‘Black-ish’ Gets Serious in a Moving, Must-See Scene
Entertainment
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Comedian Anthony Anderson is no stranger to tackling controversial issues, but a powerful scene in a recent episode of his hit ABC sitcom Black-ish has set the internet on fire.
The January 11th episode finally tackled the issues surrounding the controversial 2016 Presidential election. Anderson’s character, Dre Johnson, is chastised by a colleague for seemingly being aloof about the consequences of a Trump presidency. Dre turns serious before unleashing a powerful tirade about the black experience in America, both throughout history and today.
Watch this clip below from the Black-ish Trump episode:
Blackish just gave us one of the most powerful TV scenes in recent memory. wow. pic.twitter.com/Nd0mojAnLm
— alex medina (@mrmedina) January 12, 2017
“I’m used to things not going my way. I’m sorry that you’re not and it’s blowing your mind, so excuse me if I get a little offended because I didn’t see all of this outrage when everything was happening to all of my people since we were stuffed on boats in chains. I love this county as much — if not more — than you do,” Dre says at the end of his moving monologue.
Despite the fact that Black-ish has garnered its share of controversy in the past while talking about race, the episode, written by Kenya Barris, takes time to view Trump’s election through a different perspective. Dre’s white colleague Lucy explains why she voted for Donald Trump:
“I’m not some crazy right-wing nut you guys. I voted for Obama twice. I even got my Republican parents to vote for him. He felt different. I believed he was going to change stuff,” she said. “But it’s eight years later. My dad’s still out of work. My hometown’s about to go under. And Hillary comes out saying she’s basically going to keep everything the same. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t work for me and my family.”
The bold episode threaded the needle perfectly, giving a voice to the white working class that has felt ignored for years while also staying true to the concerns of the main characters of the show.
This Black-ish Trump episode is, of course, not the first time that a popular African-American comedian has commented on a lack of surprise at the results while white liberals living in a bubble discover inequality. Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock lampooned this very experience on the first Saturday Night Live after the election.
