"2 Broke Boys"

CBS has a new show, "2 Broke Girls" a series bout two young waitresses struggling to make it in New York City, one with an advanced degree from one of America's most prestigious business schools. Yet both are termed "girls" and neither can get her life in order, moving from silly situation to silly situation. Using that logic, there should be a show about two young African American men struggling to make it in the big city called, "2 Broke Boys."

Our plot is simple and strictly for laughs. These "boys" are waiters that put up with insults heaped upon them as they blunder from situation to situation. Yet despite one of these "boys" holding an advanced degree from one of America's most prestigious business schools, he is still a "boy," not a man, and apparently not able to secure a job other than as a waiter and neither is able to put his life in order. This could be the funniest sitcom since "Amos 'n' Andy." We can call these young African American men "boys" for that can't be discriminatory or insulting any more than calling adult women "girls" is.

Of course words have meaning and can reinforce stereotypes. MSNBC published a 30 year study that found in 2004, a typical U.S. black family had just 58% of the income of a typical white family. That was down from 63% 30 years earlier. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21759075/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/t/income-gap-between-black-white-families-grows/

Black men are rarely referred to as "boy" any more but suffer from discrimination anyway. Electing a "Black" President didn't change that. African American unemployment is America's highest and for those with jobs, promotions to the top are rare. While women make just 77 cents for every dollar a man makes doing the same job and women are regularly passed over for promotions as well. If we as a society want to end discrimination against African American men and against all women, we must start by recognizing them as the adults they are and giving them the respect they deserve.

Dick
Thank you to my friend Jon Barnes for pointing out the logic in these discriminatory practices.