As you all might have heard, the actor Sherman Hemsley died yesterday at the age of 74. Sherman was famous for his character George Jefferson which started on the television show All In The Family, but his true fame came when Sherman got his own spin off show that centered around his character George Jefferson on the television series The Jeffersons. The Jeffersons was one of my favorite television shows during the mid eighties. The show lasted for eleven sessions. The theme song to the Jeffersons is a cult classic to this day.
The bio behind the character George Jefferson was that of a young black male who grew up with nothing but worked hard and started a dry cleaning business, through continued hard work and dedication to his business, George turned that one dry cleaning business into a slew of stores, and in the process made himself and his wife rich. Because of George's success, he was able to move with his wife Weezie to a deluxe penthouse apartment on the upper East Side of New York City. When I listen to theme song of the Jeffersons, I hear a song about blacks who want to succeed and get their piece of the American Pie like everybody else in America.In the actual intro of theme, many people didn't pay attention to Weezie wiping away tears and George holding her hand with joy knowing that they have achieved the American Dream.
Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.
Fish don't fry in the kitchen;
Beans don't burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin',
Just to get up that hill.
Now we're up in the big leagues,
Gettin' our turn at bat.
As long as we live, it's you and me baby,
There ain't nothin wrong with that.
I still can't forget what Obama said a week ago about how entrepreneurs and successful people aren't directly responsible for their success. I wonder what would the exchange have been like if Barack Obama played himself on the Jeffersons, and he said what he said to George Jefferson that he didn't really build his dry cleaning empire,the government had a role. I believe George would have been ready to beat the crap out of Obama, throw him out of his apartment and slam the door in his face.George Jefferson was a character who believed that he wasn't owed anything in life, he believed he had to go work and acquire what he wanted.
Obama believes in redistribution of other peoples hard earned wealth. The reality in life is that giving people who don't have what other pepole have earned will not elevate them up the economic ladder. Even though George Jefferson was a fictional character, many people who believe that they are entitled to other people's wealth could learn a lesson from George. Thanks for the laughs Sherman.