o/t - Racism In Old Movies

David Amicus

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Mar 30, 2014, 1:07:41 PM3/30/14

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Last night I watched the 1940 Cary Grant movie "His Girl Friday". There were no black people in the movie but were referenced several times always as "colored".

And a newborn black baby was called a "pickaninney".

In this pc world I wonder how movies like this ever get aired again.

the...@bigmailbox.net

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Mar 30, 2014, 2:00:57 PM3/30/14

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On Sunday, March 30, 2014 1:07:41 PM UTC-4, David Amicus wrote:
> Last night I watched the 1940 Cary Grant movie "His Girl Friday". There were no black people in the movie but were referenced several times always as "colored".

Why is colored racist? Why is it anymore or less racist than negro or black?

>
>
>
> And a newborn black baby was called a "pickaninney".

That's probably more questionable.

> In this pc world I wonder how movies like this ever get aired again.

Sometimes they're not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_the_South

Sometimes they are.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_of_a_nation

Personally, I wish Disney would release Song of the South. It has some historical interest. They could always put something in the front that says the movie was made at a time when people weren't so sensitive about these issues or something more PC.

There are also more recent issues. With the Arab in the beginning of Alladin for example.

David Amicus

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Mar 30, 2014, 2:23:56 PM3/30/14

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But now "African-American" is the politically correct word.

I'm old enough to remember both "Negro" and "Afro-American". The Nation of Islam briefly tried "Bilalian" but that did not last long.

Last night I was watching an episode of "Dragnet" from 1970. "Negro" was said. It seemed so out-of-place.

We poor old white people are still just white.

Martin Edwards

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Mar 31, 2014, 4:09:33 AM3/31/14

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This has a lot of variants. In Jamaica people of obvious mixed race
prefer to be called "coloured" as the truly "black" are the
lumpenproletariat. When I began teaching in Birmingham in 1972, being
influenced by American culture, I said "black". Imagine my surprise
when the kids said, "Say coloured, sir." In Jamaican patois "pickney"
is an everyday word for a small child, but using the fairly rare word
"pickaninny" is a marker for racism. [Look up Enoch Powell] Beyoncé is
probably a "créole of color" or a descendant of French settlers and
slaves. Her mother has naturally straight hair, though she is not as
beautiful. Jelly Roll Morton was a "créole" who disliked what were then
called "negroes". Why have you got your ass in a sling about pc? In
the days I mentioned I had to listen to racist language in the
staffroom. That would be unlikely today, and I think that that is an
improvement.

--
Myth, after all, is what we believe naturally. History is what we must
painfully learn and struggle to remember. -Albert Goldman

Martin Edwards

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Mar 31, 2014, 4:11:47 AM3/31/14

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Also "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was a ferocious condemnation of racism, while
today "Tom" means too deferential to whites.

Martin Edwards

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Mar 31, 2014, 4:13:44 AM3/31/14

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Though as Stephen says, Americans of European descent are neither white
nor Caucasian, so a new term is needed.

David Amicus

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Mar 31, 2014, 4:27:34 PM3/31/14

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On Monday, March 31, 2014 1:13:44 AM UTC-7, Martin Edwards wrote:
> On 30/03/2014 19:23, David Amicus wrote:
>
> > But now "African-American" is the politically correct word.
>
> >
>
> > I'm old enough to remember both "Negro" and "Afro-American". The Nation of Islam briefly tried "Bilalian" but that did not last long.
>
> >
>
> > Last night I was watching an episode of "Dragnet" from 1970. "Negro" was said. It seemed so out-of-place.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > We poor old white people are still just white.
>
> >
>
> Though as Stephen says, Americans of European descent are neither white
>
> nor Caucasian, so a new term is needed.

What about "Euramerican"? And a symbol could be a white bull [from the story of Europa and the bull]?

Michael Black

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Mar 31, 2014, 5:17:56 PM3/31/14

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On Mon, 31 Mar 2014, David Amicus wrote:

> On Monday, March 31, 2014 1:13:44 AM UTC-7, Martin Edwards wrote:
>> On 30/03/2014 19:23, David Amicus wrote:
>>
>>> But now "African-American" is the politically correct word.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> I'm old enough to remember both "Negro" and "Afro-American". The Nation of Islam briefly tried "Bilalian" but that did not last long.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Last night I was watching an episode of "Dragnet" from 1970. "Negro" was said. It seemed so out-of-place.
>>
>>>
>>
>>>
>>
>>> We poor old white people are still just white.
>>
>>>
>>
>> Though as Stephen says, Americans of European descent are neither white
>>
>> nor Caucasian, so a new term is needed.
>
>
>
> What about "Euramerican"? And a symbol could be a white bull [from the
> story of Europa and the bull]?

In some circles, they are simply "Europeans". I think it was Russell
Means who called people that, if it wasn't him it was someone high up in
AIM.

Michael

David Johnston

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Apr 1, 2014, 2:55:30 AM4/1/14

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That's because you habitually over-rate the "pcness" of the world.

the...@bigmailbox.net

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Apr 4, 2014, 9:34:47 PM4/4/14

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On Sunday, March 30, 2014 1:07:41 PM UTC-4, David Amicus wrote:

> Last night I watched the 1940 Cary Grant movie "His Girl Friday". There were no black people in the movie but were referenced several times always as "colored".

> In this pc world I wonder how movies like this ever get aired again.

I recently watched http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Quentin_Durward where in the hero has this exchange with a Roma character named Hayraddin.

Hayraddin: Why do you have to be so honorable?
Quentin Durward: Why do you have to be so dishonorable?
Hayraddin: Because I am a gypsy. It's expected of me.

The movie also has a pretty good fight scene.

But some in the entertainment industry are against racism.
http://www.thelocal.de/20140401/why-this-tale-of-porn-and-neo-nazis