Secondary Source 5

My fifth secondary source is a book written by Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki analyzing how portrayals of African Americans in mass media affect and influence the common perception of African Americans by white people. The book examines how the white mind works and how it is influenced by culture and media in general. It then delves into a broader discussion of stereotypes and black power in the news and on Prime-Time Television and how that influences the white perception of black people. The book also discusses representations of race in advertisements and movies.

Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki, The Black Image in the White Mind, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2000.

Secondary Source 4

My fourth secondary source is a book written by Robert Ferguson examining the representations of race in the media. The book begins with theories on race representations in general and then builds upon those theories to make claims about race in media culture. Ferguson uses case study examples to make claims about the “anti-racist” tendencies of the media and the normalizations of racial stereotypes resulting from “popular ideological support” in mainstream culture. An interesting reason that I chose this source is that it was written in England. I believe that an international perspective on race relations will add a larger context for my examination of race relations in America.

Robert Ferguson, Representing ‘Race’, Oxford University Press, New York, 1998

Secondary Source 3

My third secondary source is a compilation book edited by Yahya R. Kamalipour and Theresa Carilli examining how the culture of global society in influenced and impacted by portrayals of diverse populations in various forms of media. I will be focusing on different sections within this book including the minority portrayal in cartoons, black comedy, and ethnic humor. The section discussing minority portrayal of cartoons compares modern and early representations of ethnic minorities in newsprint and other cartoons. The section on black comedy chronicles how black situational comedy has developed through different periods: “hybrid minstrelsy, assimilationism, assimilated hybrid minstrelsy, and simultaneity and diversification” (81). The section on ethic humor discusses how group identity is established through various forms of “in-group” vs. “out-group” humor (135).

Yahya R. Kamalipour and Theresa Carilli, Cultural Diversity and The U.S. Media, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1998

Secondary Source 2

My second secondary source is an article by DeWayne Wickham responding to the controversial Martin Luther King Jr. episode of The Boondocks in which the civil rights leader return to speak to black people and in his disgust, uses the N-word. The article argues that McGruder crosses the line and that Martin Luther King Jr. would never have used the N-word in a speech addressing black people. Wickham compares the use of the N-word to other pejorative words such as “kike” and “wetback” in order to make a point that the word should not be used, especially by icons such as Martin Luther King Jr. In addition, Wickham states that this is a “dangerous gambit” for a mixed race audience who may miss the greater point of the episode and rather get hung up on the N-word.

DeWayne Wickham, “'Boondocks' steps over line in its treatment of King,” USA TODAY, January 31, 2006, Pg. 11A

Secondary Source 1

My first Secondary Source is an Article by Naomi Rockler from a volume about Studies of Media. The article documents a study comparing two cartoons that focus on African Americans in middle class life: Jumpstart and The Boondocks. Rockler proposes that Eurpoean Americans enjoyed Jumpstart better because of its lack of focus on raical issues while African Amreicans, although critical, enjoyed the Boondocks better because of it's more accurate representation of African American issues. To account for this discrepancy, the rest of the artical chronicals a study conducted by Rockler to analyze the "terministic screens" that people use by which to view these cartoons. She concludes that both European Americans and African Americans interpret these cartoons through a lense of relevancy.



Rockler, Naomi (2002) 'Race, whiteness, "lightness," and relevance: African American and European American interpretations of Jump Start and The Boondocks', Critical Studies in Media Communication, 19:4, 398 - 418

Five Minutes of Fame in Class Handout

Big Claim: Once black people enter the realm of a “Nigga Moment,” they no longer have control of their destinies but rather become pawns controlled by the self destructing cycle that ultimately results in a battle that cannot be won.

Sight becomes a limitation for black people who cannot see the bigger perspective.

· “He knows my every move, yet he cannot see”

· “As my mind tries to make sense of the impossible, he’s turned my sight into a liability.”

· Huey is destined to lose the fight, because he has choose to fight an unbeatable foe

When observed from the outside, a “Nigga moment” appears absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing for everyone involved. However, when trapped within, it seems like the only option

· “A private Nigga moment shames you. A public nigga moment shames the whole race”

· “You know, we could all be reading a book right now”

The only way to win is by not fighting, by not letting the “Nigga Moment” control you

· “Granddad the only way to win is not to fight.”

