This week's class was pretty short. Maggy was ill so she let us out early. We presented our group projects and they were very informative. Each group had a particular racial or ethnic group that they were assigned. We then researched how each group is portrayed in the media. Not surprising, but many stereotypes were discovered and discussed.
Our group discussed African-Americans and we presented data from the American Slavery Era, Civil Rights Era, and the present day... We had a lot of fun with our presentation and it seemed to be well received.
It's almost time for our final projects to come due and I think I'm going to try and start on mine sometime next week. I'm going to watch "The Producers" and discuss its messages on race, gender, and class. Thanksgiving approaches and we are on break next week. It's hard to believe that this semester is about to conclude. It honestly feels like we just started. Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Semester's End Approaches
Ok, so I'm trying to be productive after sitting around the house all day playing Tiger Woods on the Xbox... I just couldn't get any motivation until about an hour ago. Last night's class was way shorter than normal. We only have five more classes before the end of the semester. I'm kind of shocked at how fast it's flown by.
Our end of semester projects are going to be due soon. I will be keeping a digital portfolio to turn in. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use the movie "The Producers" by Mel Brooks for my analysis. It's hilarious and it's also full of race, class, and gender messages.
We got split up into our groups again and we were assigned group projects. My group will be discussing how African Americans have been portrayed in the mass media, past and present. We looked up various cartoons and videos for our presentation. I'll be putting the finishing touches on the Power Point presentation this weekend. Not much else was discussed.
Our end of semester projects are going to be due soon. I will be keeping a digital portfolio to turn in. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use the movie "The Producers" by Mel Brooks for my analysis. It's hilarious and it's also full of race, class, and gender messages.
We got split up into our groups again and we were assigned group projects. My group will be discussing how African Americans have been portrayed in the mass media, past and present. We looked up various cartoons and videos for our presentation. I'll be putting the finishing touches on the Power Point presentation this weekend. Not much else was discussed.
"Bamboozled" and the Continuing Struggle of Civil Rights...
Well, I'm a day late with this blog. I've been so uber stressed that I just didn't have it in me to finish it up last night before class. Work has been taking a heavy toll on my soul and I feel like my very life force has been drained... Nonetheless, onto the discussion of last week's class...
We watched the film "Bamboozled" which was directed by Spike Lee. It was a very "in your face" kind of film about race, class, and gender. It was almost the perfect movie for us to watch and study. It covered absolutely everything we could want to discuss in class about our three main issues.
Delacroix's superior is Mr. Dunwhittey, the senior vice president at CNS. Dunwhittey informs Delacroix that his writing is weak and too "white". Dunwhittey states that he is blacker than Delacroix is. Delacroix was dissatisfied with the direction CNS and Dunwhittey want to take his writing. So, he comes up with a plan to be relieved of his contract... He decided to write a minstrel show. It would be a show so offensive, that he is sure to be terminated from him duties at CNS and free to pursue other ambitions, although he doesn't mention what those may be.
Minstrel shows are extremely offensive by nature. They imply that African-Americans are essentially not even people. They imply that they are uneducated animals who have the lowest place in society. They imply that African-Americans exist only to be subservient to Caucasians and that they are for the entertainment of society. The audience should find the entire concoction to be negative, starting with the portrayal of African-Americans in their dress, speech, looks, etc. He takes it to an extreme though; he puts African-Americans in black-face. He places them in the old South on a plantation, next to the watermelon patch no less. He called the show "Mantan". His sidekick was called "Sleep and Eat".
Delacroix chose a street performer to portray Mantan because he assumed (rightfully so) that Manray would be easily ‘bought’. Delacroix knew that he was living on the street and in desperate need of some way to earn a living. He also assumed that Manray would not be unconcerned about the larger issues with a minstrel show. Manray didn’t seem to care what he did in the performance initially. He was uneducated about the issue and was striving to meet his basic needs.
