Take Control of Your Culture - American Studies - Blog

Racist Commercial

Even across the ocean, racial discrimination is still present, and it's disgraceful.  As in this commercial, a simple black man helps a young girl, by climbing a 100ft pole to get her yellow balloon, and when he comes back down, the mother rushes up, and whisks her away.  The man goes home, and adds one more balloon to his collection.  We thought we hated racism in our home country!  Try going across seas, or across the borders and see how it feels.  It's sad to see it anywhere.  And hating someone based on race is the most ignorant thing a person can do.  When will we all ever learn?

Racist Airplane

Comedian Dave Chappelle constantly used race in his comedy series, The Chappelle Show. One of his skits depicts different people of different races on an airplane thinking about each other. A member of each race is thinking stereotypical and racist thoughts about the person in front of him. An African American man is suspicious of two Middle Eastern people in front of him, while a Caucasian guy is shown thinking racist thoughts about the two african american men, calling them the n-word and assuming that they are rappers because they can afford to sit in first class. This pattern goes on until Dave Chappelle is seen sleeping at the back of the plane with a newspaper that says "America United". This comedy skit is showing that the U.S is composed of many different races that basically don't trust each other. It also shows that people don't actually verbalize their racism, but they still think stereotypically.

Brutes In Today's Society

In our American Studies class we have been talking about race.  One of the topics we have been going over are typical stereotypes that were used in slave times.  We were asked if these stereotypes were still present in today's society.  The answer is yes.

The BRUTE was a typical stereotype after slavery was abolished.  This term was brought up because people thought that freed African Americans we these savage mean animals.  This was really a fear for some people because they were scared to even be around a African American just because they thought they would kill them.    

I believe that this sterotype is still around and it is portayed in rap music.  Rap music is assoceated with this tough ganster type thugs that people are supposed to be scared of.  A perfect example of this thug type would be the rapper 50 Cent. 

This just renforces the stereotype that the brute is a person to be scared of.  It also is about there lyrics in there songs that promote this brute attitudes alot of them but not all of them are about hurting people and killing people.  People who have never heard rap music and listen to the lyrics could be scared by the things they say. 

 

 

"Ain't No Fairytale" ~N.G.

"Is DreamWorks trying to avoid the issue of race?" This was the topic at dinner. So I wonder, how have others balanced good and bad in fairy tales? When do you decide what a good story to be classic, but you cannot stomach the stereotypes?    

I read tons of fiction, and I am still occasionally caught off guard when something smacks heavily of race, sex, and religious that turns nasty into play.  We all of have our favorite fairy tales, so do you also like the part about the slave servants, the witch hunt, cannibals, and the murder?  The comfort levels in fairy tales are in a way loveable to one degree. Unfortunately, this is most uncomfortable for many people, because we, as a society, are focused so tightly around the topic not in it.  I think fiction serves a higher purpose either with an allegory or symbolic.  I believe fantasy and science fiction make some of the principles easier to digest. For example, the classic Star Trek, it put a large variety in every notion of ethnic groups, slaves, elves, slugs, robots and by far other "aliens". If that is not fiction at some of its best, I don't know what is. Fiction that makes me cringe or makes me angry also tends to make me think.

I saw Shrek II and loved it ... but something bothered me. The audience has always known that Shrek is "different" from Fiona: he's an ogre, he's green, so yeah I just assumed, when he turned into a human, he would be non-white. However, when he turned into a human, he was white, just like all the other human characters in the story…. Just something to think with our fairy tales.

Is DreamWorks trying to avoid the issue of race? Are they emphasizing racial differences/problems by avoiding this issue?

Is fantasy and science fiction the solution to our racial understanding? Since it’s becoming increasingly normal thought out years.

Madea In Her Movies

If you ever seen the Tyler Perry movies then you know Madea. Madea as a black woman. I think that she protrays black women in a different way, towardsthe Mammy stereotype. The mammy stereotype is a woman who is nurturing, takes care of kids, etc. But I also think that she shows that black women can be strong and not inferior. In some of her movies you will see her speaking her mind, going off, and being funny of course. So she is breaking off the mammy stereotype that we know and she is showing that black women can stand out and be bold and such.

