have one without the other.
We have to let go of a part of ourselves to do away with racism. This series makes that so clear.
Cedric loves his neighborhood. He loves it because it is "black", because it is "his people". Because it's always been this way. Both his sons are rebelling against this attitude as backwards. Max is struggling with similar attitudes from his mother and young son.
There's some great jokes here.
Cederic: You are the Johnsons? Like Magic Johnson and Dwayne Johnson?
Max: Yeah, that's my last name and this is my son Grover Johnson.
Cederic: Grover Johnson??? Really? Why?
I roared with laughter. Why? Ah.
College friend: I read your book. But you do realize Sharon and Yvonne are Black Names right?
Me: Wait. What?
College friend: You might want to change them.
Me to my Gran: My friend read my book and said that Sharon and Yvonne are black names.
Gran: She's from Texas, right?
Me: Yeah.
Gran: Yep. That's Texas.
The human race is deeply flawed in this respect -- we are insanely tribal. I see it every day and I see how it is killing us slowly. My great grandparents, one of which was born in the US, had to be taught English by my grandfather -- because they never moved out of their German enclave and refused to learn. The building I live in is populated by old Russian Jews who never learned English. Never learned the native tongue of the country in which they reside. Who never embraced its customs or traditions. Never let go of their tribe. They aren't friendly. They only associate with their fellow Russian Jews. And they don't consider themselves racist. But they are.
I've been challenged lately. The Universe is forcing me to look at my own prejudices and fight against them. And it's hard. I'm in pain. I physically hurt and I'm irritable. And I have to find a way not to give in to generalizations, which are very easy to give in to, and not to give in to hate, which is also easy to give into. I rage inside my head and verbally. But, I also do meditation each and every day, and push it aside and do nothing that would hurt anyone. And it is NOT easy.
What I loved about The Neighborhood is it shows how hard it is for everyone.
Cederic's son, the one's whose name I can't remember tells Max that if he feels he doesn't fit in and is struggling, imagine for a minute how hard it is for him, a young black man wearing a hoodie. If he feels judged here, how does he think a young black man struggling to find a job does? The difference is clear -- privilege. One race has power the other does not. Racism exists on both sides, but the only one of the two has any power -- which is WHY the racism exists. If they were equal it wouldn't.
Lando: Do we have Monday off?
Me: No, we don't have Columbus Day off...it hasn't been a holiday for the last ten years. Come in on Monday.
Rick: Wait, yes we do.
Me: I'm playing with Lando.
Lando: I should be with my people...reclaim it. (Lando is half Native American). It's our holiday.
Me: Other states have turned it into Indigenous Americans Day...
Lando: Yes, the celebration of my people.
Me: But it's not happening in NY any time soon.
Lando: With these politically correct times it will..
Me: Not until we get a new governor. He's Italian and for some insane reason the Italians have decided Columbus is their hero and this is their holiday..
Lando: Columbus was responsible for genocide and enslavement and atrocities.
Me: He also got lost. He was hunting for a way to prove the Earth was Flat and ran into a continent.
He had no clue where he was.
Lando: And other people got there first, like my people.
Me: Well also Amerigo Vesipucci...there's a reason we're called The Americas and not Columbias.
The Italians look like idiots celebrating him. But until we get rid of our idiotic governor, it's not changing.
See? Italians have privilege. Native Americans do not.
Italian co-worker: Obama is a terrorist - just look at his name.
Me: I could call you a Mafiaso based on your name, same concept.
We need more Darwin Awards.
Honestly, if we stripped all this crap away, we'd be human. Energy beings in organic matter. No race. No country. No nationality. No sexual orientation. No gender. Just us. I don't see why anyone can't see that? It's obvious to me.
But this show...this episode...really makes fun of the fact that we can't.
I gave you all that back-story to explain why this show worked for me. After reading various review of various shows -- I think we bring our own baggage to everything we watch. If you have a family and are struggling to make ends meet -- you will most likely love a family sitcom, if you are single and struggling to make ends meet -- a single person sitcom might work better. It depends. So, does comedy change minds? Does art? I don't know any longer. At this point, I wonder sometimes if we are all just preaching to our respective choirs. It's very hard to persuade someone to like or appreciate something who doesn't think the same way you do, or doesn't have the same worries and concerns. I work with a lot of people of color, most of my friends have been POC, and I've dealt with racism from whites, blacks, etc on a daily basis most of my life. I'm intimately familiar with it and have actively fought against it my entire life. My father did -- he was social historian specializing in African American History. So, it's in my blood. My brother is married to a Jewish/Cherokee woman, who people have identified as Spanish. My Aunt's children are Hispanic. I've had racist family members.
And yet, it still shocks me, like a punch to the gut when I encounter it.
So to me...this is funny. This is relevant. But you're mileage may vary.
Neighborhood: A
no subject
Date: 2018-10-03 06:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-03 08:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-03 12:34 pm (UTC)LOL! My mother had intended to call my brother Sharon if he turned out to be a girl. Apparently in Arizona, Yvonne is Hispanic, which is odd. It never struck me as Spanish.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-04 07:59 am (UTC)I think in the days before there were so many channels on TV, a show could change things. There were only 2 or 3 channels when I was a kid, and EVERYONE watched a show called "Love Thy Neighbour" - a comedy about a white couple and a black couple living next door, and the white fellow was a racist, and the black fellow rose to it, and the two wives thought their husbands were idiots, and the white guy usually got made a fool of. I think this show did make a difference to some people. But these days, racists have a choice of TV viewing, and would just turn over.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-04 12:16 pm (UTC)Tend to agree. The racists can pick and choose. You'd almost have to blanket the media landscape with anti-racist material and outlaw all racist content to get anywhere...and then they would whine about being censored and being disenfranchised and not given a voice. You can't win.