Why 'Black Jesus' is Better than Wh... Why 'Black Jesus' is Good, and Good For You.

"Jesus was Black, Ronald Reagan was the Devil, and the government is lying about 9/11" - Huey Freeman, 'The Garden Party'

In 2012, I was living in South Austin with my girlfriend, a buddy of mine, and his girlfriend.  Things typically ran smooth - chores were done, the rent was on time, and we could agree on what to watch in the living room.  We went out together, ate together, had parties where we had over large, diverse groups.  It was what you want in your early-20's home life.

Black man in college.  To some, this may as well be a unicorn.

At least, this was the case for 3 of us.  I wouldn't call my roommate's girlfriend a bitch.  Because that's only one word, and I need sooooooo many more.  She wasn't sociable - she preferred to keep to herself, didn't really want to be included in plans, or conversation, or meals.  She was just kind of around.  Now, her circumstance, and her disposition weren't all her fault.  She was born in Mexico, and had only lived in the States for a few years.  From what I gathered, she wasn't very fond of people that weren't of Hispanic descent.  I've been accused of jumping to conclusions before, but I think I was fairly on the money here.

Like History?  Like Geography?  Well, ya see...

Once, we were all in the living room talking, and the subject of school came up.  My girlfriend is a few years younger than I am, and she was still finishing her undergrad.  We were all talking about classes we'd taken, and she asked "Cameron, you went to college?"  We all just kind of looked at each other.  I said "yeah, I graduated in 2008.  Why would you assume I didn't go to college?"  Her response was one of shock, and a little embarrassment. "Well, i knew she was in college, I just didn't know you had gone too."

"Our rent isn't cheap, and Ed and I are the only one's working.  What do you think I do when I leave here?"

"Well, I didn't think you worked at a gas station or anything..."

So that's how that living situation pretty much went.  I guess when you see Black people in life that aren't like the Black people you see on TV, it can be a bit of a shock.  So one day, I'm cruising YouTube, looking for 'The Boondocks' clips.  By this time, we'd all watched the first few seasons forwards, backwards, and any other type of way.  Well a search yielded something called 'Black Jesus' with show/strip creator Aaron McGruder's name attached.  What followed were some of the funniest skits I'd ever come across.  'Black Jesus' is a satirical play on the Bible's portrayal of the aforementioned character in the New Testament.  The "water into wine, hanging out with the dregs of society" Jesus people read about, but have trouble accepting, or emulating.  Black Jesus talks like he's from around the way.  He spends time with those that would seem to truly need his help.  He plans cookouts.  He provides liquor for parties.  He gets people out of jams that could lead to their undoing.  Crazy, right?

FINE GRAPES.

You can imagine how upset this made my roommate's girlfriend.  "This is offensive, and it's sacrilege!" she exclaimed as she left the room.  "I don't see how you can watch this!"  I tried to explain to her that if you pay attention, he's just doing the things Jesus was said to do, but in a different day, a different environment.  But what I've learned about religion - people cling to certain aspects, and totally ignore others (like living with your boyfriend when you aren't married, but getting mad at comedy skits).  Which isn't to say we don't all have some of that in us.  It's just that when you try to have a rational conversation about interpretation, someone has to pop off with their emotions about why you can't be right.

He's not finished with me yet.

Thank God he broke up with her.  She didn't get jokes.

Fast forward to 2014.  We were treated to a half baked, poorly produced, UNFUNNY fourth season of 'The Boondocks' that Aaron McGruder was not a part of.  Boy, did it show.  Even though his creation didn't hold up, he was able to secure a deal with Adult Swim to produce a full fledged "Black Jesus" sitcom.  People already want it gone.  That's understandable, as we can't even agree of what Jesus looks like, let alone how to show he was more than a man, but less than Superman.  Even in the trailer, it was made clear that there are characters that will doubt him being, well, the son of God, which is why saying IT'S JOKES FOLKS! will hopefully hold up against the blind rage of people that call anything they didn't come up with, or their parents didn't tell them, an abomination.

Not a stretch.  Not a stretch at all.

My suggestion?  Like any other TV show, give the thing a chance, and if it's not for you, be able to express why without sounding like an ex-girlfriend with no real life experience.  It's a big world out here people.  Have a look!

'Black Jesus' premieres tonight, 8/7/14, at 11pm ET on Adult Swim.