So, here’s how this will work. I’ll post an article or a url link to an article, video or audio recording, and you’ll read it, watch it or listen to it and then post a comment. I expect at least one comment for each of my postings. This initial post should be between 200 and 400 words. That post will be worth 7 out of 10 points. If you respond to someone else’s posting, I’ll add one point for each additional comment you post.
This is an experiment. If it works, it will become a regular feature of the class and will replace the final paper assignment.
Amos 'n' Andy -- In Person: An Overview of a Radio Landmark
By Elizabeth McLeod
Free Amos and Andy shows online. This is a fabulous collection. I’d start with some of the earliest broadcasts. You might even want to compare broadcasts from the Twenties with those from the Fifties. http://www.radiolovers.com/pages/amosandy.htm
Good general introduction to Amos and Andy show and controversy. http://www.tvparty.com/50amos1.html
Amos and Andy was racist: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/25853/blatant_racism_present_in_amos_n_andy.html
Although the Amos and Andy show was very stereotypical I do not believe they were racist. Amos and Andy are comedians which makes joking about the African American race acceptable. These were very common stereotypes among the Africa American community. In the "courtroom" radio show, one of the African American characters weren't able to spell fear while spelling it F-E-E-R. It was normal for Black people to be uneducated back in the early 50's. I view this show as just a form of entertainment as it is now in the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was common for a black person to be poor and uneducated in the 1950s. Racism was just as prevalent. However, we are viewing this show TODAY. It was uncommon in the 1950s, but there existed a small number of actively non-racist individuals, just as there were a handful of educated "black folk." Should Amos and Andy have continued the stereotype of non-educated African Americans in the media for entertainment purposes? No. The Amos and Andy show was definitely racist.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to make a distinction between the Radio show and the television Show. The Radio Show was definitely Racist. The Television show was still fundamentally Racist, but they responded to a lot of pressure from groups like the NAACP to moderate its basic message. For example, I remember seeing a show in which Kingfish took an IQ test, and his test was accidentally mixed up with another person's who was much smarter. The other person was a studious looking African American Gentleman in a suit, who spoke articulately in standard English. I was about 7 years old at the time (the 50s) and that was the first time I ever saw an African-American speak standard English. Small Potatoes, by modern standards, but for the time it was a tiny step forward.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this question, I immediately thought “no, its not racist”. I first went to an old Saturday Night Live sketch where Jimmy Fallon came out in blackface and did his impersonation of Chris Rock. I did not think that made Jimmy Fallon a racist. He was impersonating a specific person, who just happened to be black. The same does not go for Amos and Andy. I don’t think their characters were based on specific people, but instead generalities of the entire black race. Therefore, it is indeed racist. The Associated Content article explained it well. Their vernacular and their portrayal as being “incompetent” are just a few examples of how racist it was. Although during the time period this show aired, it may not have been considered racist and that was just how they were viewed. That doesn’t take anything away from it being racist. Nothing becomes racist or suddenly has its “racist label” taken away. Its not a fad. Its either racist or it isn’t right from the beginning. They were basing the show off of stereotypes of black people, how is that not racist?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how anyone in their right mind would consider this show offensive.Doing "blackface" is no worse than when women put on way to much makeup, it's silly at best. The characters the writers are trying to portray are just that, fictitious persons with funny personalities. The show was entirely for entertainment and in no way was anyone supposed to come out of it with a negative view towards black people. Today many black comedians thrive on making fun of white culture and that still isn't racist. All of these programs are meant to be funny and lighthearted, no discriminative or demonstrative. Again anyone who is offended by anything Amos 'n' Andy did are so ridiculously not intelligent that they probably should watch TV or listen to radio at all. At least that way no one will have to defend the first amendment on a daily basis. Amos 'n' Andy is about American as it gets, people expressing through comedy a series of events many people might have gone through. Not to mention that when it went to TV the cast was entirely black! No one went on strike or refused to work on the show because of it's content. Why? oh yeah because it's not real. They were actors and this work became theirs to act out.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my typos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe Amos and Andy is racist but I do believe it is ignorant, offensive and dangerous. As a show, Amos and Andy is no more than simple entertainment. In comparison to other syndicated comedic acts like the Beverly Hillbillies or Eddie Murphy's the P.J.s, Amos and Andy is just another opportunity to cash in on a wealth of comedic material untapped in the market at that time. The ignorance of the show lies in its blatant disregard for the racial tension in the country during its airing. The country was heavily divided at the time, and Amos and Andy's portrayal of Blacks was at the heart of that division. On one side, many blacks were fighting to break away from the stereotype portrayed in the show, and on the other side many whites were trying to hold blacks to it. That makes the show offensive to those progressive blacks, and dangerous in regards to those oppressive whites who would impose their will to maintain that stereotypical perception of blacks, up to the treat of violence on the black community. I don't know if the producers had a stance on the race issue, but the show never did, and that's why I don't believe it is racist. I think the show cared more about ratings than politics.
