Why are Black Sons Written as Stupid in Television sitcoms?

I have been bingeing on TV sitcoms lately. Thanks to HULU, streaming shows such as Family Matters and Living Single, the number of hours one can spend on nostalgia are endless. I can not get enough.

Tonight, Family Matters is my choice for programming. I have watched through almost 7 episodes thus far. I can not help but notice a common theme: Eddy Winslow is dumb. This a common trope in film and television the stupid son in the family sitcom. But, there are too many occurrences in television that have

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Actually, this happens a lot.

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JJ from the Jeffersons was dumb, inable to pass grade school, terrible at counting, and always “messing up.”

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Andre Johnson Jr. and Jack of Blackish have only just seen minor changes in the development of their characters. During the first seasons, Jr. was just another dumb son that understood much of nothing and was the target of initial harsh criticism from his father.

Jack Johnson (right) is the second half of the fraternal twins on ABC’s Blackish . I have such a soft spot for Jack, he just seems like a little guy with a mushy heart. It is unfortunate to see Jack be the butt of so many of his twin sister’s, Diane, joke and taunting.

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The son from Sanford and Son, also known as “Dummy” is another character constantly reminded of his inability to succeed from his nagging father.

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Perhaps the cutest and favorite of television’s black sons, Theo Huxtable was a C-average student and a complete fool with the ladies. Theo’s character was not permitted to show any intelligence until the latter years of the sitcom.

Television sitcoms carry many different tropes. These tropes are the typical character-type we find such as bossy brunette, angry black woman, ditzy blonde, and talking non-human which is usually best friend of the main character.