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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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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End of conversation
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A great text on caricature as a source of pain even when it's also full of creativity is Bamboozled.
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Or Stepin' Fetchit.
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My grandfather told me he enjoyed Amos and Andy because it was the closest thing to representation he could get at the time. Amos and Andy is a complicated mess.
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