Whites and blacks were both part of the audience and seemed to enjoy the show that Delacroix created. There were more minorities in the audience, however. What was ironic is that by the end of the movie, most everyone in the show was in black-face. I think that both groups thought that the show was humorous and were not looking for a deeper message that was being conveyed, whether Delacroix wanted it to be or not.
Lee’s message about being Black in America was clear. While we have made leaps and bounds on the issue of civil rights, there is still a large amount of racism in this country. While much of it is ‘hidden’ in nature, and portrayed in media under the cover of being humorous, it still conveys a message of hate. On a personal note the way the movie ended made me feel extremely guilty for even laughing at the initial and middle parts of the movie. Maggy stated that this was the objective of the movie itself. Lee also implies that many minorities are still ignorant on these issues that directly affect them. They actually affect ALL of us.
Many people in the movie criticize Delacroix himself; a great example is the radio talk show host. Dunwhittey criticizes Delacroix for his previous writings, and states that, “Dude, I’m blacker than you are!” Sloan also criticizes Delacroix for what he has done. He created a monster, despite its success with mainstream audiences (and at the end, Delacroix knows this to be true).
Most of the whites interact with the blacks in the film with respect. Dunwhittey is the only one who seems to be over the top with his racial awareness (or lack thereof). He often states that he is blacker than Delacroix and is highly fascinated with black culture. His portrayal is a mixture. While he uses offensive slang, he does seem very interested with the African-American culture, though he uses them for his own professional and personal gain.
Frankly, I was shocked at the ending. It totally violated my expectations and pretty much all of my schemas. I never expect there to be such a bloodlust. It was a very poignant display of just how race in America is still an explosive issue. I also didn’t expect to see Delacroix’s death at the hands of Sloan, his ex-assistant. I firmly believe that you reap what you sew and hate can only breed more hate. Rage can only breed rage. I was hoping to see Manray rescued and go on to be a champion for civil rights and tolerance. I was also hoping that Delacroix would see the error of his ways and live to stand beside Manray. I think Lee could have made a less violent conclusion of the film; conversely I think the violence was his point. History has shown it is what this kind of racial debauchery can ultimately lead to. To sum up my response in one word: wow.
We watched the film "Bamboozled" which was directed by Spike Lee. It was a very "in your face" kind of film about race, class, and gender. It was almost the perfect movie for us to watch and study. It covered absolutely everything we could want to discuss in class about our three main issues.
Delacroix's superior is Mr. Dunwhittey, the senior vice president at CNS. Dunwhittey informs Delacroix that his writing is weak and too "white". Dunwhittey states that he is blacker than Delacroix is. Delacroix was dissatisfied with the direction CNS and Dunwhittey want to take his writing. So, he comes up with a plan to be relieved of his contract... He decided to write a minstrel show. It would be a show so offensive, that he is sure to be terminated from him duties at CNS and free to pursue other ambitions, although he doesn't mention what those may be.
Minstrel shows are extremely offensive by nature. They imply that African-Americans are essentially not even people. They imply that they are uneducated animals who have the lowest place in society. They imply that African-Americans exist only to be subservient to Caucasians and that they are for the entertainment of society. The audience should find the entire concoction to be negative, starting with the portrayal of African-Americans in their dress, speech, looks, etc. He takes it to an extreme though; he puts African-Americans in black-face. He places them in the old South on a plantation, next to the watermelon patch no less. He called the show "Mantan". His sidekick was called "Sleep and Eat".
Delacroix chose a street performer to portray Mantan because he assumed (rightfully so) that Manray would be easily ‘bought’. Delacroix knew that he was living on the street and in desperate need of some way to earn a living. He also assumed that Manray would not be unconcerned about the larger issues with a minstrel show. Manray didn’t seem to care what he did in the performance initially. He was uneducated about the issue and was striving to meet his basic needs.
