When most people think of “A Different World,” they think of the relationship of protagonists Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert. Even though the romance of the show’s two protagonists earned many viewers, their discussion of social issues was even more groundbreaking. Despite the fact that the show aired from 1987 to 1993, many of the issues they covered are still relevant today.
1. Consent (Season 2 Episode 20)
Dewayne overhears another student describing date rape. Resident director, Walter, lets him know that no means no. It doesn’t matter if they’re your significant other or even if you really think they want to have sex. Respect them when they let you know that they don’t.
2. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (season 4, episode 23)
Students are all asked to write their own eulogy for a class. One student starts conversation when she reveals that she contracted AIDS from her boyfriend in high school. The reactions of her peers vary from disgust, confusion, and fear. Some of the most common rumors about AIDS are dispelled such as, you can tell who has AIDS from looking at them, it can be spread from being near someone who has it, and people who are infected were reckless.
3. Sexism (Season 6 Episode 7)
During the sixth season Dwayne and Whitley argue about it being “the year of the woman” and whether or not women are truly at a disadvantage in comparison to men. Dewayne has a dream that women and men’s roles are switched during the Presidential Election. Whitley is Jill Blinton and Dwayne is Hilliard Blinton (parody of Bill and Hillary Clinton). Other politicians that are parodied include George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot. The episode shows how during this election the wives of the candidates were forced to be quiet and look pretty a lot of times. 14 years later, Hillary Clinton is no longer the wife, but the candidate. During the campaign Senator Clinton has been asked about her husband’s extramarital affairs and how she can lead the United States even though she is a woman. It might look different, but the issue is still present.
4. Racism (season 5, episode 14)
Dewayne and his friend Ron attend a football game and get into a fight with white students from the other team. After one of the students paints the n-word on Ron’s car, they fight about racial stereotypes and inferiority complexes held by both sides.
5. Interracial Relationships (Season 4 episode 17)
When student Kim Reese is in a relationship Matthew, a white student at a neighboring university, they receive backlash from black and white students. One man even goes as far to tell Kim that she has betrayed her race by being in a relationship with a white man.
Although a show we remember watching growing up and even before some of us were born, the show discusses (unfortunately) timeless issues that we can still learn from today.a