Bashing Coonery Is A Game For Fools

Clnmike says:

Man, excellent article and dead on, as much as I like to defend the right of people to “buy and sell” what they want there is no denying the one sided display of images of black people in the entertainment field. Yet whose feet do you lay the blame at? The producers of the mess or the consumers? When ever there is money involved your going to find someone willing to do what ever for it and it is up to the individual’s level of self respect to decide wahst too far. Case in point a lot of what Dave Chappelle does is borderline yet he draws the line at wearing a dress viewing it as an attack on black men. Yet Tyler Perry who makes Christian oriented and high moral movies has no problem going drag. Neither one is clear cut like a Flava of Love but there is some damage there. Then there is the consumers, are black people the really the ones requesting these images and thus allowing whites a view of how we see ourselves. Or are these shows demanded by white audiences and forced upon black people since there is not enough alternatives? Me, I got to lay blame on the producers, there the ones who are willing to sell out.

Danielle says:

Comedy is a fascinating medium because it allows us to address topics that would not be easy to address otherwise. Last year I performed a cultural analysis on Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” as part of my M.A. in Communication Studies degree (I highly recommend the movie to anyone interested in learning more about the topics of minstrelsy and coonery). My research led me to the early stages of the abolitionist movement. In the northern US the Irish and other immigrants were given life threatening and strenuous work with laughable pay. My research credits these groups with early blackface. They performed in blackface, as did many disadvantaged groups throughout the US and even outside the nation, to show how their treatment was no better than the treatment of slaves that abolitionists were fighting. It was a “safe” way to make a political comment about things they otherwise dare not say. Later it became part of the viscious cycle discussed in the article above.

The movie Bamboozled does an excellent job of depicting this cycle. In it, Pierre, played by Damon Wayons, is a writer for major television network. Each time he tries to pitch a show that depicts Blacks in a positive light the show is dismissed. He explains to his assistant, played by Jada Pincket-Smith, that he cannot quit because he’s under contract. So he devises a plan that will get him fired (out of the contract) and make a point about how the only way execs like to promote Black shows is if they are making a fool of themselves. He proposes Man Tan’s Millenial Minstrel Show that features Blacks in Black face tap dancing in a watermelon patch in the south at the height of slavery. Instead of being offended by Pierre’s implication and firing him, the network airs the show and it becomes the biggest show in television. Over time, Pierre stops trying to use the minstrel show as a social commentary on how blacks are systematically misrepresented as a people, and begins to use it as a vechicle to make money.

There’s a delicate line between the two. So delicate that it’s hard to find. When used as social commentary, as I believe Chappelle managed to do often, it can be the most powerful tool for instigating public conversations about things that we often ignore and begin to accept as normal, acceptable behavior. A prime example of this from Bamboozled is when Latinas, Italians, Blacks, and Whites wear blackface to taping of the shows and proudly proclaim that “I’m a Ni**er and proud of it.” However, when it goes wrong and becomes a tool for financial game, everyone from the producers, viewers, and actors are marred for life.

The question is, if minstrelsy and coonery are not easily managed to steer social change, what is a better alternative that is equally effective at inciting outrage to the point that people want to make a change?

Alexandra says:

Its all about money. What ni**a’s will do for a buck?
Yeah its really annoying watching that crap on tv, but what can you do. They have an audience & thats what the audience wants to see.

They sell, what people are buying. The ‘majority’ wants to see “coonery”, then thats what we’re gonna see.

ceecee says:

Good to see Zettler writing again.
At the end of the day, the power lies in the hands of consumers.

Alyson121 says:

if folks got rid of the teLIEvisions and stop letting media shape their views, it probably wouldn’t be a problem but most folks would rather have cable teLIEvision then spend the money on better food choices (e.g. grocery shopping at Costo’s or Food 4 Less vs Whole Foods and other natural grocers). Meaning if folks REALLY put there hard earned money where their mouths were I think there would be less uneasiness regarding the trash ALL media puts out. But, sh*t what do I know I haven’t worked outside my home in more than 8 years and my husband works in the VERY industry I speak of as an advertising exe (it’s actually HIM to taught me truth about how it all goes down).