I suppose after thirty plus years of watching television I should be used to some things. Unfortunately, no matter how many shows I watch or how many years go by, I still get annoyed by the fact that the black guy has to be the first to die no matter what show it is. For some reason (most likely lack of anything else to watch) I ended up watching One Tree Hill (yuck) last night. As far as I can see, there are only two black people on the show and probably in the entire town. A basketball coach (of course) and a younger member of the basketball team (go figure). The student goes into a gas station and unwittingly walks in on a robbery where the thief has already killed the store clerk. All I could do was shake my head. Not in surprise, you see, for I already know that on a show where there is one person who stands out, that character will most likely be the first to die. So, the next episode’s trailer shows all the sad white folks going to the boy’s funeral. I don’t even know why I let it bother me anymore. I should be completely used to it, but it still seems unfair. There are, however, ways one can tell the black guy is going to die so that one can avoid watching in the first place:
1)He is the only black person on the show. This means there is no one with which to pair him up (it happens sometimes but is highly unlikely they will pair him up with the white woman).
2)He is a rough around the edges thug in a town full of middle to upper-middle-class white folks who take him on as a charity case.
3)He is needed in order for the high school or college team to win the championship (after the big game, there is no longer a need for his presence so he may as well get killed).
If you, like me, are tired of Melvin always being the first to die, watch for these signs and avoid further annoyance.
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