Posted by Bob S. on 10/11/2006, 10:04 am, in reply to "Recognizing racism for what it is." I grew up in the 70s and 80s and watched these cartoons all the time. In doing so, I learned a lot about bygone years, including music, styles, fashions, what furniture looked like, etc., it all came through in those cartoons. I knew they were from a different time and I knew that attitudes have changed over the years. If anything, Mammy provided a little perspective on racial trends. "White Mammy" won't provide that to kids watching today - and I'm sure she's not as funny or memorable...won't be seeing any websites dedicated to her, I'm sure. If networks don't want to get in trouble by showing cartoons now considered racist, then they shouldn't show them. But it was wrong to edit the character out. At best, it insults our intelligence and at worst, it's overt thought control. We don't know where we're going if we don't know where we've been.
205.156.36.10
I'm happy to have found this site because I was sorry to hear that Mammy was erased...and that's what she was - erased. That's the biggest transgression, as far as I'm concerned. It's one thing to change practices as times change, but revising history is wrong, no matter what the reason. Kids (and adults too) need to know how things were so that they can appreciate how things have changed.
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