Andre hates his son because he's not man enough?

 A show that I'd like to discuss is Blackish. It does a great job of showing the dynamic of a black family in America and the loops and tricks that they have to go through, as a black upper-middle-class family in all-white areas whether that being in their neighborhood, work, school, or just their lives in general.

I'd like to focus on the men in this family. In the family, there are five men we follow. It's Andre, Junior     ( Andre Jr.), Jack, Pops, and baby Devante.  I'd like to talk about the dynamic between Andre (the FATHER) and his eldest son Junior. There are many moments where his son challenges toxic black masculinity with their father. The dynamic between Andre and his eldest son Junior would have you questioning how could he possibly love him if one of his main tasks is antagonizing Junior in any way possible about his manliness.

 Andre grew up in Compton, LA in case you didn't know was the hood in Los Angeles and if you aren't from there..no it is not your vacation spot or somewhere that you leave the car unlocked in the driveway...or where you wanna wear the wrong colors...( just don't wear any red or any blue, if you don't wanna be questioned "where you stay at"). He grew up in a low-income household, a single black mother, in and out father's presence home. while his son Junior like all his kids were raised in Sherman Oaks, goes to private school, in a two-parent home, and didn't have to struggle for anything of material value or necessity like food.

The way Andre has grown up his idea of masculinity is warped and almost set in stone. In one episode he cried and his mother told " Grown men don't cry, especially fathers...if you're going to cry, go cry in the closet and shake it off.."; that should give you a good understanding of how his idea of masculinity was formed. Unlike Andre, Junior is the opposite of his father, he's sensitive, kinda feminine, nerdy, and a mother who encourages him to feel his emotions. Dre doesn't really like that and questions his son constantly and makes it clear his distaste for Junior. Andre feels like Junior isn't doing enough to perpetuate his blackness or his manliness and it scares him because, in his mind, he feels that society will eat Junior up and spit him out and he fears for his son which is why he does what he does to toughen him up. 

Andre is constantly othering Junior, he doesn't miss a chance to point out how Junior is different from him and the other men of the family. Anytime his wife brings him up, he'll name his other sons before landing on Junior with an incredulous look on his face that's almost asking "Are you serious?". When talking about his other two sons, he brings Junior up but in a negative way; saying " Do you want them to end up like Junior?" 

Even the other children have the same thoughts of Junior and his manliness and don't necessarily take him seriously at all. 

Junior is only seen to have value when he assimilates his father's idea of manliness or blackness.  An example would be in an episode when Junior finally gets a gold chain, Andre embraces him and says " Now I can finally claim you" because Junior did something that in his eyes is a right of passage for a black man in America, getting their first chain...

Andre is usually the enforcer of stereotypical black masculinity, and he does it not really knowing any better because it's truly all he's been taught and all he knows. While Junior has to endure and prove to be secure in himself, and even show his father in some ways that his practices are outdated and that he's doing more. harm than good to himself. Which is usually the running theme in episodes centered around Andre and Junior. In the final season of the show, Andre, Pops (his father), and Junior go on Guy's trip because Pops is tired of watching Andre and  Junior not acting like "men" and basking in their despair of emotions and wants them to take the trip to get their act together and get their manliness back. 

Well in a particular scene, Junior was chopping wood and soon began to cry and Pops and Andre were inside watching. Pops then looked at Andre and told him that what Junior is crying about is not acceptable for him to cry about on this trip and sends Andre outside to straighten Junior out. Dre goes outside and begins to talk to Junior but Junior finally has a moment where he just can't take his father's judgment and challenges his father to stare into his eyes and finally "see him" for 30 seconds, In doing so, Andre himself begins to cry and realizes what he had been doing to his son and finally apologized and understood his son for the first time ever. Andre then, in turn, challenges his father to do the same with him. At first, Pops rejected it, but then soon confides in his son and grandson that he had only seen his father cry once and it had stirred something that never wanted to experience that strong of emotion ever but he himself soon begin to cry after finally understanding that it was okay to let his guard down.

The show black-ish has done so much for countering toxic masculinity and I hope this blog encourage you to explore this show.