1. So I have a few thoughts about cartoonists reacting badly to criticisms of ethnic and racial stereotypes (Happy Hooligan to The Simpsons).
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11. As historian Melvin Patrick Ely demonstrated in excellent book, when Amos & Andy created in 1928, it polarized black community. Some (particularly educated) hated but radio show also had a large black audience that loved.
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12. To speculate: black Amos 'n' Andy fans, generally belonging to the Great Migration from South to North, were so hungry for representation they took what they could want. Also, radio medium masked aspect of blackface (many thought A&A were black).
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13. But what was acceptable in 1928 was intolerable in 1951, when NAACP led major campaign against show -- due in part to rising political organization but also generational shift.
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14. Apu is going through the same trajectory as Amos 'n' Andy, with an older generation that tolerated giving way to a younger one that recognizes the offensive features.
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15. One reason for these generational shifts, I think, is kids are more sensitive to impact of stereotypes. They live, after all, in world of bullies
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16. God knows, it's always tempting to say, "Screw the kids, what do they know?" or "Grow up, snowflakes!" That's a mistake.
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17. If only there were a Simpson's meme about the dangers of being an out of touch coot!pic.twitter.com/rns0l3oIyg
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18. My larger reflections on why listening to the kids changed my mind about Apu:https://newrepublic.com/article/147980/epiphany-problem-apu-simpsons …
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I saw a theatrical version of this once, with the same actors as on the radio (in front of large numbers of African American extras—have to wonder how they felt). Talk about larding on the "man, these guys is stupid!" signifiers. Everything was rickety and illiterate looking.
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The signage at the cab company had so many backward letters, it was like they'd contracted it out to Hal Roach's Little Rascals. It's hard to think that this was meant to be endearing. It was as subtle as cuss words on a fence.
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