MovieChat Forums > Soul Food (2000) Discussion > The Ahmad-colorstruck epi shows how impo...

The Ahmad-colorstruck epi shows how important real depictions are

posted 18 years ago by mel-o
3 replies | jump to latest

The episode when Maxine questions Ahmad on why he only seems to like fair-skinned girls made me really proud of this show. Most of us know thats a real circumstance in the Black (and Indian, Latino) community & for them to even touch on issue like that shows important a show liek soul food can be in the mainstream where that would never be handled.

Light hearted fare is well & good, but it just goes to show how important a real depiction is on TV. For Black people it's that more important because Black dramas are almost never heard of. It seems it usally has to be about a joke & stereotypes, but we benefit when we give ourselves a broader range.

[–] th3302 18 years ago

I totally agree, Mel-o. The light-skinned, dark-skinned dilemma is definitely still alive and well in our community (and as you said, Hispanic & Indian too). This show always presented real situations that most people can identify with. But the positivity of it is that they always remained a close, loving family, despite their ups & downs. There was no buffoonery and that's why I truly loved the show.

[–] mel-o 18 years ago

Do you think they'll be another drama on tv that really lets Black people show that side?
I mean, there are shows with Black sact members (grey's Anatomy), but I dont know if those shows are really going to go as deep as a show like this did with showing those different dynamics.

[–] th3302 18 years ago

I certainly hope so, but I don't see it happening soon. I'm a little tired of shows having black cast members, but not a total black cast. And, I'm speaking of quality shows--not the silly comedies.