Ethic Notions-Movie

As a class the other day we watched a documentary entitled “Ethnic Notions”. This film was portraying the images of African Americans throughout the 1900’s. Jim Crow, Zip Coon, Sambo, the Mammy, the pickaninny, were all used as examples and are all popular culture figures from our past. Except that these exaggerated images were racial stereotypes whose legacy has been the systematic political and social repression of Black Americans. Ethnic Notions traces the history of these figures in the media and their awful hidden messages that blacks were considered ugly, savage, happy servants, and lazy. Messages which were often contradictory suited to the political climate of the time. For instance, during the years of slavery, blacks were portrayed as happy servants, but during reconstruction, they suddenly became “animalistic brutes”. Children were seen as animalistic due to their “nappy” hair and being undressed properly. Blacks were portrayed as being in uniform with a smile as they were all happy. They were happy to serve others and happy to be confined and to forget about their own needs, only the needs of their masters. The movie included many historical stills, film footage, songs, and gift shop trinkets to make his stereotype seem so surreal. Most of us think that because we went to college, we have a basic understanding of the history of racial injustice. It was noted in the movie that the United States was the country that made the LEAST progress in the world. Everyone grew up playing Parkers Brothers board games. Just before we came along, people were playing a Parkers Brothers game called "Ten Little Niggers." No one new the actual impact and how things have really never changed.