Years ago, when I was first started watching "A Different World," I didn't know the impact it had on the '80s and '90s. It ended the year I was born, and it began way before I was even thought about by my parents. Reruns would play and I would watch them throughout my life, between middle school and high school. But once I got to college, I really understood what "A Different World" meant to the community of Black people and what we were going through and still are.
It is not just a show about Black people going to an all-Black college, it is more than that. It is about how Black people adapt to the world. How they adapt to being Black and deal with the different aspects of that, while being at a Black college. Simply, dealing with being Black. While wondering what the hell they are going to do with their life because it’s college and who knows what they are going to do with their life until you’re three months’ shy of graduation.
I not only love this show for being based around the Black community, but also because it is a show for me. A show that I can relate to and a show that I can actually say “I understand what is happening, because that has happened to me.” Between the discrimination on the show, and dealing with racism and interracial relationships, I can understand all of it. I wish there were more serious, comedic shows these days that show this kind of world that many people don’t see--that show the struggles of the Black community in a college setting. It is a positive show about Black people, not only getting an education but building a future for themselves. The fact that it is showing that Black people can get an education and go to college and graduate is something I praise this show for.
And, I really wish we had more shows like this. More shows that showed this side of the Black community. We need to show more positive light for Black people. With all the negativity going on in the world, A Different World can make you feel a little less crappy. There are all sorts of different shades of Black on this show: dark-skinned, light-skinned, caramel, chocolate and anything you can think of. It does not discriminate between any shade; it does not prove that one shade is stronger than the other.
One of the characters is also Black and White-privileged and she has never been discriminated against before. One of the episodes is about that and she is discriminated again and she didn’t even know it. She thought it was normal because she is Black. And, that goes to show even if you are rich, or have a sort of White privilege because you are so light you look White, it shows that you also can be discriminated against no matter how much money you have.
This show is one of my favorites and I am currently watching the series over again, even though I have countless times – it never gets old. A show like this... lives on forever.
