On the surface, the concept of "Jessie" would be the promotion of acceptance of diversity and overcoming prejudice. The setup is that of a rich couple who has adopted children of varying ethnicities, and how they are taken care of by a small-town-girl in a big-city archetype, the titular Jessie.
However, this concept is immediately over-ridden by the show's reliance on stereotypes and the nasty attitudes of many of its characters.
Emma is white, blond, ditzy, and materialistic. Ravi is Indian, teaches Yoga, eats sandwiches made of nothing but bread and hot peppers, and is occasionally the butt of jokes regarding unpronounceable Indian words. Zuri is black, a lazy schemer, who tries to avoid schoolwork and responsibilities. Luke is the only Ross child that doesn't seem to be based on stereotypes, as he is self-confident and honestly a good dancer, and overall, one of the least offensive characters as far as his overall personality is concerned; however, he is incredibly annoying at times.
This is bad enough, and it only gets worse. Many of the jokes revolve around disgust at people's physical traits and the ongoing insults towards various stereotypes. Agatha, a bit character, is continually derided by all characters over her appearance, as she has huge warts on her face and a huge snaggletooth. She is also supposed to be British. Another character, whose name escapes me, is a stereotypical annoying, cloying nerd, and all of the characters constantly point this out when he is around.
Even Jessie, who is supposed to be the authority figure (and who is generally nice and easy on the eyes) is constantly the butt of jokes about how bad her lovelife has apparently been. And, even as the authority figure, she is just as judgmental as the rest of the characters.
Another problem is the almost complete lack of parenting on the show. While the parents do appear from time to time, and it is generally shown in a loving way, it's clear from the average episode that they have almost zero part in their children's lives. So, the obvious nature of the children as tokens racial acceptance is immediately obvious.
Luckily (?) the traditional awful writing and bad acting of Disney Channel shows keeps this show from being as poisonous and vile as it could be, but the simple fact that every episode runs against its intended message is astounding.
Unfortunately, it's also why I keep watching.
However, this concept is immediately over-ridden by the show's reliance on stereotypes and the nasty attitudes of many of its characters.
Emma is white, blond, ditzy, and materialistic. Ravi is Indian, teaches Yoga, eats sandwiches made of nothing but bread and hot peppers, and is occasionally the butt of jokes regarding unpronounceable Indian words. Zuri is black, a lazy schemer, who tries to avoid schoolwork and responsibilities. Luke is the only Ross child that doesn't seem to be based on stereotypes, as he is self-confident and honestly a good dancer, and overall, one of the least offensive characters as far as his overall personality is concerned; however, he is incredibly annoying at times.
This is bad enough, and it only gets worse. Many of the jokes revolve around disgust at people's physical traits and the ongoing insults towards various stereotypes. Agatha, a bit character, is continually derided by all characters over her appearance, as she has huge warts on her face and a huge snaggletooth. She is also supposed to be British. Another character, whose name escapes me, is a stereotypical annoying, cloying nerd, and all of the characters constantly point this out when he is around.
Even Jessie, who is supposed to be the authority figure (and who is generally nice and easy on the eyes) is constantly the butt of jokes about how bad her lovelife has apparently been. And, even as the authority figure, she is just as judgmental as the rest of the characters.
Another problem is the almost complete lack of parenting on the show. While the parents do appear from time to time, and it is generally shown in a loving way, it's clear from the average episode that they have almost zero part in their children's lives. So, the obvious nature of the children as tokens racial acceptance is immediately obvious.
Luckily (?) the traditional awful writing and bad acting of Disney Channel shows keeps this show from being as poisonous and vile as it could be, but the simple fact that every episode runs against its intended message is astounding.
Unfortunately, it's also why I keep watching.