Introduction
Good Times is a 1974-1979 comedy about an impoverished African-American household in Chicago’s housing projects. Despite being heralded as the first US comedy film with an all-black cast, it is filled with hazardous and damaging stereotypes about African-American culture and promotes a narrative of contempt for the welfare system. The Evans family does not receive welfare; nevertheless, in the third episode of season one, titled “Getting Up the Rent,” Florida attempts to get emergency monetary aid from the regional welfare office (Monte et al., 1974). This study concludes, based on data, that it is extremely probable they are applying for Aid to Families with Dependent Children. This paper demonstrates that welfare is portrayed as an undesired charity, Florida is depicted as an amalgamation of various racially and gendered stereotypes, and poverty exerts a significant strain on black livelihood.
Welfare as Undesired Charity
Welfare is portrayed as an unwanted charity because it is their only last choice before the E-day (Eviction day). Although they do not receive government assistance, they are represented as poor: a huge family of five with just $32 to their name (Monte et al., 1974). In this episode, the Evans family is on the edge of eviction and needs $72 immediately to avert this (Monte et al., 1974). One approach offered is to seek immediate monetary assistance at the welfare office. Even though welfare might be the basic step for them to legally get the funds, it is devalued and neglected in favor of gambling on a pool game. This demonstrates the degree to which an anti-welfare narrative is promoted since gaming, an unreliable means of acquiring money, is preferred over emergency cash assistance from the government. This exemplifies the distinctly American “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality, which is steeped in “conservative rhetoric” (Bologna, 2018, para. 1). Given that the majority of the show’s writers are white, it is not surprising that they contribute to this narrative by portraying the characters as anti-welfare and pro-American principles of individuality and self-reliance.
Welfare is shown as an undesirable charity due to the harsh nature of U.S. welfare, as seen by the denial of emergency monetary aid to Evan’s family. Florida and Willona decided to go to the welfare office since they were in desperate need. However, their application for emergency monetary assistance is declined because James earned $100 more than was allowed the year before (Monte et al., 1974). This highlights both the stringent, demanding structure of the U.S. assistance system and the difficulty experienced by individuals living on the edge of poverty. Moreover, their interactions with welfare illustrate the structural issue of families cutting through the gaps of a system that purports to assist them. The contrast between self-sufficiency and the inadequacy of the U.S. assistance system is illustrative of the latter’s glaring insufficiency in this regard. While fueling anti-poverty sentiment in favor of individualistic principles, the show’s creators also refer to the shortcomings of the U.S. assistance system, which denies genuinely poor families the funding they need to live.
Verbal and/or Nonverbal Communication in the Media Text
As seen by her unattractive attire, Florida is portrayed as a combination of anti-black and misogynistic tropes. Florida is a dark-skinned, overweight woman who devotedly cares for her family, fulfilling the “mammy” stereotype quite flawlessly. According to Gamsakhurdia and Huseynova (2020), “mammy” is a historical stereotype in the United States representing black women who labor for and care for the children of white families. The mythical mammy figure is often pictured as a huge, dark-skinned woman with a maternal disposition. This is shown by the lack of exertion and attractiveness in the character’s attire. She is presented wearing an unappealing robe that contrasts with the white female audience. Consequently, the white female audience may view her as the family’s nurse. The robe also represents the African slave women who donned it while performing domestic and childrearing duties in white American slaveholding families (Gamsakhurdia & Huseynova, 2020). Parents, however, would see the unattractive robe as a piece of clothing worn during any housecleaning obligation, as much as Florida is a mother to the destitute family. In contrast, children would react to the attire with maternal concern, thus the juxtaposition of the mammy stereotype.
Using verbal signals, the story conveys a stereotype of a sassy black woman via Florida’s personality through speech. While portrayed as a devoted, caring mother, her discourse is replete with “sassy” one-liners (Spates et al., 2020). This is evident when JJ declares he was born as a result of an “act of passion,” and Florida answers, “Settle down James Junior, or you gonna have me believing you were born out of an act of madness” (Monte et al., 1974). Florida is also portrayed as the strong black woman stereotype. She is supposed to be resting after undergoing appendix removal surgery; nevertheless, she trivializes the difficulty imposed by surgery, perpetuating the negative notion that black women have decreased pain thresholds. All the following caricatures are replete with anti-black racism and sexism.
