Racist Stereotypes live on
A response to an awful image circulating today.151 total reviews
Comment from rama devi
I am impressed with your passion for this cause. I found this essay informative and enlightening. I'd no idea about these images! It is quite well written, fueled with your passion for fairness and respect for our African American brothers and sisters.
This is quite well written.
I found just one sentence that felt awkward and that I would suggest you consider tweaking:
"They depict African Americans as outside the pale of society, manners, law yet buffoons at it."
Thank you for speaking out about this issue. It deserves to be known.
Warm regards,
rama devi
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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I am impressed with your passion for this cause. I found this essay informative and enlightening. I'd no idea about these images! It is quite well written, fueled with your passion for fairness and respect for our African American brothers and sisters.
This is quite well written.
I found just one sentence that felt awkward and that I would suggest you consider tweaking:
"They depict African Americans as outside the pale of society, manners, law yet buffoons at it."
Thank you for speaking out about this issue. It deserves to be known.
Warm regards,
rama devi
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Thanks rama devi, I truly appreciate your supportive review.
Peace, Brooke :-)
Comment from teafor2
adewpearl--Once again I read not for review points
but only to commend a fellow American; scribe of
conscience; and conscious "Human Being" for sharing
these bold and succinct sentiments. Any adult per-
son who doesn't see the mentioned slights as deli-
berate acts of provocation are indeed burying their
heads in the sand. I firmly believe that members of
a society are more alike than they are different. It
is sad to say, but I think this type of ugliness is
going to get worst as November fourth gets closer.
I take no pleasure in my prediction nor in reading
this well written satirical work. teafor2
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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adewpearl--Once again I read not for review points
but only to commend a fellow American; scribe of
conscience; and conscious "Human Being" for sharing
these bold and succinct sentiments. Any adult per-
son who doesn't see the mentioned slights as deli-
berate acts of provocation are indeed burying their
heads in the sand. I firmly believe that members of
a society are more alike than they are different. It
is sad to say, but I think this type of ugliness is
going to get worst as November fourth gets closer.
I take no pleasure in my prediction nor in reading
this well written satirical work. teafor2
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Thank you so much for your most thoughtful comments. Peace, Brooke
Comment from exasperis
Go gettem Brooke. I'm with you on this one. I am Anglo-Celtic in heritage. I live on an Island and am an advocate for health and welfare for all. I find discrimination in any form abhorrent and can also add that skin colour or origin are no longer " black and white" I am also by kinship an Australian aboriginal. My skin is white and my aunt is white but she is a member of the stolen generation and an aboriginal woman born of the Australian assimilation policy. No one could possibly know by looking at me or my cousins that we can claim our aboriginality. It's clear that politics the world over still plays the race card and preys on the ignorance, hysteria and prejudices of the masses to sway the vote and credibility of candidates. Will we as a species ever learn?
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Go gettem Brooke. I'm with you on this one. I am Anglo-Celtic in heritage. I live on an Island and am an advocate for health and welfare for all. I find discrimination in any form abhorrent and can also add that skin colour or origin are no longer " black and white" I am also by kinship an Australian aboriginal. My skin is white and my aunt is white but she is a member of the stolen generation and an aboriginal woman born of the Australian assimilation policy. No one could possibly know by looking at me or my cousins that we can claim our aboriginality. It's clear that politics the world over still plays the race card and preys on the ignorance, hysteria and prejudices of the masses to sway the vote and credibility of candidates. Will we as a species ever learn?
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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I don't know enough about the aborigines, but do not it's not a pretty history any more than Europeans' treatment of Native Americans and African Americans. Human nature seems to go wrong no matter where on the globe it sets down. Thank you for your most thoughtful and supportive review :-)
Comment from bkrighter
Thank you for the clarification. I was aware that such images were ugly and derogatory, but I never knew the background that would allow me to undderstand why.
Steve
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Thank you for the clarification. I was aware that such images were ugly and derogatory, but I never knew the background that would allow me to undderstand why.
Steve
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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thank you so very much for this thoughtful comment and generous rating - I appreciate it more than you can know.
