The conversation around diversity has been intensifying lately, making everyone think about its importance in all areas of life. One recent topic of discussion? The iconic 90s sitcom Friends.
Quinta Brunson, known for her role in Abbott Elementary, recently pointed out Friends for its lack of diversity. While hosting Saturday Night Live, Brunson used her monologue to highlight the absence of Black characters in the beloved show.
Brunson contrasted the diversity on Abbott Elementary, which features the lives of teachers in a predominantly Black, state-funded elementary school in Philadelphia, with the noticeable lack of diversity on Friends. The difference was strikingly evident.
With her well-known wit, she joked: “I wanted to be on SNL back in the day, but the audition process seemed long – so instead, I just created my own TV show, made sure it became really popular, won a bunch of Emmys, and then got asked to host. So much easier, so much easier.”
While the audience chuckled, the underlying point was clear. Brunson continued, “It’s a network sitcom like, say, Friends. Except, instead of being about a group of friends, it’s about a group of teachers. Instead of New York, it’s in Philadelphia, and instead of not having Black people, it does.”
Her playful commentary sparked serious reflection, even from Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman. Kauffman has publicly expressed embarrassment over the show’s lack of diversity and pledged $4 million to support African and African-American studies at a university.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” Kauffman admitted. “Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago.”
She added, “It took me a long time to begin to understand how I internalized systemic racism. I’ve been working really hard to become an ally, an anti-racist. And this seemed to me to be a way that I could participate in the conversation from a white woman’s perspective.”
The discussion around diversity is far from over, but it’s clear that the conversation has advanced—even for a cherished sitcom like Friends.
On a very cold night, a rich man outside met a homeless old man.
On one very cold night, a rich man met a homeless old man outside. The millionaire stopped and asked him: “I see you don’t have a winter coat, you’re not cold”? The old man looked at him for a long time and then replied: “I don’t, but I’m used to it.” The rich man, astonished by the answer he received, said to him: “Wait for me! I’m going into my house now and I’m going to bring you a thick coat to keep you warm at night.
The old man lit up his face and happily told him that he would not leave and would wait for him there. The rich man entered the house but forgot the promise made to the old man.
In the morning, when he awoke, he remembered the poor man and went out quickly to look for him. Unfortunately, the old man had died because of the cold. The millionaire found a note left by the old man. “When I didn’t have thick clothes, I had the strength to fight the cold weather, because I was used to it, but when you promised to help me, I attached myself to your promise and that took my strength. to resist. ”
MORAL: Promise nothing, never, not even love, if you can’t keep your promise. For you, it may not mean anything, but it could mean everything to someone else! Please go and Share this amazing story to your story on facebook. Thank you.
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