The Upshaws

The Shaws's, language a) teaches children to be disrespectful to peers and elders, and b) diminishes children's communications skills. The idea that "respectful" sitcoms are “outdated,” as a CBS news' website reported, is ludicrous (not the rapper). As an ELA tutor of K through third graders, I cringe each time I hear a child use the n-word and other profanities. The n-word, historically spawned from a deep vein of poisonous hate, awash in an ocean of African American blood, forms a grating and scornful force field around its target. The intangible, stun-gun static, that broadcasts its target is inferior (maybe not even human), doesn’t dissipate when casually “re-imagined” by African American family, friends, comedians, rappers and Black sitcoms. “Reimagining” or “grammaticalization” of the word doesn’t bleach it of its core meaning; doesn’t cancel its menace. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. If the foul energy from the n-word were truly muted through so-called "ownership," Black people who cavalierly embrace and spew it, wouldn’t vehemently protest White people using it. My concern is, why would anyone want to “own” a word created to degrade them??? Other cultures understand this and refuse to bombard their children with racial slurs in their music or culture. For example, Puerto Ricans don’t write the slur “spic” into their music. Each time a Black person uses the n-word, he or she, subconsciously, reinforces the scornful insinuation of “inferiority,” having “no value,” of “nothingness,” of “less than.” Realizing this, the late, incomparable comedian, Richard Pryor publicly announced his decision to stop using that slur after returning from a visit to Kenya, Africa and being awestruck by the humanity. He came to understand that slurs, like the n-word, is designed to diminish, even destroy, a people's humanity and sense of self-worth.

My original rating was “the best” but I wasn’t sure if I might be overhyping it. I will say this - I’m ADOS black, I’m in my 40s and my ADOS black wife (40s) and ADOS black daughter (17) LOVE THE UPSHAWS. I’m not sure about the demos for whomever else is watching the show, but the chemistry between Mike Epps, Kim Fields and Wanda Sykes is MAGNETIC; loving all 3 of them and Kim Fields impresses me with her acting, especially during her SERIOUS dramatic scenes. All 3 of them crack me up along with other characters in the storylines and all the characters are quality actors and genuine characters; the acting doesn’t feel forced or corny; quality acting. Each season finale has me WANTING TO SEE MORE. The Upshaws is a sitcom I LOVE and my family loves :-) We love this show smh.