The Black Image
The NAACP recently complained about the lack of racially diverse shows on the major television networks, and the limited roles for African Americans on television. The movie Bamboozled is a social satire on TV's seemingly racist practices. It is also a social commentary on how media works to fuel popular culture. Spike Lee in this movie is, as he said in his own words, making a "satire of the history of film and TV industries," and he is stressing "satire". The movie focuses in on a minstrel show. Minstrels were the comedic variety shows of the early days. These minstrel shows were often offensive and stereotypical. Minstrels were performed in black face by both blacks and whites. Spike Lee is drawing a connection between the common portrayal of African Americans then and now in entertainment and television, and also how the white man needed to feel superior to the black by portraying them in a certain light. Lee said "In doing research what hurt me was the depth that I !saw the hatred of us as a people. To see the depths to which America showed its hatred via radio, film, television, songs, Aunt Jamima, Uncle Ben. It's just amazing." The film opens with the Webster definition of satire as spoken by
The drunken actors in the commercial swear by the potency of Da Bomb claming its 120 proof and always help their "nature rise. Both are focusing on the stereotypes imposed on the black community by the media and white man's view of the black community. The band is a bunch of ex-convicts called the Alabama Porch Monkeys. " Womack obviously feels like he is a slave to the show and the business but he had a strong enough sense of himself to walk away from this situation and the money, even though he would be going back to the street. The problem with the suppression of African Americans is that a lot of the community still has what Pierre Delacroix refers to as "slave mentality. " Other examples of stereotypical views of blacks are found in this movie. Perhaps one of the most humorous displays of stereotypical black America is the television commercials pitched during Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show. It's like black, angry, dark, sullen, depressed, wicked, black-balled, black listed, black cat is bad luck, bad guys were black, must have been a white guy who started all that. " Which !leads one to think, as Delacroix said ". I believe Pierre was so afraid of becoming stereotyped and viewed as inferior that he became a "sell-out". I'm out!" Womack is disgusted with the idea of doing the minstrel show in black face anymore. Overall the movie Bamboozled focuses on many ideas brought forth in this humanities class.
Common topics in this essay:
African Americans,
Pierre Delacroix,
Peerless Dotham's,
Black Black,
Da Bomb,
Jones I'm,
Timmi Hillnigger,
Peerless Dotham,
Spike Lee,
Delacroix Maybe,
pierre delacroix,
african americans,
spike lee,
middle class,
da bomb,
black middle,
black middle class,
strong sense,
timmi hillnigger,
stereotypical views blacks,
viewed inferior,
white boss,
alabama porch monkeys,
mantan millennium minstrel,
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Acceptance Essays
