Opression of African Americans Essay

In the docudrama Ethnic Notions directed by Marlon Riggs. illustrates the subjugation African Americans have faced during the clip of bondage up until the present twenty-four hours. The same signifiers of subjugation inkinesss faced during bondage is the same type of subjugation they faced today. decennaries after bondage was abolished. These signifiers of subjugation still seen today are grounds that America has non made really small advancement in extinguishing the inequalities among the white and black Americans.

The documental utilizations different imitations to portray African Americans in the incorrect visible radiation.These characters were suppose to demo the manner black people looked. and behaved even though none of these characters really depicted the manner black people genuinely looked or acted.

Even though the picture focused manfully on the manner African Americans are perceived by society. it focused on an even bigger issue ; the chief point of the docudrama was to supply grounds that African Americans were better off left in imprisonment during the times of bondage. Riggs begins the docudrama by exposing the images of black imitations that was introduced during the slavery clip period. and explicating how those same imitations have been seen around the universe.Even today those same black imitations can be seen in people places.

including in the places of many African Americans. The people portrayed in these characters are all highly dark with big lips. and really unsympathetic.

Those cartoon imitations do non in any form or signifier bear a resemblance to what black people really look like. All African Americans do non look precisely the same. but none of them are genuinely every bit dark as the imitations and their lips are non as big and abnormally shaped as seen on the imitations.Even though black people do non look like these sketch characters. people still see those old images as a representation of all black people.

as if they can non perchance see them looking any different. as if they were meant to look like anything else. The same construct of qualifying a individual group of persons can be observed in the picture The Danger of a Single Story.

In this picture narrative Teller Chimamanda Adichie discusses her experiences as a author. who merely wrote about British and white American people because that was all she knew.She was incognizant of people that looked like existed her because she merely of all time read books about white people so that was all she knew. Then when she moved to America. she experienced the danger of a individual narrative ; before anyone got to cognize they already felt sorry for her and had expected her to move in a certain manner. However they were surprised to larn that her life was nil like the individual narrative they heard about her and all other Africans. Unlike what they expected. Adichie did non populate in poorness and she could read and compose.

and speak English.After geting in America. Adichie began to truly understand the significance of the dangers of a individual narrative. Alternatively of her acquiring angry. she was able to understand why they thought the manner they did because merely like them she excessively had developed a individual narrative about a group of people. She understood that if people are merely seeing the same images of a group of people over and over once more.

whether it’s through the media or my word of oral cavity that finally that group of people will go what the media writes about them.After demoing the images of black people. Riggs farther explains the different functions of each of the imitations. Some of these imitations and images were during the clip of bondage. while others were during the period when bondage had ended. The Mammy imitation was a female parent who served the white people.

She was portrayed as a fat. unattractive adult female who loyally served her white maestro and his household. She did non kick and she appeared to ever be happy. until she went place to her ain household.

In her ain household she was viewed as the accountant of males and one who angrily punished her kids.The Mammy imitation was nil like the existent mammy. who was really really pretty and attractive. She was merely depicted as fat and ugly. so the she would non look to be a menace to the white adult females ; who at that clip was the lone females thought of as beautiful. Just like the Mammy imitation. the Uncle Tom imitation was besides perceived as a individual who enjoyed working for the white people. He was ever seen smiling while playing with the white kids.

and so helpful to his maestro. The Mammy and Uncle Tom were ne’er revealed as unhappy people. so people assumed that they were content with being slaves.

The Mammy and Uncle Tom figures were non the lone people that appeared to be basking bondage. but all other slaves seemed to be satisfied with it every bit good. The images that were being shown all showed the slaves singing and dancing. and smiling but none of those images showed the adversities that slaves faced. Merely the positive images were shown to do the outside universe believe bondage was okay. and that no injury could come from holding slaves. One dance the slaves danced was called the Jim Crow. it was a dance symbolized the manner African Americans felt about segregation.

The dance was non meant to be any racist term. but yet when the white adult male came and imitated the dance was when Jim Crow term began a racialist statement and when the Jim Crow character was created. A white adult male named Rice one twenty-four hours so a black adult male dancing. so he decided to mock this man’s dance.

So Rice put black pigment on his face and white pigment around his oral cavity. so he appeared to be a black adult male portraying other black people. The usage of black pigment became known as black face. Black face became the most popular signifier of amusement for people to watch.

Peoples thought it was amusing to watch a white adult male make-believe to be black. Black face became so popular that even black work forces started take parting in black face amusement. These black work forces would set black pigment on their face even though their faces were already dark. and strut around the phase miming their ain people. They used black face as a manner to do a small excess money since they were non acquiring plenty from the white people. It was non until after bondage ended that these sketch imitations started to stand for bad images of black people.

No longer did the images show slaves as happy people. but alternatively it depicted African Americans as angry. violent people. Those images were used to reason that black people were really better off as slaves. alternatively of free people. The Pickaninny imitation was a representation of the black kids. These childs appeared to be savage like by demoing them with no places on.

and the kids were eating by alligators. When people saw these images of the kids thought the kids were similar animate beings that belonged in the jungle. alternatively of a portion of society.

Then there was the Brutal Black Buck imitation that made black people become indentified as beasts. These beasts were barbarous people who could utilize any kind of force to acquire what they wanted all of people. When different films were being created. it showed black adult male looking for a white adult female.

who was a virgin to ravish and mistreat. When people kept seeing images like that they started to believe that black people were angry barbarians ; savages non meant to suit in with the remainder of society. All of these different imitations were a representation of all black people.Even though these imitations were nil like black people. the remainder of society believed these imitations were an accurate representation of black people. They expected all people of colour to move the manner those cartoon imitations did.

When people see the happy imitations that existed during bondage. so to watch the barbarous imitations after bondage ended. they begin to inquire if the abolition of bondage was truly necessary. They start to presume African Americans were the happiest during bondage. so why non fall back back to that old tradition.