Chapter 55 Summary

Chapter 55, "Critiquing Reality-Based Televisual Black Fatherhood: A Critical Analysis of Run's House and Snoop Dogg's Father Hood," by Debra C. Smith analyzes the stereotypical beliefs of Black families and father hood.  The chapter starts by critiquing The Cosby Show, the first show with an all-Black cast that avoided stereotyping.  This show exemplified a well off black family that had happy endings, family values, stability, and good parenting.  This show contradicted what society stereotyped black families, such as having limited education,  growing up with single mothers, and living in unsafe neighborhoods.  Although The Cosby Show was fictional, the show portrayed Black families optimistically and modeled good examples for Black children and father hood.  After The Cosby Show broke the ice for the normalized black nuclear family, two other Black families have been brought to the media in the twenty-first century to act as examples for non-stereotypical images of African American families and father hood, Run's House and Snoop Dogg's Father Hood.  These two families are on reality television and give two different perceptions of Black parenting for rap music artists.  The Run's House father, Joseph Simmons, is beyond the gangster, irresponsible lifestyle and encourages his family to resolve conflicts by having family discussions as well as talking with a therapist.   Simmons embraces religion and respect in his household.  He also coaches his children through the obstacles they encounter throughout their young adult years.  The Simmons family provides a realistic upper class Black family example to the media.  On the other hand, Snoop Dogg and his family represent real day to day activity with a different parenting style than Cosby and Simmons.  Snoop is a father from the 'hood and connects to working class black cultural institutions, food, and environments.  He also does not discipline his children in an authoritative way but rather a laidback style and has his wife run the show.  Although Snoop encourages his children to be diligent in school and to respect their family history, he fails as an authoritarian.  Smith states, "despite his laidback parenting style, most viewers have a positive reaction to Father Hood" (Smith 531).  The show still brings lessons of Black family success, humor, and harmony.  I believe all of the television shows above teach a lesson and allow society to break the stereotypes of Black fathers.  Simmons, Snoop, and Cosby all demonstrate family loving values and give viewers an idea of what it is like to raise a Black family in different styles.