Peace, Brooke
Comment from crazy gemini
great. Thanks fo your history about the portrayal of watermelon and chicken, it was really interesting. I agree there is no excuse for these types of stereotypical racist images. The stupid thing is that issues such as this, as well as TV violence are ignored, but a nude body is sensored. We need to gt our priorities straight
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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great. Thanks fo your history about the portrayal of watermelon and chicken, it was really interesting. I agree there is no excuse for these types of stereotypical racist images. The stupid thing is that issues such as this, as well as TV violence are ignored, but a nude body is sensored. We need to gt our priorities straight
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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oh, the censorship thing kills me - when my kids were younger, I could send them to movies filled with bombings and chase scenes but I couldn't send them alone to some compelling films rated R that I totally approved of. Needless to say, I accompanied them to some R movies. LOL Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply!
Comment from DictionaryGirl
I hadn't heard the story that you are talking about on CNN but I would have been as mad as you! Unfortunately a lot of people think racism is dead in America, but I can assure you that it is alive and well. I am also white and when I was in my early 20's I thought I had everything in control, and everything was well in the world. With the internet ect I thought teenagers and children were more interested in other races, not racist, then I started dating a man that was Puerto Rican. That really opened my eyes about what people thought and how the world was.
Anyway sorry I got a little carried away but I get so upset about racism! Good story I appreciate it!
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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I hadn't heard the story that you are talking about on CNN but I would have been as mad as you! Unfortunately a lot of people think racism is dead in America, but I can assure you that it is alive and well. I am also white and when I was in my early 20's I thought I had everything in control, and everything was well in the world. With the internet ect I thought teenagers and children were more interested in other races, not racist, then I started dating a man that was Puerto Rican. That really opened my eyes about what people thought and how the world was.
Anyway sorry I got a little carried away but I get so upset about racism! Good story I appreciate it!
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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I traveled in North and South Carolina with an American black man and a South African black man when we were on an anti-apartheid speaking tour - the stares I got in diners were most uncomfortable, so I know what you mean, and I'm sorry that happened to you. Thank you so much for your most thoughtful response.
Comment from Buctar
Adewpearl:
Well written and a strong message.
I have the following observations.
respectable portion of melon - they were devouring the entire (The em dash is normally shown as two hyphens--not one. There is no space before or after the em dash, but spaces have gained more acceptance through usage because many writers don't like the way it looks.)
on plates the way "civilized" people (Italics are the normal way of placing emphasis on words. [When used sparingly, italics indicate emphasis. Overuse of italics for emphasis (like overuse of the exclamation point) defeats its own purpose. Harbrace College Handbook 13th addition p.262])
AGAIN, chicken is a finger food, and was always depicted as devoured in a mess, with no regard for the niceties of manners. AGAIN, chickens were eaten with animalistic gusto. AGAIN, they (I would try to get rid of one and probably two of the three AGAIN's.)
It is time to say STOP!! I say STOP!![Capitals for emphasis. Initial capitals, once used to lend importance to certain words are now used only ironically.] OK, so I?m a Bad Mother,? admitted Mary cheerfully.
Capitalizing a entire word or phrase for emphasis is rarely appropriate. The Chicago Manual of Style])
Hope this helps.
Bill
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Adewpearl:
Well written and a strong message.
I have the following observations.
respectable portion of melon - they were devouring the entire (The em dash is normally shown as two hyphens--not one. There is no space before or after the em dash, but spaces have gained more acceptance through usage because many writers don't like the way it looks.)
on plates the way "civilized" people (Italics are the normal way of placing emphasis on words. [When used sparingly, italics indicate emphasis. Overuse of italics for emphasis (like overuse of the exclamation point) defeats its own purpose. Harbrace College Handbook 13th addition p.262])
AGAIN, chicken is a finger food, and was always depicted as devoured in a mess, with no regard for the niceties of manners. AGAIN, chickens were eaten with animalistic gusto. AGAIN, they (I would try to get rid of one and probably two of the three AGAIN's.)
It is time to say STOP!! I say STOP!![Capitals for emphasis. Initial capitals, once used to lend importance to certain words are now used only ironically.] OK, so I?m a Bad Mother,? admitted Mary cheerfully.
Capitalizing a entire word or phrase for emphasis is rarely appropriate. The Chicago Manual of Style])
Hope this helps.
Bill
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Thank you, Bill. I wrote this spontaneously and in anger. I was not thinking of manuals of style. I have published academic articles on this subject that I'm sure conform more to the rules, but this is what it is. I appreciate the time it must have taken you to find pages in manuals.
