I figured out the quickest way to get a response is to start a blog so here goes:
Ok, as a black woman, I have been known to jerk my neck from side to side and wave a finger or two in an argument (just ask my husband, who used to, affectionately, call me The Hulk). And there is a long standing complaint/stereotype/joke in the community about "bwwas" (black women with attitudes). But, ladies, are we so bad that we have become a caricature?
Has anyone else seen Cleveland's wife, Loretta, on Family Guy? She is always shown with her arms folded and neck jerking. To top it off, she speaks in a rough tone of voice and is always rude to her husband. Now, I'm not the squeamish type and can usually approach most things presented in the media with a grain of reasoning so as not to let my emotions get the best of me. However, when I saw the previews for Neesie Nash's new sitcom, particularly a scene where she confronts co-star Jerry OConnell (about what specifically I can't remember) quite reserved in posture and demeanor (is that redundant?) and then he, for cheap laughs, says "I don't know where all THIS is coming from" while jerking his neck and wagging his finger in an exaggerated way, I had to wonder...are we really that bad? Deep sigh...
Omi, I agree with your
Omi, I agree with your comment. My question wasn't about sitcoms per se, and I am aware of the one dimensional nature of the images we see in entertainment. What is most interesting about your comment is that you were able to site 3 different shows that are predominately white and, quite frankly, offer 3 different views of the same culture. Whether ALL white people find a point of connection in ALL the shows or not, I think it is safe to say that MOST white people can relate to MOST of the content in ALL 3 of those shows. To state the obvious, we ( and the rest of the country) do not have the same luxury of options. There is no cross section of the black community and thereby black woman available on television. Don't get me wrong, I think the writers/producers of Family Guy do a good job of making fun of everybody so I'm not calling for a letter writing campaign to get the show taken off the air. But the Loretta character is never shown, in the course of an episode, to exhibit understanding or love toward Cleveland or anybody for that matter. Even Homer Simpson has an arc. So it's not just that it's a cartoon or that it's entertainment or that it's a stereotype.
sitcoms = stereotype central
sitcoms have always been full of stereotypes--e.g. i know a lot of white people who are the total opposite of what you see on shows like "friends", "sex in the city" or even "seinfeld". it all goes both ways.
yes, black women have attitude, but i think that the neck-rolling, emasculating "sapphire" is only another symptom of the fear of blk folks inherent in the mainstream culture. the flipside is the peaceful, all-loving "mammy" or "saint" type. as we know, most real blk folks fall somewhere inbetween or on another scale entirely.
i figure that most shows on television appeal to our baser nature, mostly to generate socially acceptable laughter at racial, ethnic, or cultural misconceptions. gotta take it all with a grain of salt.
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Interesting
You know I've often wondered that myself. I take solace in the fact that I personally know black people (women and men) to go against the stereotypes presented on television. But as said before, in every stereotype there is a grain of truth.
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