In 2018, the world of superhero movies took a necessary shift when Black Panther broke many unexpected records. Black people swarmed to cinemas in support of a movie depicting a kingdom protected by a hero who looked like them.
But this movie was not alone. We have followed the powerful Moroka family on Generations: The Legacy for decades, which has afforded the soap the ability to relate to multiple audiences all while breaking records and setting a very high bar for others in the genre.
The Real Housewives reality series has spurred a whopping number of four productions. In it, each housewife’s life is a depiction of the wealth she has accumulated by herself or with her husband.
It is almost inescapable that almost every successful series or telenovelas in our country follow the world of a rich woman, who dons expensive clothing and has most likely killed a man who is in the way of her journey on the gravy train.
Either way, South Africans love to see black people in positions of power. Whether they are characters like the ground-breaking Dominique Deveraux or game changers like Lesedi on 7de Laan played by singing sensation KB, there is a penchant for seeing wealth.
As more of these shows are becoming successful, there is a contrasting approach from programmes aimed at white audiences. Of late, there has been a growing trend of shows that criticise the wealthy class and seem to praise the hard working proletariat.
Take recent smash hit, Triangle of Sadness. Starring the late actress, Charlbi Dean Kriek, the movie follows the wealthy guests of an exclusive yacht that meet the kind of disaster I would be remiss to spoil if you have not watched it.
A similar approach is taken to the viral sensation The Menu. In this flick, the boujee folk attend a meal served on a secluded island where the chef serves the guests their very last meal in between killing some of them and his staff in the process.
Over the years, woke culture and cancel culture have been birthed in retaliation to how people with privileges including wealth are often dishonest about the systemic advantages they enjoy. These spoils afford them the ability to go untouched and the freedom to not be held accountable. This has created in our very real world toxic work environments, prejudicial treatments in spaces of service and ultimately continues unnecessary class divides.
But while the many people in these class groups are being criticised it puts black people and many others of colour who have been excluded from enjoying wealth in the hot seat as well. If we look down upon the wasteful lives of rich white people, just how much pressure can be applied to black folk who have accessed wealth and want to enjoy it for the first time?
In The Real Housewives franchise, we see many of the spinoffs aimed at white audiences like New York or Beverly Hills with cast members who are embroiled in scandals of money laundering if not jailed as with New Jersey.
On the flip side, their counterparts aimed at black audiences in Housewives of Atlanta, Potomac and even Durban deal with major plot points that include frivolous character assassinations and assimilation into wealthy circles.
In Durban’s Housewives series we saw the positive potential of what can happen when women forego cultural customs that aren’t healthy for them. Black Panther’s sequel has put its characters in the hot seat when it comes to creating spaces for unity. Even the rise of productions like Bel-Air and How to Ruin Christmas have used wealth as a canvas for relatable struggles between different generations of families.
While it might seem necessary for productions aimed at white people where the poor are busy eating the rich, perhaps the success of black cast and crews are the true example of how best to consume media aimed at class politics.
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