Analysis of ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ by Chris Rock

‘Everybody Hates Chris’ is a comedy program created by Chris Rock, that is founded on the life of a teenage boy living in Brooklyn, New York in a typical family of a father, mother and two younger siblings. The teenager attempts to survive the difficult living situation that he is in, most especially being an only black kid in a white school. Chris has struggles both at home and also at school where by all the issues that he face are normal for teenagers that are living in the same environment as his.

Chris as the main character in the show is presented as a strong character that is able persevere every criticism that he faces in his life and he beats the odds of his society that have low perception of the black community. Chris always struggles hard to try and fit in with his peers but this never works out and he always finds himself a victim of circumstances. At school, he is discriminated against being the only black kid in his school, the teachers and the other white students look perceive him as a stranger that do not deserve to associate with them because of his ethnicity. He however beats this odd and he is termed to be one of the most intelligent students because his academic performance is exceptional.

 At home, he has his own challenges that he is faced with, being the oldest child in his family and with his parents busy working, Chris is responsible of his younger siblings and he is always expected to make important decisions that ensure that his siblings are safe and that everything at home is running well when his parents are out working. Though Chris lives a difficult life, he is a disciplined boy and way too smart for middle school and the white community that looks down on him, he always confronts his problems with wit and this is what contributes to his success at the end.

The play helps to bring out the social problems that are faced by the society at that time and this mainly reference to racism. The character of Chris as a black child in a white community help to portray the racist ideology that is common in the society where the blacks are always discriminated over the whites. When he is at school, Chris is always the first suspect whenever something wrong has been done even without any evidence. The teaches that are expected to be the equality agents, educating students in school about the negative effects of racism do not in any way help make life better for him and they are instead the promoters of this racism ideology. This is the sad ideology that is in the real world society where the black community is always associated with criminal activities and a black man cannot freely walk around at night without attracting unnecessary attention.

The film in general helps to bring out the issues that are always faced by the black community in the society; this is a community that has to always work extra hard to prove themselves and to try and get equal opportunities. The black community does not have the privilege of being granted equal opportunities when it comes to education, housing and even health care. The black schools that are available are not well equipped and this is the main reason as to why Chris has to travel far from his home to attend a white school so that he can get the best education.

The show also helps in bringing to light the issues that the young people face most especially the marginalized groups. They have to deal with bullying which greatly contributes to their lowered self-esteem and also to their poor academic performance. Chris was brutally bullied at his school with no one to help him out, not even the teachers all because he was from a different ethnicity and from a lower social status. This affected his love for school and his general academic performance causing him to always get low grades. Chris is just a representation of the bullying problems that are always faced by teenagers and they always have to find a way to deal with the issue on their own without any guidance and this have a negative effect on their lives.

This show help in presenting gender roles in the society where the men have the major role of taking care of their families by proving for them. This is presented by the role that Chris’s father Julius plays at their home; he has to work multiple jobs in order to financially provide for his family. Chris’s mother Rochelle is a representative of women in the show, she is a hardworking modern woman who is not restricted to traditional female roles. She is a working class woman who contributes into the family’s finances and also does her role of taking care of her husband and children. She is a strict disciplinarian and she greatly insists on the importance of attaining good education for Chris and his younger siblings. She can be described as a stereotype black woman who shows the frustrations, pride and also joy of being a working class black wife and a mother. Though these two parents are strict with the children most especially Chris, they still care so much for them and this is why they try all their best to give them the best education and life that they can.

I like this show mostly because it is humorous and it is very easy to relate to the jokes in the show but it is also very educative in nature. Chris’s family is a just like any normal family that is trying to survive life with the little that they have. It is a great family show that everyone can watch and get entertained; the show is effective in delivering the message of racism and also bullying in the society. These are two issues that are very common in the contemporary society, and they are always ignored without consideration on the effects that they have on the victims. The showcase of these issues in the show greatly helps in educating the society on the importance of equality which can greatly help the society’s mind-set on these people ideologies. As compared to all the other family shows that are available, I find ‘Everybody Hates Chris’, as the most interesting family appropriate show, it is a show that can help bring a family together for a laughing session every once in a while. This is a show that everyone should find and watch