You're a conscientious reviewer, and I appreciate your input. I just believe there are times to worry about how many spaces one uses with hyphens and times to concentrate on the message just so long as it is not garbled, and it would never occur to me to worry about these things if reading someone else's work of a similar nature. Thank you.
Comment from babylonia
it is sad what people will do to demean others, in the end it is only themselves they injure. no, it isn't 1880. my husband went to a seminar for his work. one of the speakers, a native american, spoke of a classmate he studied with in the fifties. the little indian girl won a spelling bee. it was apparent she was poor and all. he said the teacher grabbed her chair up and shook her and the chair against the floor. what an impact it made on him. can you imagine how the girl felt? i tried to explain to my husband that in 2008 that can't happen without repercussions. people are held responsible for their actions. we have to stop the injustices. one step at a time.
easy to read and follow. i saw two spaggies.
White Americans were to be reminded (change got to were)
children's books featured these images (change feature to featured)
imagery is excellent. keep up the good work~
love,
barbara
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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it is sad what people will do to demean others, in the end it is only themselves they injure. no, it isn't 1880. my husband went to a seminar for his work. one of the speakers, a native american, spoke of a classmate he studied with in the fifties. the little indian girl won a spelling bee. it was apparent she was poor and all. he said the teacher grabbed her chair up and shook her and the chair against the floor. what an impact it made on him. can you imagine how the girl felt? i tried to explain to my husband that in 2008 that can't happen without repercussions. people are held responsible for their actions. we have to stop the injustices. one step at a time.
easy to read and follow. i saw two spaggies.
White Americans were to be reminded (change got to were)
children's books featured these images (change feature to featured)
imagery is excellent. keep up the good work~
love,
barbara
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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thank you so very much for your most thoughtful comments and for sharing your own sad story of racism. :-)
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you are very welcome~
love,
barbara
Comment from BarnCat
Brooke -- the most disturbing aspect of these images is that those who created them don't care if they are perceived as racists. They seem to have no social conscience, and therefore, no social accountability. Sen. Obama has a lot to offer the citizens of this country -- as does Sen. McCain. I can only hope that the differences in their vision for our future determines the election and not superficial differences that have little bearing on it. Someone argued that if Sen. Obama were elected, and he and Sen. Biden were unable to complete their terms, Nancy Pelosi, would become president. I reminded him that the same would be true if the Republicans won as well. He refused to believe it. Politics. Technically, your essay presented your views with passion and skill. Thanks for fighting the good fight and for bringing this . . . abominable lapse of humanity to our collective conscience. DBL
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Brooke -- the most disturbing aspect of these images is that those who created them don't care if they are perceived as racists. They seem to have no social conscience, and therefore, no social accountability. Sen. Obama has a lot to offer the citizens of this country -- as does Sen. McCain. I can only hope that the differences in their vision for our future determines the election and not superficial differences that have little bearing on it. Someone argued that if Sen. Obama were elected, and he and Sen. Biden were unable to complete their terms, Nancy Pelosi, would become president. I reminded him that the same would be true if the Republicans won as well. He refused to believe it. Politics. Technically, your essay presented your views with passion and skill. Thanks for fighting the good fight and for bringing this . . . abominable lapse of humanity to our collective conscience. DBL
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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You make excellent points. And yes, some people just don't know their civics. I would love it if an election were determined on issues, not ridiculous perceived differences.
Thank you!
Comment from zeezeewriter
Thank you for changing your mind and posting this most important message. I have an African American friend and she believes that this election will bring the closet racists out into the open. Her fears are real. We have evolved little as a civilized people.
This was a very informative essay and you are very brave to bring it to all of us. Kudos my dear. ZeeZee
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Thank you for changing your mind and posting this most important message. I have an African American friend and she believes that this election will bring the closet racists out into the open. Her fears are real. We have evolved little as a civilized people.
This was a very informative essay and you are very brave to bring it to all of us. Kudos my dear. ZeeZee
Comment Written 19-Oct-2008
reply by the author on 19-Oct-2008
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Thanks, ZeeZee. Yes, I also believe the gloves are being taken off as fears are becoming greater. How very sad. I appreciate your reading this and your response. Peace, Brooke
