QUESTION #11

“Why Johnny Can’t Dissent” by Thomas Frank and “Black Sitcom Portrayals” by Robin R. Means Coleman are two texts that we read in the semester that expand on my over all topic for the semester. Although my topic was about “construction of indie identity,” I discussed their counter-culture from the mainstream. In “Why Johnny Can’t Dissent,” Frank addresses that concept, while Coleman addresses how Black people are treated like the counter-culture as well and not fully accepted in society. The image of The Black Panther Party is a good example of a different identity from the mainstream and black recognition as being equal in a white society in the 1960s. This connects to Coleman’s article when she talks about how television fails to represent the full achievements and stability of Blacks because there is the assumption that blacks never forget they are from the underclass. The Black Panther Party were televised to fight for their voice and show the world that Blacks were important by the use of military defense. They wanted education, better housing, and full-employment as some of their demands. They didn’t want to be seen as lower class anymore. Also, just like in Franks article when he mentions the word “Revolution” as a catchphrase of the counter-culture and the word “leadership” as bold talk for defying a herd, it relates the Black Panther Party’s identity as Black revolutionists and being leaders in their Black community. Their goal was to defy the white man’s rules and have their goals be met and become just as fair as the white mans’.