v: The action of making African Americans pallitable to a widespread cross-section of white America, with a similar amount of success attained by Bill Cosby's "Cosby Show" (1984-92).
The Cosbification of a TV show will normally depict an upper middle class-to-wealthy black family with one or both parents having a well-paying occupation. The parents have a close relationship which would never be beset by past lovers or baby mamas. The use of Ebonics or other cultural slang would be at a minimum (AKA the maximum allowable by networks other than BET, UPN or The WB).
Past tense: Cosbified
Noun: Cosbification
The Cosbification of a TV show will normally depict an upper middle class-to-wealthy black family with one or both parents having a well-paying occupation. The parents have a close relationship which would never be beset by past lovers or baby mamas. The use of Ebonics or other cultural slang would be at a minimum (AKA the maximum allowable by networks other than BET, UPN or The WB).
Past tense: Cosbified
Noun: Cosbification
That show "Family Matters" appealed to white America because it was a black sitcom, Cosbified by 76%. Aside from the segments which featured mainstream, early nineties rap, and the odd episode where Eddie and Laura encountered racist classmates, the show might as well have been cast with an all-white family.
Do you know how to Cosbify a tv show? Just whiten up the blacks!
Do you know how to Cosbify a tv show? Just whiten up the blacks!
by Birky Teppo March 23, 2009