Did you know that Bill Cosby bought up all the rights to “The Little Rascals” so that it would never be shown on television again? Just sit back and think about that for a minute. Never again. Bill Cosby. A black man. Money. Power. Control. Race. Media. Entertainment.
My brother and I used to watch “The Little Rascals” all the time when I was a kid. My dad, who is from the Savannah, Georgia, turned us on to it. It played every weekend in the early morning and when I think of it now, in addition to the oppressive and destructive “coon” stereotype Buckwheat played, the little Rascals catered to a plethora of ethnic stereotypes. Alfalfa was just this over the top, golly gee, gulp, buttoned to the neck, alfalfa cow lick in the center of his head freckles all over his face, nerd. Spanky was fat with a beanie, loud, sort of like the practical boss idea-man kind of kid who never got the girl. Darla (three letters away from Darling) was the only girl, always wearing short white baby doll dresses. And Buckwheat as we all know, or maybe not now due to Cosby but perhaps because of Eddie Murphy in his earliest, funniest SNL skits, was the dark skinned, bug eyed, hair like Don King because he never combed it, not because he making a statement, “yessah boss”, shucking and jiving boyhood version of Steppin Fetchit.
I loved this show when I was a kid. I loved it. I wanted to ride around in a little red wagon and join “The Little Rascals” in all their stupid “child against the adult world” adventures and hold meetings in a clubhouse of my own! My, dad, brother and I even used to do the secret hand gestures, sayings and handshakes they did to gain allowance into the clubhouse. We sort of made “The Little Rascals” our own. But no one was a “coon” or a nerd, or the pretty one who never got dirty. What is a “coon” you might ask and where did the term come from? Well, as far as the movies and television go, you already know. You see them all the time.
Last week, in my Mass Media in Black America class, Professor Lewin explained to us that according to Donald Bogle author of "Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films" Hollywood has never veered away from casting black actors and actresses in characters that fall into one or more of the following negative stereotypes created by whites to ensure the continuation of black self hatred, to keep blacks perceptions of themselves in a safe, oppressive easily labeled box and most importantly to ensure the successful functioning of a social system controlled by whites and “white” ideals.
Black Males
Uncle Tom (The butler or “House” Negro or shameless informant for the oppressor. during slavery time. Will sellout information about perceived disrespect of the slave master or uprisings lead by “Bucks.” Thinks of himself as a “Better Black” because of his position as keeper to the white man.)
Coon (Stepin Fetchit is a good example of this although for newer generations perhaps an outdated one. I will discuss more contemporary versions later. Someone portrayed as stupid, lazy, and submissive always singing and joking and scratching his head. Symbolically, there is a perpetual, “kick me” sign on his back.)
Buck (It’s that big dark skinned brawny black man, the “Mandingo” with a huge cock who’s going to rob you, rape you, take your woman if you’re a white man and pillage and vandalize the countryside until shot, tortured, lynched and castrated, not necessarily in that order. He also organizes with others to revolt against you, will have the audacity to fight back when you tell him he’s less than human. He’s unruly, disrespectful, intimidating and always up to no good.
Black Females
The Mammy (Still exemplified to perfection by Miss Hattie McDaniel in “Gone with The Wind.” The “mammy,” a term like all these others born of Slavery times in the South, is depicted in film as that big fat dark skinned black woman with nothing on earth she would rather do than look after you, that is if you happen to be white, especially if you are the white woman of the house to which she was primarily assigned. She will dress you, cook and clean for you, be furniture for you, suckle and care for your kids, give you advice when asked, give you love and affection when needed and never ask questions. She has no sex, and no need for it. Why would she? She’s a fat black dark skinned mammy. Black women of countless and various other sizes and shades of brown need not apply.
