Blackness on the Screen

Donald Faison plays a medical surgeon on the comedy show "Scrubs." I feel this character represents the playful black man who is rarely taken seriously and whose presence is dominated by his lightheartedness. Furthermore, he appears to be operating in an environment outside of his racial background given he is pretty much the only African American present in the cast. This integration into a mainly white environment offers a look into those who are accused of losing their "blackness" which happens to be an issue in one of the episodes. The fact he has a white best friend, a Hispanic girlfriend, and his chosen occupation question the credibility of his history as a black man. His sense of humor dominates his personality and he comes across as being one who is present to merely entertain those around him.