Revolution Televised.pdf

Introduction
Dy-no-mite!
What’s happening?
Peace, love, and soul
Elizabeth, I’m comin’ to join you.
What you see is what you get.
The devil made me do it.
Anyone up on 1970s television trivia will recognize these phrases;
spoken frequently by television characters, they became part of the
American popular lexicon. This was a vibrant time for blacks on
network television, and as a child I enjoyed watching black television
shows such as Good Times and What’s Happening!! with my
family. I obviously was not able to contemplate such critical concepts
as the “ramifications of the images” or the “state of minorities
in the television industry”; I simply liked the shows for what
they were to me—often humorous, sometimes over the top, and
occasionally poignant.
Good Times was my show, and as the youngest child in my
family, I empathized with Michael’s plight as the underdog. I remember
in particular the episode in which he refuses to apologize
to his teacher for calling George Washington a racist and willingly
faces the wrath of his father, James, in order to stand up for what
he believes. His sister, Thelma, and mother, Florida, attempt to convince
him to change his mind before James gets home. J.J., as usual,
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