Racist

Does racial slurs just affect black people only or is it a all around thing? Sometimes i would rarely hear racial slurs but one time i was getting ready to go to the beach and this chinesse lady was sitting next to this black dude and she moved over and the black dude said this doesnt come off and he pointed to his skin and they both started arguing and it was funny but at the same time i was insulted as well.

Defying Musical Stereotypes

Music plays a major part in many peoples lives, and it can often shape the individual you are. So it's not surprising that people have many opinions about what kinds of people can or can't be involved incertain genres.

Many times its assumed that the only music african americans are really only involved in is rap, hip-hop, or r&b and that is simply not the case. For example, Jimi Hendrix, arguabley one of the best guitartist in rock, was african american. Many rock and even some heavy metal bands have african american members. Their duties in the band range from drummer, to guitarist to lead singer.

A chicago based metal band, "Oceano" has a black singer/screamer

 

"Suffocation" a New York death metal band has african american members doing both lead guitar and drums.

 

"Dance Gavin Dance" a rock band from Sacramento, California has an amazing black lead guitarist

"Straight Line Stitch" a metal band from Knoxville, Tennesse has member that breaks not only the strerotype of african americans not being involved in rock, but also the stereotype that women aren't commonly involved in rock.

 

There are probably many more bands that have african members, but this is just to name a few.

Scene From Blind Side (Black Stereotype)

    In the movie the Blind Side actress Sandra Bullock plays a Leigh Anne Tuohy a white woman who takes in a Homeless teenage boy named Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) and shows him that he can acheive a good education and a postive lifestyle. She and her family welcomes him in with open arms and shows him what a loving home is. They also help him with his intrest in football which led him to his current carreer in the NFL.

    A scene that stuck out to me during this movie [Blind Side] was when Leigh Anne was at a lunch with some over her other upper class friends at a very nice five star restuarant and they commmented on her motive for helping Michael. They assumed it was not for the greater good and for publicty, when she corrected them they asked her how she could take a black boy in, and how could she be okay with him sleeping under the same roof as her sixteen year old daughter, assuming the worst about a black male they knew nothing about. The racial comments disturbed Leigh and she left. What made this scene stick out to me was that how could people who knew nothing about someone judge them only and completly off the color of there skin. This was example to me of sterotypes of black men and that they can only do bad.

    

The Boondocks Cultural Analysis

The television series The Boondocks criticizes and reinforces stereotypes of African American culture.  The show's creator Aaron McGruder has defended the show's heavy use of the word "nigga" by argueing that the large-scale usage of the word provides the show with a level of realism, due to the word being commonly used in the everyday conversations of many African Americans.  He is basically saying that all African Americans use the word "nigga" which is a stereotype.  Some of the consequences of encourageing this stereotype are that more people will start to think that its okay to say nigga whenever you speak and its gives off the impression that African Americans speak like this all of the time.  A few episodes have been denied airtime on television because of the heavy use of the "N Word" in those episodes.

The Boondocks

            

The Boondocks.  As most people know, this is probably one of the funniest shows that has ever been on the television about the racist depictions of black and white people of the US population.  the Boondocks was created by Aaron McGruder November November 2005.  The show starts out with the Freemans moving to from the South Side of Chicago,Illinois to a higher class suburb, Woodcrest.  In this new neighborhood, they are the only fully African Americans that live in their immediate area.  There is their neighbor across the street, Tom, and Uncle Ruckus. 

    They are both black, but each represent the different styles that some black people live.  Tom is a black man that has married a white woman, which some people look down on still, and acts like a white man.  This can be seen as the sstereotypical Zip Coon.  He tries his bet to keep his composure as a respectful and quiet man, but he sometimes goes off like a "ignant" black man. 

