Posted by SC on 12/28/2004, 10:52 am, in reply to "Mammy is Racism" First and foremost, whether we recognized it or not as kids watching it, the Mammy-Two-Shoes character most definitely IS racist. It was racist humor that was, essentially, a product of the times in which the cartoons were made. The fact that she is black is NOT coincidental. Her entire character, including her physical appearance (an overweight maid with a bandana) was a carbon-copy of a stereotypical character that was seen in films and media of the era (and earlier). "The Mammy," like "The Uncle" and "The Pickaninny," etc IS considered offensive. The dictionary will even tell you that much: "Mammy - Offensive. A Black nursemaid, especially one formerly in the southern United States." I am no expert, but I did do a college senior thesis on racism in the Tom and Jerry series, and it was a fascinating study. It wasn't limited to the Mammy character. There are plenty of examples where the characters emerge from explosions in black face, with exaggerated physical features and such. Now, I agree with what one poster said: when I was watching these as a kid, I had NO IDEA that it was racist humor at work. I naively assumed that Tom & Jerry just lived with a black woman. I didn't even know she was a maid. I figured she was the mistress of the house. So, yes, sometimes talking about it brings more attention to the matter than is needed. But don't let our innocence fake anyone into thinking this wasn't designed as "off color" humor. Of course, Tom and Jerry cartoons were NOT unique in this regard. This kind of humor was not considered to be "in poor taste" by societal standards in the 1940s. All the major studios were producing cartoons with subject matter that has become considered distasteful with the passing of time. Me? I LOVE Tom and Jerry, and I think editing the cartoons (or at least not having the originals available for purchase) is a disservice to us in the sense that it compromises the historical accuracy of the films. Still, that much said, I can certainly understand that people may be offended by the character and would find it distasteful. It IS distasteful, by today's standards, especially when considering that there still are bigoted people who would beleive the stereotype. If people are sensitive to the character's portrayal, I think we need to be respectful of that, whether we agree or not.
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Interesting thread here with some interesting points.
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