· Stinkmeaner actually was not the blind samurai but rather a blind old man who had gotten lucky. Now because he and granddad got controlled by the “Nigga moment,” stink meaner was killed.

The Boondocks - Grandad's Fight

"Blind Samurai"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3hVapJbft4&feature=related


"Grandad's Actual Fight"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxzx3jB_jXY

3) Looking back at Audition

Before my one-on-one meeting, I was completely torn between my two sources. I felt that the two sources were equally as interesting but discussed different content. “The Beautiful Struggle” portrayed the connection between the individual struggle and communal struggle of black people living in the ghetto. “The Boondocks” portrayed the cycle of self destruction that black people find themselves caught in. After my one-on-one and during my 15 minute auditions I realized that the reason I was completely torn between the two sources is because both sources were actually saying the same thing. Although they used different methods, both sources were displaying the struggle of black people as a result of the lack of positive options that they have. Either as a cycle that black people get locked in, or a structured social inequality, black people have to struggle to make the best of the bad options that they are given.

If anything, this realization only makes it more difficult to choose between sources. Now, not only are they equally interesting, but they also break down to the same social message. Since, I feel that I could analyze and write about each one, I am unsure how to decide. Perhaps I should choose the source that is easier to analyze. I feel like the album closer lends itself to rhetorical analysis because it is mostly text based. However, the television show has more content to analyze because there are more dimensions of activity taking place. If anyone has any idea on how to decide, please let me know.

2) Audition

Talib Kweli Beautiful Struggle

One of the key songs on the album is track 7, “Around My Way,” featuring singer/songwriter, John Legend. The song begins with John Legend singing the chorus. The chorus focuses on the sadness of the hood, as it speaks about “corners filled with sorrow,” and “streets filled with pain.” Since these words are the first descriptive words of the song immediately following the opening repeated line, “Around my way,” the song begins with a sad overtone. The words “sorrow” and “pain” are both negative feelings. Pain is a physical negative while sorrow is an emotional negative. Since a city system is composed mainly of cross hatching streets, joining at corners, this implies that the city is mostly a negative place to live. “All the streets are filled with pain.” At the intersection of pain, lies sorrow, a more abstract pain of the soul. Since pain and sorrow are seemingly ubiquitous in this place described, a tone of loneliness and isolation is presented. Nothing exists except pain, and sorrow, therefore there is nothing to live for. This opening chorus begs the question, why continue living when all that exists is pain and sorrow? For people living in the ghetto, the options are all bad. When one has to choose between pain and sorrow, there is not much to live for.

The Boondocks

Episode 4 of season 1 of “The Boondocks” opens with a scene illustrating the concept of a “Nigga Moment.” The scene opens with a partially cloudy bright sky and closes in towards a cityscape looking over a river with sailboats gliding downstream. There is soft piano music playing in the background that acquires a tambourine beat and a snare at the scene shifts in on a walking stoplight that shifts from red to green. The music and scenery reflect a serene tone of calmness and peace. At the green light, white people begin walking across the street and everything is busy yet still peaceful. Two gangster-looking black males then walk across the street and collide shoulders, knocking the headphones off of one man, and causing the other to drop the object he was holding. Immediately the music stops and the shoulder collision is repeated three times in a row. The atmosphere is no longer peaceful and all sense of calmness has ceased. At this moment when the two black males collide, the scene only focuses on their faces, leaving the rest of the city to the background. There is no peace, no calm, no safety, only the moment that the two men have found themselves caught in. Now that the men are caught in this “Nigga Moment,” they have only two choices back down and lost their respect or kill each other.

1) Patterns

Talib Kweli Beautiful Struggle

The Revolution, navigation, rising up, “I try,” “beautiful struggle”

Personal and communal struggle, religion, pointless struggle, beautiful, religion dying

Church, personal relationship with god, personal struggle, relationship expectations

Where is spiritual guidance

“Around my way,” limited choices pimp = reverend, niggas = American, role reversals

A description, “let me paint a picture,” “Ghetto Show” the aesthetization of the ghetto

The Boondocks

“Nigga Moment,” “Grandfather’s fight,” cycle of self destruction, trapped in the cycle

“blind leading the blind,” “stupid killing the blind,” two old men

Anime, cartoon, different from other black cartoons, animation is a fight, child violence

Parenthesis, break in flow, “nigga moment” 3 terms, child narration, self awareness,

lack of self control, locked in to a decsion