Blought #14: Satire and The Boondocks

They say comedy is just honest observation. I’ve always had a crude sense of humor. I can remember when I was in middle school and Chappelle’s Show was one of the hottest shows on television. Dave was a master of projecting the black experience and our reality to the masses. He was my generation’s Richard Pryor.

A few years later Adult Swim premiered a new and raunchy show titled The Boondocks  from creator Aaron McGruder. The show which was based on the comic strip of the same name also created by McGruder, followed native Chicagoans Riley and Huey Freeman  who lived with their grandfather Robert Freeman as they struggled to adapt to their new suburban town of Woodcrest.

During it’s four season run over the span of ten years, The Boondocks was one of the most popular shows on television. Just like the comic had done, the show sparked outrage from both the media as well as the public.

I attribute the outrage to it’s brash and brazen use of the word “nigga”, it’s main protagonists being children and probably most of all because of it’s use of negative stereotypes regarding African-American culture. Many called the show ignorant and offensive.