In 2005, Aaron McGruder created perhaps the most intriguing/entertaining cartoon that has ever been on television. The Boondocks was a show that was edgy, politically sound, funny, and all around relatable for people of many walks of life.
Characters from the show represent the different types of people that we see in society and the show's ability to touch on real life. Huey and Riley are two kids aged 10 and 8 respectively that have moved to the suburbs of what many to believe to be a fictional town in Illinois with their grandfather. Characters such as Tom and others in the show get into crazy situations, and in most episodes Huey serves as the only voice of reason as people scramble like chickens with their heads cut off to change their situations.
Riley is only 8 but sadly the show highlights the fact that he is a representation of many people in society with his lack of respect for authority, ignorance to what's going on in the world around him, and his unchanging attitude. While the show never shows the children age it can be seen that people in the real world age and never change their attitudes either.
In the show, real life incidents with regards to public figures such as Kim Kardashian, R. Kelly, Barack Obama, Tyler Perry, Rosa Parks, Fleece Johnson, and Martin Luther King Jr. The show features many unpopular views on touchy topics such as the 9/11 attacks, the swine flu, BET, and prison.
With such a wide array of topics and angles that the show has, there is bound to be something that people can relate to from the show as well as some insight into issues in the black community. For many people, the show "says what people are thinking and are too afraid to say or are unable to say". Like all great shows, The Boondocks has faced harsh criticism as people see the show as a blessing and a curse. The same cutting edge humor that makes the show great is also what people see as being controversial. If you have not already seen at least one episode of the 4 season, put it on your bucket list. This show will change your life and the way you view cartoons as a whole. The show will have you re-watching old cartoons to see what hidden messages you have missed.
