Not totally disagreeing, but I think it's the point of the character. Ruckus isn't supposed to be clever; or terribly interesting or influential, or respected by anyone. He's the embodiment of blind racial hatred, and it works exceptionally well. Making him black avoids the total villain status that would happen if he was white. Thereby removing the "love to hate" effect; think JR Ewing or King Joffrey. We're not supposed to care one way or the other about him. He's ineffectual.

by Anonymous 7 months ago

That's literally the point.

by Anonymous 7 months ago

I kinda agree, he has some great moments but is very one note. Honestly I love the show but I really only watch it for Riley lol

by Anonymous 7 months ago

I am not black but I'm a big fan of the show. Each of the main characters is an extreme personification of a different archetype or issue in the black community. Huey is a studious but jaded ex-revolutionary who thinks he can see all the problems clearly but is constantly ignored, so he feels powerless despite trying to make others realize their own power. Riley is prideful ignorance and its consequences (pointedly, his actions often drag huey along with him). Ruckus is internalized racism and the inferiority complex resulting from centuries of inequality, he's ugly and intrusive yet persistent. Tom values success and being a good citizen. He cares for his community but feels disconnected from it because others may see him as "not black enough". Every aspect of his character reflects this (white wife, high-prestige job, lightskinned, exceedingly formal clothing choices). Granddad is a tough one for me to explain, I guess he's kind of a "ghetto snob" (reminds me of the mom in that one episode of everybody hates chris) with the way he is always trying to ingratiate himself to wealthy or important people, but there's definitely a bit more to his character that I'm having a hard time identifying at the moment.

by Anonymous 7 months ago

I am not black. But I think of most characters in that show as foils to Huey's perspective — and while Uncle Ruckus was kind of an extreme representation of a certain mindset, most every character was an extreme representation of some stereotype. I think the point was not to give the Ruckus stereotype a spotlight, but to interact that with Huey to explore where the ideological lines really fall when met with reason. I don't really want to assert my perspective as true, but it was my takeaway, and I enjoyed the show and would like to think I'm somewhat more aware because of it.

by Anonymous 7 months ago

> I agree every character is a stereotype. Ruckus just isn't as cleverly done as the others, for me. He rarely gets much of a response out of anyone after a monologue, so I see it more as he is supposed to be funny based off the crazy stuff he says, rather than how Huey or the others respond to him.

by Anonymous 7 months ago

He isnt supposed to be taken seriously. Its self hating, its egregious, its off the walls, but its the bs stuff you have to face sometimes. When they go into his backstory, his mom literally telling ruckus that he was a white kid who got reverse michael jackson disease, he hated his skin because his father treated him poorly, so he viewed it as being judged by getting a disease and not being his kid, when in fact, that was his dad. His view was so warped by his early childhood he just embraced it. He claims black people are lazy and unintelligent, but as a black person he has dozens of jobs and holds skills and knowledge to do them all. He is his own way of disproving his theories, but he still believes in the disease and thus is blind to his success. It is a stereotype, but its one flipped on its head and used as a catalyst for stories or a voice for the dissenting opinion. The writers are quite intelligent, so if you really want to make claims like this, you have to look into satirical analysis and how to breakdown characters core themes and traits. You only saw the surface level because you were distract by other things going on.

by Anonymous 7 months ago

Sounds like the monkey is talking 👴🏿

by Anonymous 7 months ago

This is heresy !

by Anonymous 7 months ago


by Anonymous 7 months ago