Whites and blacks were both part of the audience and seemed to enjoy the show that Delacroix created. There were more minorities in the audience, however. What was ironic is that by the end of the movie, most everyone in the show was in black-face. I think that both groups thought that the show was humorous and were not looking for a deeper message that was being conveyed, whether Delacroix wanted it to be or not.
Lee’s message about being Black in America was clear. While we have made leaps and bounds on the issue of civil rights, there is still a large amount of racism in this country. While much of it is ‘hidden’ in nature, and portrayed in media under the cover of being humorous, it still conveys a message of hate. On a personal note the way the movie ended made me feel extremely guilty for even laughing at the initial and middle parts of the movie. Maggy stated that this was the objective of the movie itself. Lee also implies that many minorities are still ignorant on these issues that directly affect them. They actually affect ALL of us.
Many people in the movie criticize Delacroix himself; a great example is the radio talk show host. Dunwhittey criticizes Delacroix for his previous writings, and states that, “Dude, I’m blacker than you are!” Sloan also criticizes Delacroix for what he has done. He created a monster, despite its success with mainstream audiences (and at the end, Delacroix knows this to be true).
Most of the whites interact with the blacks in the film with respect. Dunwhittey is the only one who seems to be over the top with his racial awareness (or lack thereof). He often states that he is blacker than Delacroix and is highly fascinated with black culture. His portrayal is a mixture. While he uses offensive slang, he does seem very interested with the African-American culture, though he uses them for his own professional and personal gain.
Frankly, I was shocked at the ending. It totally violated my expectations and pretty much all of my schemas. I never expect there to be such a bloodlust. It was a very poignant display of just how race in America is still an explosive issue. I also didn’t expect to see Delacroix’s death at the hands of Sloan, his ex-assistant. I firmly believe that you reap what you sew and hate can only breed more hate. Rage can only breed rage. I was hoping to see Manray rescued and go on to be a champion for civil rights and tolerance. I was also hoping that Delacroix would see the error of his ways and live to stand beside Manray. I think Lee could have made a less violent conclusion of the film; conversely I think the violence was his point. History has shown it is what this kind of racial debauchery can ultimately lead to. To sum up my response in one word: wow.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Overcoming Racial Roadblocks
Last week's class was a very interesting one. It built upon what we discussed in the previous week, so feel free to consult my last blog for background information.
We began class by having each group present detailed Power points on various individuals who were not Caucasian, and have greatly benefitted all of man-kind, not just their particular race. Our group's presentation was on Sitting Bull, less commonly known as Tatanka Yotanka. He was a Sioux Native American war chief that defeated Lt. Colonel Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana. He advanced his tribe's cause and resisted oppression from the US government. He eventually retired but was assassinated by US-led forces.
Maggy topped off the class by showing us other unique individuals and court cases that have affected sometimes radically, US policy and law. She discussed how many of the policies of yesteryear would not even be considered today. We've definitely moved forward past racial roadblocks, but others still remain. Race doesn't seem to be the highlighted one today. The battle for equality for sexual minorities seems to be our generation's battlefront. My previous blog on "coming out" has a more detailed discussion on that issue.
We began class by having each group present detailed Power points on various individuals who were not Caucasian, and have greatly benefitted all of man-kind, not just their particular race. Our group's presentation was on Sitting Bull, less commonly known as Tatanka Yotanka. He was a Sioux Native American war chief that defeated Lt. Colonel Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana. He advanced his tribe's cause and resisted oppression from the US government. He eventually retired but was assassinated by US-led forces.
Maggy topped off the class by showing us other unique individuals and court cases that have affected sometimes radically, US policy and law. She discussed how many of the policies of yesteryear would not even be considered today. We've definitely moved forward past racial roadblocks, but others still remain. Race doesn't seem to be the highlighted one today. The battle for equality for sexual minorities seems to be our generation's battlefront. My previous blog on "coming out" has a more detailed discussion on that issue.
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