The Cosby Show

In 1984, Bill Cosby started a tv show called the The Cosby Show. It was the first time that black americans were represented as an upper middle class family on tv. From its inception it was tremendously popular. Not just with black people but all types of races, and not only here in the united states but worldwide. For its first five seasons it was the highest in ratings, averaging over 50 million viewers at its height. Bill Cosby's talent for comedic timing was a big part of its success but its core family values is what really drove in its wide appeal.
The cosby show focused on the children as much as it focused on the parents. It was an atmosphere in which each complimented the other. The children weren't neglected by the parents, they talked out there problems and never had to feel completely isolated. Every episode had moral message but it was fun, exciting and it brought a familiarity that you could identify with in some way. It wasn't just as if it were a BLACK FAMILY but just a family. This was Bill Cosby's mission from the beginning and it very much lasted till the last episode which was Theo's graduation. Symbolically, it couldn't have been a much more appropriate occasion. After graduation you should go on to bigger and better things, a beginning to a bright future. This show made way for other family based shows like family matters and the fresh prince of bel-air, where once again we saw how important the concept of family is. But as we know the dynamic has changed.
All of this talk about family has me thinking about where the core values of family has gone. I understand that these were tv shows but I look around and see so many families torn apart. Parents that don't talk to their kids, or even worse don't even know where their kids are. The divorce rate is up at an all time high. The single parent used to be something of a rarity but now it isn't uncommon for it at all.The Cosby family is an ideal view of what I think family should be and I'm starting to think that the majority no longer believe in that type of family, which I feel is a shame.