ReplyDeleteafter seeing these articles i cant help but to be on both sides of this argument . i do not belive amos and andy were racist because comedy comes from making fun of people and their situations . a quote i herd that relates to this topic is " if we can not laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at." i belive this is true we have to stop taking these jokes seriously sit back and laugh. everyone has been made fun of for something in their lives. we get over it and we move on . however i do belive that in some situations comedians can cross the line maiking fun of things that people can not help is wrong. no one can control what color they are born they have to accept it just like we should.
ReplyDeleteI did not view Amos and Andy as a racist show. The show is based off of comedy. Two comedians are acting out what they find funny. The jokes used are silly and lighthearted. Taking it seriously is in my opinion, is overreacting. The comedians acted out their view of a certain group of people. The show was using real life situations and putting a fun spin on it. I don't think its fair to consider that racist. All different types of people are made fun of in different ways. In today’s society it is hard to watch a show without hearing a reference made to some group of people. I think it is important to take it with a grain of salt. I feel the only intention of the show was to make people laugh. The show was meant for entertainment and I feel should not be viewed otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Amos and Andy are racist like that. I justed heard the 1944 Not Invited to the party show.Honestly they could have fooled me; they sound black to me. I personally don't take any offense to what they are saying or doing all together. What their doing is comical to me.I have white friends who make funny jokes about me and my friends all the time and we would say something to them also. Their just playing. But at the same time during the time period of this show and where it's taken place i do understand why people would say this show is racist based on how they're portraying black people. For example by the slang they used and acting like we're poor so we can't take a girl out properly and how we got to stutter when we talk. That can be looked at a racial shoots towards black people. But again me personally i take no offense to it and find it funny i was actually into the show.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started watching the “Amos ‘n’ Andy” show for this assignment, I was pretty much cracking up, not going to lie. They were definitely just trying to deliver some laughs and had no intention of being disrespectful or negative. However, the unquestionable racial overtones used by the characters in "Amos 'n' Andy" can certainly be perceived as degrading to black people, but especially under the circumstances of the time period. Exceptionally pivotal events and pioneers in the ‘40s led up to “Amos ‘n’ Andy” ‘s premier transcontinental TV broadcast in ’51—that’s when I stopped to think for a second. The end of WWII and the Holocaust, Rosa Parks and the "Freedom Riders", Jackie Robinson, and the desegregation of public schools were all still fresh news. With the way the show depicts the mannerisms of a black man, I’m not surprised Civil Rights movement groups were protesting it and trying to end its’ production. I would have felt like the material in their comic skits almost just ridiculed me as a black human being, and that the show is counterproductive of the recent steps of the Civil Rights movement. I still think it’s hilarious, but in retrospect, I cannot honestly say that I think it’s racist, nor can I honestly say that it’s not… The light in which I’m looking at the comedic material in the “Amos ‘n’ Andy” show helps me determine whether or not I think it’s racist for two reasons: (1) I empathize with the creators of the show because they were just trying to make people laugh and have a good time, but (2) I also empathize with the black men and women who took such offense, because I would have felt vulnerable and emotional from the highest highs and lowest lows of the recent decade.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time the show aired I would have been offended as a black person. And I would also see it as being racist. Yes, we do need to laugh about ourselves. But seeing it from their point of view, during a time where they struggled to make a living and fit in a society that disregards them, I cannot see how one would think it was not racist. Two white men painting their faces black, making jokes about language and culture of the black people –it is offensive. And I think as it being offensive it also is racist. How can you make jokes about the lower level of education of someone if you are also the reason why they cannot get the education they would like to have? I am sure that some black people watched the show and laughed because Amos n’ Andy got a point. But then again –all of the white people laughed too. And they didn’t laugh WITH them but AT them. If this show came out in this century, I wouldn’t think of it being racist. That’s because we have gotten over our prejudices and stereotypes. Nowadays, we let everyone try to live their own personal ‘American Dream’. Considering that period of time though, the American Dream wasn’t exactly everybody’s dream to live. And I think the problem here is that a show like Amos n’ Andy made that clear for black people. It was white people’s entertainment and white people did not use to be friends with blacks by that time. This ignorance of white people makes it racist.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to Tasha’s post →
ReplyDeleteRegardless of whether we’re viewing the show today or six decades ago, the broadcasting of the commonness of poverty-stricken, uneducated black men and women in the ‘40s and ‘50s is racial stereotyping. In contrast, I completely agree with you when you suggest that the “small number of actively non-racist individuals” should not have been marginalized by the portrayal of blacks in “Amos ‘n’ Andy”. No matter the time period, a commonly characterized group of individuals should not be portrayed in a manner that does not satisfy or include all members of the group; this is stereotyping. This is why any member, apart of any group that is discriminated against naturally object to the portrayal of their commonly characterized group. Everybody knows that society will naturally put them in a certain category based on the color of their skin, the choice of their religion, and the gender of their being; but nobody wants to feel like they’re not viewed as an individual, but as a mere member of a group categorized by society.
