Posted by Richard
on 10/18/2009, 7:07 am, in reply to "Re: Mammy isn't Racism"
12.41.191.34
I agree with SC and would add that I am a Professor of African American history who studies the media. I find it interesting that many whites who post comments about Mammy Two shoes not being racist view African American opposition to these images as liberal or PC. It's like saying I can punch you in the face, but I won't believe you if you say it hurts (stop complaining). Fact is racism didn't limit whites economic opps, force them to be mostly slaves and later servants to whites, or limit their educational opps. Sure whites were discriminated against based on their language, nationality, socio-economic class, and religion, and I oppose these forms of discrimination also. But to say well ...it's ebonics not racist, or we should be able to laugh at this ...is simply blaming blacks for the limitations whites forced on them at the time.
Whether Mammy owned the house or Tom is not the point. That oversized, black woman in servant's clothes with bandana was recycled Hollywood racial typecasting. See the documentary Ethnic Notions, read one of Donald Bogle's books, or read That's Enough Folks...These cartoons reflected the normalcy of white accepted white racism at the time...voting restrictions, lynhings, black collectibles, opposition to blacks @ white schools or in white neighbrhoods despite their presence as faithful US citizens since the 14th Amendment, and their presence in the US, British-Spanish-French North America, etc. since the 1500s (most Europeans did recognize them as people).
Keep Mammy in the cartoon, but explain to children why some people might have a problem with her role in T & J cartoons.
LOVE YOUR SITE. It's about documenting, facing, understanding and learning from the past not dismissing it. THX
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