Warning: This is a rather long diary. I hope at least a few people can stick with it to the end so that their comments, if any, are on topic and productive.
Sometimes, I just wonder about a few of the folks here at Daily Kos.
I try to keep up with the diaries here at Daily Kos but inevitably I fall behind by Friday. I then spend some time over the weekend catching up so that when I go to work Monday morning I'm only behind by about 12 hours.
I was doing my usual catch up when I ran across a particularly interesting diary.
It wasn't interesting just for its in depth explanation of how Obama makes enemies stupid. I did find the diary interesting because of this but there was more.
It wasn't just interesting for it's comparison of John McCain to Elmer Fudd. It is an apt comparison though.
It wasn't even just interesting for the fact that a YouTube link to an old Bugs Bunny cartoon was included. Ah, Bugs Bunny! I grew up watching Warner Bros cartoons on the tv.
In the next section -- the reason I found it interesting.
I found it interesting because it made me want to ask a few questions.
Before I ask these questions, please go check out the diary. I can wait until you get back.
Have you checked it yet? No, really--please check out the diary.
Jeopardy music begins.
Music still playing.
Still playing.
Still playing.
Just a little more Jeopardy music.
and...
We are done!
Ok, now that you have looked it over, here are the questions I need to ask.
- For those who read and participated in the comments for this diary when it was posted last Friday night and those who just checked it out via the link I provided, I need to know--did you watch the cartoon all the way through to the end? No, really--did you?
- If you did watch the whole cartoon and read the diary prior to my posting a link to it, why didn't you say anything about the last section of the cartoon? Did you really not recognize the racist stereotypes shown in the cartoon?
- At what point in time is it finally okay to recognize that pointing out racism is still necessary? Can this be done without being accused of a failure to recognize just how 'equal' blacks are nowadays? Can this be done without fellow liberals trying to downplay what are legitimate concerns?
Allow me to provide some context for each group of questions.
In the first two sets of questions I am just trying to ascertain how much effort is put into understanding what a diary is about before you comment. I find that the words of a Joni Mitchell song are truly apropos here.
Land of snap decisions.
Land of short attention spans.
Nothing is savored long enough to really understand.
Dog Eat Dog by Joni Mitchell
As a kid I grew up watching Warner Brothers cartoons and loved them. I noticed something though when I was watching them. It seemed that sometimes the cartoon action would jump from one section to another section that didn't make sense. It was like part of the cartoon was missing.
As I grew older I discovered why that was. In the early to mid 1900's when these cartoons were made, there were a number of stereotypes of blacks, Japanese, and Native Americans that just weren't acceptable to put on New York City TV (I live in NYC so I don't know what might have been the policy in other parts of the country). This is why some of the cartoons seemed stilted.
When I got a computer in the late 1990's and got on the net I decided to do a search for information about these cartoons. I found this very interesting site that explained what was cut out of the cartoons and why. While at first it was the blatant racist stereotypes, the editors of TV progressed to removing some of the violence in the cartoons. I never had an issue with the violence but that's because I and all my friends knew the difference between the coyote being able to repeatedly fall off cliffs, get squashed by rocks or hit by moving vehicles and real life.
When I read the diary and clicked on the YouTube link I immediately knew which cartoon it was. I then wondered if it was the cut version or the unedited one. My first clue was the fact that the cartoon was 7 minutes and 54 seconds long. None of the edited cartoons run that long.
I watched it and had my suspicion confirmed. This was the full cartoon--black face and all. I'm not surprised that the cartoons are available on YouTube. There has been an effort to have them removed but so far it has not been successful. Not all the racist cartoons of the past were from Warner Brothers. Disney had it's share but since this is a Warner Brothers cartoon, I am focusing on that.
Well--after I verified the content of the cartoon, I proceeded to look through all 141 of the comments posted. Not one person said anything about it. This is why I wonder if anyone even bothered to watch the whole cartoon. I just couldn't believe that anyone who watched it, including the diarist who chose to link to it, could actually know what was in it and not comment.
