By Dr. Janice Kelly and Kenneth Braswell
Last month was the finale of ‘Everybody Hates Chris,’ as I reflect back we realized that Julius Rock played by Terry Crews reminded me of a familiar TV character from my youth, James Evans the father on Good Times (played by John Amos). Before we identify the differences between the two characters in terms of parenting style, we want to explain why we said it is the end of a TV character. Since the 1950s we had a number of working class fathers on television, but as the years went on we saw less and less images on television of the working class father who played the strong, hard-working, determined and dignified character.
Frequently blue collar fathers on television are seen as incompetent or as buffoons. Both James Evans and Julius Rock were not the prototypical working class fathers on family situational comedy. These fathers were anything but inept, rarely were they the center of the humor or acted as if they were one of the children. No, these two fathers bought dignity to the working class father. This is not to say that the shows did not have their share of humor, they did, but the fathers were not concern with making their audience laugh. One might hesitate to say that about the fathers on The House of Payne, The Browns, Family Guy or The Simpsons.
Image of Working Class Fathers
For the past 50 years, the entertainment industry has tarnished the image of working class fathers and some media critics have said this was intentionally done so that TV viewers would subconsciously strive for middle class values and occupations. Yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 45% of Americans are working class and as the middle class continues to shrink we will see more families identified under this label. 16.9% of African-Americans and 17.92 of Hispanic families are unemployed so to see a father trying to struggle for employment as James Evans did or watch Julius work at times work two jobs isn’t a stretch of the imagination. 34% of Americans are finding the need to work a second part-time job in order to make ends meet.
These fathers showed their concern for the survival and stability of their families as well as real frustration of trying to remain employed or seeking out employment. These shows made us understand the struggles of our urban fathers better as they came home from being emotionally abused by the system. James Evans so clearly expressed these pains of masculine pride in a number of his episodes. Even Julius was often concerned with how he was going to pay his bills with just one job. Many working class fathers; and we might add; mothers find themselves having to compensate by adding on paper routes (for example).
There were some downsides to these characters as well, as you seldom saw them laugh and in more times than not, they walked around with a frown in comparison to middle class fathers like Damon Wayne’s character (Michael Kyle, “My Wife and Kids”) who seem to have more reason to laugh on the show.
The Parenting Style
But what distinguished James Evans from Julius Rock are their parenting styles. In the 1970s, it was the norm to see a character like James Evans who used authoritarian style of parenting. He expected absolute obedience and rules were non-negotiable. His children knew they had to obey him; evident by his famous line “because I say so.” He was the breadwinner and disciplinarian. Remember; all Mr. Evans had to do was grab or touch is belt and the children knew he meant business.
But this is not the case for Julius Rock, the gentle giant. His fathering style was a blend of democratic and authoritarian styles. Yes, he believed in enforcing the rules, but there was warmth and sensitivity behind his decisions. His voice was gentle most of the time and he explained the reasons for the punishment indicating the complexity and evolution of the blue collar Dad.
There is a lot to learn from these similar, yet contrasting urban fathers. Reasons that media and the broader public must find ways to honor and celebrate. As Terry Crews (aka Julius Rock) goes on to play a different type of dad on his new family show “Are We There Yet?” We celebrate and applaud his contribution to the new working class urban father. This new role is slightly different where he plays a somewhat goofy stepfather; we understand we can’t expect every show depicting fatherhood in urban families to be serious and stern. But we must always be mindful of who will be the next dignifying working class father representing fatherless families through the lenses of television?
About the Authors
Dr. Janice Kelly is an assistant professor of communication and family research. Her research on A Comparison of Prime-Time Situation Comedy Fathers and Real-Fathers on Involvement, Communication and Affection has appeared in USA Today, Big Apple Parenting Magazine and other family-oriented conferences. She is the co-producer along with N.Y.S. Fatherhood Initiative of the documentary “Perceptions of Fathers in the Media: In Search of the Ideal Father.”
Mr. Kenneth Braswell is the author of “When the Tear Won’t Fall” One Man’s Journey through the Intimate Struggle of Manhood and Fatherhood. He is also a national expert and sought after speaker in the field of Responsible Fatherhood, Mentoring, Parenting, Spirituality, Motivation/Self Improvement and Community Development. Mr. Braswell as appeared in Essence, Gospel Today, Capital District Parent Pages, Times Union and several other media outlets.