    This stereotype plays a huge role in this show because Robert Freeman, also known as Grandad by Huey and Riley, tries his best to fit in to this community.  He wants to act white around his white friends to try and impress them and secure his place as a member of this high society life.  But around his friends he acts loud, crazy, and curses like a sailor.  This is a stereotype of a regular black man, or person.

    Huey and Riley are brothers and represent opposite, yet similar stereotypical ideas.  HUey is a intelligent ten year old, wiser than some adults well into theirr years. He is mostly into philosophy and social justice and movements.  This moves against the appearance that most black people are ignorant and not intelligent.  He dabs into this stereotypes by following the African American mainstream pop culture.  Riley is a bashful child and very destructive, but has a very artistic side to him.  Not many people think black people really have a softer side, and he tries to hide this from the world.  He covers up by having sagging pants and cursing and always hanging with rappers and older black men.  He tries his best to become famous with money and plenty of females at his disposal. 

    The Boodndocks is a great show that you can learn a lot about the world from.  Whether it be racist or true about the political world.  I recommend watching this show. 

Disney Channel 54

When you watch T.V do you ever see the same race over and over again. If you have ever clicked on channel 54 Disney Channel all you will find is kid shows. In these kid show you will see only white actors and actresses are white. In the shows that play now there are only a few black actors and there don't have big rolls just small parts. There was a show a few years back were it was a black family called that so raven. But then 3 years into it the show was droped. Look at these pictures and see that only white actors and actresses are on the face of Disney Channel. Also Walt Disney was racist......                  

Syl Johnson -Is it because i'm black?

Like other black songwriters of the period, several of his at this time explored themes of social problems in songs including Is It Because I'm Black. Syl Johnos is a master of the soul gener. That's why a great soul performance means so much more than just acombination of music and lyrics. I not a black I'm Asian, maybe I can's understand that pain but on the song/lyrics I can hear/see that painful--- IS IT BECAUSE I'M BLACK?. The reson black people are the "stereotype" because after beging depressed for so many years it just turned to aggressiveness.  

http://www.lyricsvip.com/Syl-Johnson/Is-It-Because-I'm-Black-Lyrics.html

For Colored Girls (And the black girls sterotype)

 
This Tyler Perry original movie was about several African American girls in New York who are all interconnected due to and series of unfortunate events. An all black cast in this movie these girls are all basically every stereotype ever thought of by african american females as  whores,clueless,male dependent, lonely,ignorant,nosey.they were never portryed as a strong powerful woman that they were.By the director being African american I would believe that he would understand this an break the mold.The male counterpartsin this movie we just as poorly portryed as the female roles they were thought of as abusive and lying,sneaky,violent people this movie helped put everything racially thought of in this movie.As a whole this movie  was amazing I just wish that african american roles went so poorly chosen. 

Cultural Analysis, New steriotypes

Although many kinds of culture are good, they also help to promote stereotypes. The "white" stereotypes have changed since slave times, but their are still many. white stereotypes such as, white people are depressed, prefer rock music, are fake, stuck up and look down on other people and are all rich. although a few stereotypes such as we are stuck up and look down on other people, are similar to that of slave times, they are not the same. many have evolved to have a very different meaning, or just came out of somewhere that other people noticed about many white people.

Although culture is a good thing and helps to construct a persons personality, or helps to make a person feel more like a individual, or part of something, it still creates these stereotypes. and its not just white people that are being stereotyped. asians and african americans are also being stereotyped, such as asians are better at math, or have trouble saying L's. Everyone has a culture, and it is why everyone gets stereotyped. without a culture though, people would not feel like they matter as much, so although culture creates stereotypes, its a Very important thing.

Cultural Analysis of Race

    I think that race was non existing until the past made it possible for the present, i think that life would have been way diffrent if slavery did not take place. america would not be the same as we know it today. I feel like some of the tv commercials are kinda stereotyping diffrent races, i think they are being potrayed as something they are not. most commercials that you see may only show whites, and others may have white or two africans or you might catch a asian person occasionly. a lot of movies in theatres have white main characters and maybe a wing man thats a diffrent race and his job is kinda like the tag along guy who trys to help the main characters with their problems.