I enjoyed the film we watched in class. It was nice watching something rather then just reading about things. It was a good change of pace.
I thought the images of African Americans were interesting. I do think it's harmful to portray African Americans this way. But I believe it happens with all races and it's just a part of society. A part of society that can cause violence. The film portrayed African American's as having big lips and bugged out eyes. It portrayed women as being servants who were large and had deep voices. I thought the statue that they showed of a black woman pushing a white baby was interesting. It was as if it was saying that African American didn't care for their own children, they only cared for their white masters children. It was also interesting and ridiculous that African American's had to blacken their face even more for the shows they were in. I thought it was interesting how the one man was talking about how could work on stage and make a lot of money, but yet he couldn't go into a bar unless he had a white man take responsibility of him. The whole thing is just ridiculous.
I do think these images had an impact in the past and I think they have an impact on us today. They are still present in today's society. Aunt Jamima syrup is one of these images that are still present today. This syrup comes in a bottle shaped like a bigger African American woman. I can also think of a commercial with a little boy talking to Aunt Jamima and saying that she is "thick", but in a good way. This is just one example, but I'm sure there are other advertisements that fit this topic.
6 comments:
Yes Aunt Jamima though a delicious syrup originated from a detrimental stereotype. It is surprising to think that such seemingly harmless products came from malicious origins.
I agree! I liked watching the film, it was nice to see it rather than just reading it. Thats a good point about how that happens in all races, I never even thought of that. I felt that alot of the images in the film were very harmful and devastating to see. It was interesting though to see how the African Americans were portrayed and thought of in society. I also thought it was ridiculous that they had to black their face for the plays.
I feel these images had a huge impact on the past but I do believe they also affect the people of today. There are advertisments everywhere. I agree with the Aunt Jemima and there is also Uncle Ben's. Which is the "uncle" figure who is playing a sax or some instrument of Jazz music.
I agree that all races are portayed in a harmful way. During this time, it is evident that African Americans were more focused on, but through history,the focus on races and portraying them in a certain way still goes on today. It was shocking how mammies were precieved. It was astonishing how they were percieved to only care for white children and not their own. I think to African American this was a hard to swallow. I think such perspection caused violence throughout different races
I feel that the image portrayed was extremely harmful to the society. Not only did they portray the female as having a deep voice, but they completely turned her into a asexual, masculant, unattractive women. This was the societies way of oppression by showing that the women was in charge and inferior by nature.
I agree it was nice watching the film rathering than reading. I think that the images were very harmful they protrayed the african americna poeple as ugly and that they all looked like a "mammy" or "uncle". With the aunt jamima syrup tht you mentioned things like that i never looked at until the film. I guess the film opened my eyes to look at things in different ways.
I agree. Other similar things found in the grocery store: Uncle Ben’s Rice, the character on the Crème of Wheat box, the commercials for ‘Zatarian’s rice etc.
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1287/Nancy_Green_the_original_Aunt_Jemima
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