The Tragic Mullato (Best exemplified in “An Imitation of Life” the tragic mullatto is that sad, poor black woman (shhh don’t tell anyone) trapped between worlds because she could easily pass as white but has to hide the history of violence and rape of her mothers’ mothers’ mothers’ but some white man in order, not to be found out. This circumstance has been greatly updated in cinema as of late. The mixed race woman may not be tragic any longer simply because of her soiled heritage but she always tends to be tragic and to be pitied for not being able to fit in somehow because of her light skin. She is at once pitied or ridiculed because of the circumstances that produced her but also able to gain more access to opportunities perpetually out of the reach of darker skinned blacks. This is the stereotype that I am the least clear on and would love to study further.
“Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films“ by Donald Bogle, is a book of which I am very familiar, only because I worked in the Performing Arts section on Barnes and Noble about three years. It is a book Professor Lewin suggested we read in order to further explore these stereotypes created for blacks in cinema. I now wish that I had stopped and read this book as often as I read so many of the other books on film in that section. I was probably scared off by the title. You see I love movies, all aspects of movies. So, for what it’s worth, Bogle is now on my list.
NOW HAVING LEARNED ALL THIS, LET'S PLAY A GAME!!!
SPOT THE STEREO TYPICAL BLACK CHARACTER ACCORDING TO BOGLE IN CONTEMPORARY POPULAR MOVIES OR TELEVISION SERIES!
I’ll go first! And I’m not doing any elaborate descriptions here. I’m just calling them like I see them. So if you are offended I would stop reading now. WAIT! If you are offended you maybe you should still keep reading. I’ve found that perceived offense sometimes cracks open new perceptions of the world! Try it!
OKAY!!!! HERE WE GO!
Weeds
Romany Malco-Primary Buck Secondary Coon
True Blood
Tara-Mammy (no-brainer)
Lafayette-Buck and Uncle Tom
Eggs-Uncle Tom (All the way!)
Set it off
Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise- Bucks (Bunch of tough chicks trying to “buck” the system)
Beverly Hills Cop
Eddie Murphy- Buck and Coon
Gladiator
Djimon Hounsou-Buck
Sex in The City The Movie
Jennifer Hudson- Glamorous Mammy
The Matrix
Laurence Fishburne-Buck
Driving Miss Daisy
Morgan Freeman-Uncle Tom
Witness
Danny Glover-Buck and Uncle Tomd
Well I could go on like this for a while but a pattern seems to be emerging for me here and I think it makes things kind of unbalanced for a general readership. I seem to really like the movies and television featuring black actors in the “Buck” stereotype. I’m sure I can find some “Coons” in the early years of my cinema love affair but they’re not in my collection. I love to laugh, but I guess I just tend to like watching trouble- makers more. So check out your own collections and make your own list. Find your own”Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks in American Films“ I promise, it won’t be hard.
I would also like to conclude this by saying that these awful stereotypes were created from a fucked up observation of a true nature in blacks at that time. That a black woman is nurturing, hard working, resourceful, beautiful, sexy, intelligent, lively, sisterly, independent these aspects were perverted and abused and utterly exploited to form the “Mammy” and “Tragic Mullato” types.
That a black man is large, dark, fine, sexy, funny, strong, resourceful, inventive, virile, righteous, protective, won’t take shit, intelligent, kind, generous, and wants to do better and rise in the ranks of his profession or trade like any man was also perverted, abused, and exploited to form the “Uncle Tom”, “Coon” and “Buck” types.
Whenever I watch any movie, I am aware that there are all kinds of formulas, stereotypes and archetypes at play. Bad guys with accents, nudity as a female actresses’ rite of cinematic passage, the White Messiah, the homosexual who always dies, the black guy always dying first, the white chick falling as she runs in a "Slasher" movie. Isn’t that what the “Scary Movie” franchise was about? And yet there they still are, as smart and informed as we all are about them, as obvious as it all is.
Why?
I will discuss my thoughts on why later. This is already been the longest blog I’ve written all year. In my opinion, the answer to why these stereotypes still exist in film is as fucked up if not more so than the reason that they were created. Still I look to the positive, to the true nature behind the lies. Behind a lie is the truth and the truth will always out.