Some very good points are being made. Note Dr. Teed Rockwell's comments on the difference between radio and TV show.
ReplyDeleteIn its time? No, not really. Amos and Andy, Little Black Sambo and the many extra characters that Fred Astaire and Danny Kaye helped get mainstream roles all were smarter than their white counterparts and all, when you look at it, overcame their perceived stereotypes. Looking back one could be appalled by white people playing these characters, but in their time they were oddly groundbreaking.
ReplyDeleteThe Amos and Andy show was a very racist show. The intent of the characters was to portray blacks in a negative light. This is not the same as Cab Calloway and Al Jolson singing jazz music in blackface make-up, because those acts weren't meant to make fun of blacks. This show was an example of cooning. This was very reminiscent of the "Darkie" minstrel shows perfomed during the early 1900's in which white actors would wear blackface make-up, and shuck and jive and sing about watermelon.
ReplyDeleteThe characters Amos and Andy speak in broken English that couldn't even pass for ebonics by today's standards. They sound uneducated and poorly-spoken almost as if they're imitating Plies on the radio. These characters are not just portraying the average black man, they are portraying someone who speaks in slave dialect, who doesn't have an education, and who wouldn't be able to survive without "mammy" or "massa."
Very rarely do i call out racism on certain issues. I didn't find Don Imus' remarks about the rutgers basketball team to be racist, nor did I find John Mayer's interview to be racist, but both of these were treated like Klan rally speeches by the media. So for me to say that something is racist, and to truly be offended by it, takes a lot. I am white, and a lot of times I get hate from the white community because my girlfriend is black, but never have I seen anything to blatantly racist as the characters portrayed on the Amos and Andy show. Times have clearly changed, because this show would not have even been a thought in a television producer's mind today.
After viewing Amos and Andy, I have come to the conclusion that racism was not a factor in the deliverance of the show. Amos and Andy was a comedy show that used over the top stereotypes and antics for comedic effect. I found myself entertained by the content. I can see how some would find this show slightly offending. As I pointed out, the show does brush on old stereotypes for humor. The two actors were also white actors. However i strongly believe the creators had no intention on spreading racism masked as comedy.
ReplyDeleteGood input Mike. I see and understand your view of the subject
ReplyDeleteI do not believe the Amos and Any show was rascist although it was very stereotypical. Comedy shows are made for entertainment purposes only and should be taken that way. This show is no different from any other shows that makes fun of race or gender. After listening to the shows, I can see how some might consider the content offensive. However, shows cannot make everyone happy and there is always someone who ends up upset. Conversely, I do believe the show feeds into the unnecessary stereotypes of black and validate people believing them.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to Leyna's point-
ReplyDeleteLeyna, you have great points about the shows content. During that period I can understand the uproar over having two white men paint their faces black and made fun of that race...
I agree with JJSmalls. I don't think the show is racist. The radio show is a comedy and comedians have been poking fun at controversial things, such as racism, since as long as they've been around. It's true that some of the things they said could be taken the wrong way, but as a comedy, it's all for the sake of making people laugh.
ReplyDelete