The diarist, if he or she really felt that this was the cartoon they wanted to link to, should have at least had a disclaimer. I have looked at their recent past diaries and haven't found anything prior to this that compares. He or she seems to be a thoughtful person. I personally believe that, given the amount of Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoons that were made that weren't racist, a different cartoon should have been chosen to make the McCain/Fudd point.
As for my final questions in number 3, I have seen comments from a few people that seem to want to ignore or lessen the fact that demeaning stereotyping continues in this country. They do this in a number of ways depending on who the stereotype is about but again, I am primarily focusing on racism.
I have come to the conclusion that, for some people, certain types of racism are apparently ok or not that important. As long as it isn't truly blatant, it just doesn't seem to count. I guess the racist stereotype has to be in your face for people to even notice it. Like the cover of the New Yorker.
I have read a few of the diaries about the cover of the New Yorker. For me the one that stands out is about a black woman's reaction to how Michelle Obama was portrayed on the cover of the New Yorker.
I was glad to see that most of the comments addressed the fact that this was wrong. The trouble I have is with some of the other diaries where there are people who either:
- don't see anything wrong
- don't think it should be taken that seriously
or
- are afraid that pointing it out will damage our candidate so therefore we should shut up and wait for the change to come (props to Sam Cooke).
I'm tired of being told by a few people that we should stop bringing up race. We are really trying to point out that something is racist and is therefore wrong. Just because you don't understand our concerns doesn't make the stereotyping okay. It is about time that we truly recognize that characterizing anyone (either by race, gender or sexuality) in a demeaning stereotypical fashion is just plain wrong.
I would love to live in a world where this wasn't so but this is the world we live in. Apparently in America it will continue to be accepted practice to deny or downplay this kind of thing. After all, we have overcome, right (props to MLK)?
Perhaps the true sign of a real change will be, not the denial of the existence of bigoted stereotypes but, the recognition that this is not acceptable in an enlightened society. At that point we won't need to deny or hide the foulness of this type of behavior but will openly teach everyone what was done and why it was wrong.
I'm not going to ask that the diary in question be deleted. I think it should stay. I also think that if this was an honest mistake the diarist should edit the diary to explain what happened. Perhaps he or she could also include some commentary about these cartoons and why it is time to finally get to the root of the weed of racism and completely dig it up. Since it is now old, maybe a new diary by the original diarist to address the cartoon in the old diary would be appropriate.
I actually believe that the light of day is what is needed in this case. You can't learn from a hidden history. To borrow an idea from the Jews who went through the Holocaust, we ought to learn from what happened and teach each generation so that we will never forget.
Unfortunately, I feel that what will continue to be true is that we won't learn from the past.
If we seek solace in the prisons of the distant past
Security in human systems we're told will always, always last
Emotions are the sail and blind faith is the mast
Without the breath of real freedom we're getting nowhere fast
If God is dead and an actor plays his part
His words of fear will find a place in your heart
Without the voice of reason every faith is its own curse
Without freedom from the past things can only get worse
Sooner or later just like the world first day
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
Sooner or later just like the world first day
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
History will teach us nothing
History will teach us nothing
Our written history is a catalogue of crime
The sordid and the powerful, the architects of time
The mother of invention, the oppression of the mild
The constant fear of scarcity, aggression as its child
Sooner or later
Sooner or later
Sooner or later
Sooner or later
Convince an enemy, convince him that he's wrong
Is to win a bloodless battle where victory is long
A simple act of faith
In reason over might
To blow up his children will only prove him right
History will teach us nothing
Sooner or later just like the world first day
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
Sooner or later just like the world first day
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
History will teach us nothing
History will teach us nothing
Know your human rights
Be what you come here for
History Will Teach Us Nothing by Sting
It is now late (I have to be up at about 4:45 in the morning to go to work) so if there are any responses, I won't get to see them until Tuesday and that will depend on how much I have to do at work. Each day varies in terms of busyness.
Finally, this may just disappear into the ether but I am hoping that maybe a few people will see it and read it before it scrolls off the page.