Hoagies, Theo and race relations

Footage of cars being flipped over and set on fire just a channel away, and there I was, busy watching my man Theo graduate from NYU. \nNot that I wasn't mad about the acquittal of racist policemen who beat Rodney King, it's just that I was seven. \nPlus, I loved Theo. \nWith his sleeveless sweatshirts and old school British Knights, he was hot stuff. I claimed him as my boo since the day he and Cockroach summarized the history of Julius Caesar in a dope rhyme, complete with beatboxing. \nI just couldn't miss my baby's graduation day.\nSo when the last episode of "The Cosby Show" aired April 30, 1992, I tuned into NBC rather than watching coverage of the LA riots which happened a day before. \nNot much has changed since those days because even as the world swirls in turmoil, I, like many others, still find relief in watching "The Cosby Show." \nWhen the sink's full, there aren't any clean spoons, and we've excused ourselves from washing the dishes because a paper's due in the morning, folks like me still manage to catch the lovable Huxtables on Nick at Nite ... or FOX or TBS, whatever. \nWe don't just watch the show, we re-live the show.\nMan, we just love the show.\nBut why?\nI took a break from my nightly marathon and perused the 'Net to find some reasons. And besides finding a few links to Cosby Show screensavers and ringtones, I found major criticism:\n"A white family in blackface," said some critics, as noted on the Museum of Broadcast Communication's Web site, www.museum.tv.\nSome say "TV's most atypical black family" pushed the movement toward racial equality backward, that "The Cosby Show" wrongfully sells blacks and whites the idea that anybody, regardless of race, can obtain the unattainable American Dream. They also say the show cleanses the consciences of white viewers who might use the Huxtables' success to measure the progress of race relations.\nWho knew watching the Cosby's was so dangerous?\nBetter yet, who knew critics of racial imagery could be so racist?\nI'm most alarmed by statements that criticize "The Cosby Show" for painting an unrealistic portrait of black family life, a doctor father and lawyer mother with five kids: Sondra, married mother of two; Denise, eccentric, aspiring teacher; and Vanessa, Rudy and Theo, who inherit the brunt of Heathcliff and Claire's jewels of wisdom. \nOf course it's not a likely scenario! \nBut neither was "Full House" or "Family Matters." \nThe fact critics say the show's not only unlikely but damn near absurd simply because of the Huxtables' race says a whole lot about how "blackness" is defined by today's standards.\n Was it Claire's collection of black art, Cliff's predilection for jazz, the family's educated friends, the void of cheap furniture and use of standard English that made the Huxtable family less believable -- less black?\n Maybe the Huxtables would have been more believable had they resided next door to the "Good Times" cast. \n As if education, class and opportunity indicate "whiteness," it seems the critics buy into the idea that blackness is defined by struggle, and only struggle.\n"The Cosby Show" didn't spark a race-relations revolution. Instead the show challenged society's limited view of black life.\nIn retrospect, I might have hesitated to choose "The Cosby Show" over LA riots' coverage, but in the end, I still would have chosen Theo. Not because he's my baby but because in a world where racism seems neverending, it's not everyday you see a black man graduate.