The idea is to provide a sense of racial well-being in a white audience, while giving black audiences a stake in the show. That’s all. Nothing more is required of the Negro sidekick. They don’t have to be a very good actor as they are primarily just a prop.
They need to be non-stereotypical as this will remove any negative feelings the black part of the audience will have. It doesn’t matter that a black person with a college degree and who does not speak perpetually in thick Ebonics will seem fake. Better bland than offensive.
The two will also have to really good friends. Almost to the point of seeming a little too friendly, if you know what I mean. Childhood friends is best. That way it feels more real, like this can really happen. It’s cute when you see black kids and white kids playing together. It’s like Martin Luther King’s dream took a shotgun and blew a pathway out of his skull. It’s so cute that you have to take note of it, which shows that on top of being cute it’s also pretty rare.
They have to be sober. The straight man. Part of this is the fact that America TV does not think black people can be funny without also being stereotypical. I say “American TV”, but it’s probably reflecting the tastes of America in general. I have already pointed out that the idea is to create a character cannot be a racist stereotype. The only other thing, they can be is the stalwart and somewhat humorless individual who is used as canvas for all of the zany antics of the white guy.
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