Hey everyone, I wanted to cross post this video that Dapperton posted to his new channel Dapps.
So go and check that out.
He did a review of the '70s show Good Times, which I loved growing up.
If you don't know what it is, it was this groundbreaking sitcom.
It was a family sitcom, but it was about a black family in the Chicago projects
and it was just, so just...
groundbreaking, it broke so many rules as a sitcom and broke, uh, put so many...
so many issues to the public attention, and it was great. So apparently,
Netflix has a new animated version which bears
absolutely, no resemblance to Good Times, apparently, other than the name. So...
As Dapps points out in this video,
It's a poor, they're a poor family,
but the show is really about optimism and resilience,
about yeah, they're poor, but they can still have their lives, they have each other, they have...
They they have each other and they, they, and he shows some clips from that, that hows where they're going with that.
But it's real, I think it says it all, there's one lyric in the theme song that says, it's:
"Keeping your head above water Making a wave when you can"
And that's what it i.sYyou're in this terrible position,
you can still strive and push and move forward.
And one of the things they did
in the original was complain about racial stereotypes,
the way they were portrayed in TV and movies.
And from the clips, tt looks like this Netflix series is relying on those very same racial stereotypes
that the original fought against. So yeah, what's up with that?
And
The original
really really complained about what government was doing to them. The Chicago projects...
It's also called the ghetto.
This was "affordable housing." "We're going to make affordable housing for blacks!"
And it was really just, really kind of integration.
It was a place, "This is where we can put our black people, you know, so they won't bother the rest of us."
And they did several episodes dealing specifically with that,
but it was always there in just the, the environment where they lived.
They also complained about Social Security,
about how it really held back blacks,
and also welfare payments, things like that,
and how it would just stifle their ability to have a better economic life
and how Minimum Wage made it hard to find jobs
Because they couldn't demand the bigger, higher wages, and so other people got those jobs.
All sorts of things. It's a wonderful series. Absolutely wonderful series.
Personally, I think it jumped the shark after they got rid of John Amos,
But for those first years at least, it was really really good.
So here's the video over on the DAPS channel.
Remember to go there and subscribe. Hope you enjoy it. We'll see you next time.
Good Times: a name that evokes memories of a groundbreaking sitcom from the 1970s
known for breaking stereotypes
and showcasing the resilience of a working-class African-American family.
But now there's a new incarnation of Good Times on Netflix in town.
How does it compare? Let's take a closer look.
In the '70s version of Good Times, we met the Evans family: James, Florida, J.J., Thelma, and Michael.
They weren't just characters. They were multi-dimensional individuals with dreams,
aspirations, and a fierce determination to overcome the odds.
Going through enough changes for both of us! James....
- I was laid off. - I said I don't wanna
hear no more about it! I want to talk about it no more!
James you haven't heard a thing I said.
I said I don't want to talk about no more here!
James!
I was fired.
I mean you just start working there!
People just not spending as much money as they used to and the stores had to cut back.
Yeah, while they was cutting back, they was playing our song, huh?
"Last Hired First Fired Blues."
it all happened so quick
By the time I got over the shock of it, I went out and bought that cake.
I thought, we'll bring a little joy into the house.
After we sang the blues.
That was a wonderful thought, baby.
Just wonderful.
I'm sorry I did all that hollerin' and screamin'.
Oh, you had to get it off your chest.
Yeah, but I didn't have to put it on your back.
It's all right. Forget about it, James.
Cake winner, breadwinner, baby, You're just a plain winner.
Oh...
Thanks, honey, but I gotta tell you I'm worried.
About what?
With you just having a part-time job, but
I Wonder how we gonna make it.
Relax, baby. We make it the same way we always have:
Somehow.
But in the new Good Times, the focus seems to be on reinforcing negative stereotypes:
Poverty, disability checks, food stamps.
These are not the only aspects of black life,
yet they are disproportionately highlighted.
And then there's the drug-dealing baby,
a shocking portrayal that strays far from the original message of hope and resilience.
Yes, the state called and they want to cut you a disability check for your face.
Hold up! You can get paid for that?
This is from a fool who stares at his orange juice every morning.
It says "concentrate" on the box. Who the dummy now?
Shit, me for not wearing a condom.
Junior's repeating the tenth grade for the third time.
Is there anything you can suggest to help him get to the drive-thru?
Can you do OnlyFans?
Take off your shoes. Let me see what kind of feet you working with.
At least ain't got that drug-dealing baby under my roof no more.
Man, my mouth ready for some milk right now.
What about the struggle?
We're black. It'll be here tomorrow
Wait a minute. The Baby? Little Baby? And Baby Baby?
Too many babies around this crib.
the original Good Times challenged stereotypes.
It tackled real issues faced by black families in America,
while also celebrating their strengths and triumphs.
It was a beacon of hope and representation in a landscape filled with negativity and misconceptions.
I swore the sun rose and set on you.
Sure missed out on a lot of fun together
Jimmy, I missed over 35 years without a son.
And me without a father.
Well, it's too late now.
And neither one of us ever get it back.
Yes, I know.
And this is a hell of a time to admit a mistake.
Yes, I've been stubborn, and
full of foolish pride.
And after all this time,
I had some gall coming in here and calling you "son."
So I, maybe I gave up that right a long, long time ago.
So I guess I best be shoving off.
Oh...
Look here. We got, um...
some birthday cake and stuff.
I mean, you here. You might as well stay for the party.
You sure you want me to stay?
You was always one saying don't never waste no food, wasn't you?
Y'all can get on with your birthday business.
My, uh...
He, uh...
We got company.
Don't forget to make a wish!
Honey, what'd you wish?
All right...
I guess I wish for another hundred years to
make up for the ones that me and, um...
...pop lost.
In essence, the difference between the two Good Times is clear:
one broke stereotypes while the other reinforces them.
As viewers, we have the power to demand better representation,
to support stories that uplift and inspire
rather than perpetrate harmful misconceptions.
Because in the end, Good Times should be more than just laughs.
It should be about dignity, resilience, and enduring the spirit of the human experience.