"Well This Is A Story All About How...."

I grew up enjoying the sitcom, The Cosbys , but it would be an outright lie to say that I have not seen every single episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will Smith is pretty much my hero. I fell in love with that show from the moment I first heard the cool introduction rap song and those hilarious and utterly corny jokes keep me giggling today. Just to drive my point in further- I catch every morning episode from 8:30am-9:00am on TBS while sipping on my coffee. The Cosbys may have opened the door for the concept of a wealthy black American family, but The Fresh Prince took that door and flung it right open. Uncle Phil was a big-shot judge out in Los Angeles, who mingled with the other wealthy families in LA. If you think back to the first episode, the whole family is appalled by Will’s behavior, because it is so out of line and “improper” in comparison to their own. This family is not only portrayed as wealthy, but also portrayed as educated and elitist; I mean, look at Carlton! The Banks family also has a butler; however, their butler is black like them. Now that I can look back on this show with more insight, I resent the creators of this show for not taking the opportunity to “stick it to the man” and make the butler white. It really would have made a point, but I suppose that’s how Hollywood works. The show was already “pushing its boundaries” by FINALLY showcasing a well-off African American family.

Will, unlike his cousins, actually represents the image of black people that is primarily shown on television. He is comes from a lower-class society, was void of opportunities in his “rough neighborhood” and is constantly trying to better himself, work his way UP the ladder. As the Banks family grows more accustomed to having Will in their lives, it becomes clear that they too are reaching deep into their roots and identifying the struggles they needed to overcome in order to be successful. However much success and wealth the Banks family is portrayed to have, it is important to the creators of this show to convey the message to their viewers that it wasn’t always so easy for this family, and that they too had to work their way up the ladder of success. There’s no such thing of black people being portrayed as just born into wealth, it’s a constant uphill battle, and even when you reach the top of the hill, it is crucial to always highlight the difficulties in arriving there.