Impact of the Messages on the Audiences
This message has a negative impact on African-American audiences because, in this manner, “Good Times” dehumanizes black female welfare users, reducing them to parodies. In spite of the fact that research shows that strong black women who embrace the principles of strength (sufficiency, emotional restraint, and identity) receive some psychosocial advantages, strength is connected to a number of negative psychological effects (Jones et al., 2021). For instance, it promotes a detrimental narrative about how white Americans see a black woman living below the poverty level. This gives her, the underprivileged black woman, suitable fodder for laughter among white audiences. Furthermore, the idea that being “strong” would provide black females with a psychological method of resistance to the oppression that is pervasive in American culture is ingrained in them from a young age as part of the socialization process (Jones et al., 2021). As such, black women are at a crossroads as a result of the rising knowledge of these implications, as they are required to find a way to balance the wisdom of matriarchs with the drawbacks of being powerful. As a result of this conflict, black women, particularly young women, have been forced to reevaluate their relationship with strength and rethink what it means to them personally.
Application and Synthesis of Two Course Materials
Power Feminism Concept
The concepts expressed in this episode are supported by power feminism, which asserts that the continual demand for money puts a tremendous burden on black household life. According to Sawicki (2020), power feminism focuses on the power that women may exercise while being cognizant of the constraints that limit this. In this instance, power feminism aims to utilize power responsibly. As a result, the theory recognizes that aggressiveness, competitiveness, and violence are just as much a part of female personality as they are of male and views women, like men, as morally mature adults. In addition, it is physically diverse and overtly sexual. For instance, when Florida tells JJ, “…you gonna have me believing you were born out of an act of madness,” she portrays an unashamed sexual persona, as stated by the power feminist theory, with a sassy stereotype (Monte et al., 1974; Onwuamaegbu, 2018). The stereotype of the sassy black woman is emboldened by power feminisms in this instance, as seen by Florida representing Evans’ family at U.S. Welfare offices for emergency welfare cash assistance rather than Mr. Evan himself.
Power feminism justifies the usage of the unattractive robe by presenting Florida as a resilient black woman facing a struggle. Florida is supposed to be recuperating after undergoing appendectomy surgery. Nevertheless, she wears a robe, which, according to the mammy stereotype, signifies that she is prepared for any work; thus, she trivializes the hardship imposed by surgery, contributing to the negative assumption that black women have lower pain tolerances. Consequently, despite the fact that power feminism gives women from poor societies a voice, the aforementioned stereotypes are riddled with anti-black racism and sexism. In this manner, ‘Good Times’ dehumanizes black female welfare users, reducing them to caricatures. This promotes a very detrimental narrative on how white America views a black woman living below the poverty level. She is not depicted as the welfare queen, but what the white audience perceives is just as insidious: she is deprived of any humanity in the same manner as the instantly identifiable caricature of welfare recipients. This gives her, an underprivileged black woman, suitable fodder for laughter among white audiences.
Transphobia Concept
The behavior of Florida toward JJ also illustrates gendered transphobia. Transphobia is the irrational phobia of gender non-conformity or gendered transgressions, such as dislike for masculine women, feminine men, and those who do not comply with current gender norms about their natal gender (Cooper et al., 2020). Based on her unappealing attire, Florida represents a confident, masculine woman in opposition to the transphobia idea. In one instance, despite having just had appendectomy surgery, she donned her robe to demonstrate her preparedness for work. Power feminism and transphobia concepts are connected by the virtue that they both advocate for a voice of reason as indicated in strong women in a society such as Florida. The strength of women in current civilization is seen when Florida applies for emergency monetary help from the US Welfare System even though Mr. Evans, the man of the house, is present. Thus, power feminism and transphobia notions show that, amidst the stressful, traumatic effects of poverty on black home life, strong women are a source of motivation in poor African-American society.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this episode of ‘Good Times’ portrays welfare not just as unwanted assistance that destroys the American ideal of individuality but also as a broken system that allows black families to tumble between the gaps. It also portrays Florida as a mixture of numerous racialized and gendered tropes, which makes it possible for her position as a black woman living below the poverty line to become a source of humor for some of the white audience’s more racist members. As a result, this episode depicts the effects of poverty as a great, painful load that is placed on black family life. However, this burden may be overcome by empowered women, as portrayed in power feminism and transphobic beliefs.
References
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Monte, E., & Evans, M. (Writers), & Keith, G., Kenwith, H., LaHendro, B., McKayle, D., & Rosemond, P. (Directors). (1974). Getting up the rent (Season 1, episode 3) [TV series episode]. In M. Lear., A. Manings., & N. Paul (Executive Producers), Good times. Tandem Productions. Web.
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Sawicki, J. (2020). Disciplining Foucault: Feminism, power, and the body. Routledge.
Spates, K., Evans, N. T., James, T. A., & Martinez, K. (2020). Gendered racism in the lives of Black women: A qualitative exploration. Journal of Black Psychology, 46(8), 583-606. Web.