Update: I found this episode on YouTube, but it has been removed. So I deleted the embeds, but kept the post.
As Black History Month comes to a close, for some reason a classic episode of Family Matters popped into my head. In the episode, Laura Winslow starts a petition to try to get an African-American History class in her school. All goes well until someone spray paints the N word on Laura’s locker.
Wait, WHAT???
Yes, the show that gave us the Urkel Dance and Urkelbot, also gave us a compelling case of racial injustice. It’s a very special episode of Family Matters.
I guess the reason why I love this episode is because I actually learned a lot from it. I learned black people helped design the blueprint for Washington D.C., performed the first open heart surgery, invented the golf tee and even wrote The Three Musketeers! The more you know.
This episode also had a segment where Jaleel White showed he could play basketball (this was before the entire episode where he played basketball). Which was weird. In the same episode where you’re trying to advance black culture, you have to show that even the black nerd has basketball skills. Oh well.
And I just can’t help but be amazed that the N word is seen on an episode of Family Matters. Especially since years later, on an episode of Strangers with Candy, Jeri Blank is accused of spray painting the N word on a wall in the school. But in the shots, someone is always standing in front of it, so you never see the word. So you mean to tell me that the incredibly (funny but) offensive Strangers with Candy can’t show the N word, but TGIF staple Family Matters can? Weird.
Happy Black History Month everybody. Enjoy getting drunk in March for St. Patrick’s Day. I think there’s a Family Matters episode for that, too.
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6 Responses to “Learn Black History with Family Matters”
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February 26th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
I remember this episode vividly. It was the first time I remember being exposed to the N word, and I grew up in the South, mind you. But yes…seeing this episode brings back memories.
February 27th, 2010 at 7:56 am
I think that the difference is that on ‘Family Matters’ the subject was being taken seriously and was given a dramatic reference, while on ‘Strangers with Candy’ it was for comedic sake. I also think there is also a large difference in the year either took place… unfortunately in the more “Politically Correct” times that SwC was playing people had become much less tolerant and more likely to become upset.
February 27th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Unfortunately it seems the “Tube of You” has, as is increasingly the case, taken down the vids you posted. I don’t remember seeing this episode, but I’ll be on the lookout for a repeat on TV or online.
As for the Family Matters v. Strangers w/Candy display of the “n-word,” I wonder if that might – ironically – have to do with the respective audiences. Since SwC was obviously intended for adults they didn’t have to explicitly show the word because the audience would know what it said. With Family Matters, a child watching with their parents might (mercifully, albeit unlikely) not know the word. Clearly you wouldn’t want to have the kids turn and ask, “Daddy, what’s the ‘n-word’?”
March 1st, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Which, uh, isn’t actually true. Benjamin Banneker was a talented individual, but tales of his exploits have unfortunately been exaggerated.
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:11 pm
YOU LIE! Nooooooooooooooooo! *cries*
?March 8th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
More proof that we’re regressing in some ways, in regards to race.
We’ve gotten more timid about talking about candidly about racism and we like to pretend that that helps it not exist anymore.
Hey, we’ve got a black president now. Doesn’t that mean all racism has magically disappeared?
?