BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism

Subject: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 05:09 PM

Here's an interesting article that I just read-"Germany's Next Top Model and the Psychology of Privilege" [The Germany Files] by Guest Contributors Carolina Asuquo-Brown and Elisabeth Schäfer-Wünsche:

http://www.racialicious.com/2009/08/27/germany%e2%80%99s-next-top-model-and-the-psychology-of-privilege-the-germany-files/#more-

That article provides commentary about the reactions among Germans to the fact that the winner of the "Germany's Next Top Model" television series (which was announced this past May) was Sara Nuru, a "Bavarian-born with Ethiopian roots". According to that article "up to season 3 (this summer) no brown face made it to the final stages of the show. [However]In last year's show, a girl with a Brazilian mother came fifth".

That article also provides information & commentary about "another hugely popular German TV format (also adapted from a US show, namely from "American Idol") [which] is well known to draw its contestants mainly from Germany's migrant population". A reader of that blog post shared that "91% of Germans are German in terms of ethnicity. Turks make up the largest minority group, as I expected, at 2.1%, and the rest is made up of immigrants who are primarily white. The top four ethnic groups for this small group of others are Serbian, Italian, Polish, and Greek.".

Another reader of the Racialicious blog which cross-posted that article wrote:

"...I have lived in Germany and am Afro-German myself, and while I agree there are instances of racism that still occur, Germany has come a long way from its Nazi past. I think many (if not a majority of) white Germans consciously have chosen to be non-racist because of the past. Germans want to get as far away from that image as possible."

-snip-

A central theme of that article is that these types of television programs are helping to eradicate racism in that nation by providing opportunities for Germans to 'get to know' people of other races & ethnicities.

In my opinion, that's one way to help eradicate personal racism, although it will not directly lead to changes in any institutional racism that may also exist in that nation. And it seems to me that use of the mass media is a good model (excuse the pun) for other nations to follow.

Do you have any opinions about this?

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 05:13 PM

Here's a news report about Sara Nuru's win:

Germany's next Topmodel "Topmodel" with African roots: Sara Nuru
May 22, 2009

"Germany's next Top model". German supermodel and host of the show Heidi Klum revealed the results in front of 15,000 spectators in Cologne's Lanxess Arena. Nuru's win assures her a contract with a big German clothing chain, as well as an appearance on the cover of popular women's magazine "Cosmopolitan".

The 1.76 metre tall Sara Nuru is of Ethiopian descent and was born in Munich. Her parents emigrated to Germany from Ethiopia in the mid 1980s.
She was selected from a total number of 21,000 young women that entered the modelling contest.

From the onset most of the 15,000 spectators outed themselves as Sara fans. Some even had signs with the slogan "Yes she can" in their hands, a humorous reference to Barrack [sic] Obama's often copied slogan.

The 4th edition of the casting show was a huge success with an average TV audience of almost 4 million viewers for each episode.


http://www.germanyandafrica.diplo.de/Vertretung/pretoria__dz/en/__PR/2009__PR/05/05__Topmodel.html

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 05:18 PM

Here's an excerpt from that article on the Racialicious blog:

..."Based on comments from German online communities, it seems that the majority of participants in those virtual discussions happily accepted the fact that the arguably prettiest contestant won, some voicing that they especially appreciated the fact that a not stereotypically German looking girl made it.

Of those that did not agree, only few were blatantly racist, but quite a few more flaunted an only slightly more subtle racism. They argued that in line with the traditional laws of citizenship (with German citizenship only granted on the basis of German ancestry) Germany's next top model should be genetically and quintessentially German. The laws have long changed, but it seems that the concept they embodied still lives on.

Most posts that had an issue with a winner of color claimed they found it difficult if not impossible to identify with products or fashion that were advertised and promoted using a black model and that as Nuru looked nothing like the majority of Germans, she could not be considered a role model."

http://www.racialicious.com/2009/08/27/germany%e2%80%99s-next-top-model-and-the-psychology-of-privilege-the-germany-files/#more-

-snip-

The author of that article goes on to say that only a minority of posters to German blogs articulated those opinions.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 05:28 PM

Here's another comment by one of that article's readers which shared another example of how those kind of televisions shows might play a role in helping to eradicate outdated racial attitudes and opinions:

"This reminds me of the massively popular show, Indian Idol, in India (based on American Idol). One of the finalists last year (or in 2007, I think) was a contestant of Chinese descent. He had a Chinese name and Chinese heritage– he does not look Indian and he does not have Indian heritage. But he belongs to a sizeable Chinese community in India and he spoke fluent Hindi. He became an overnight popular senation with Indian audiences right away.

However, some Indians had a negative reaction to him because they said he cannot become an "Indian Idol" since technically, he's not Indian. But in some past interviews, he kept insisting that he's Indian and he considered himself Indian, not Chinese.
-Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist; posted 27 Aug 2009 at 11:07 am

****

Here's an article that I found about that contestant:

"He is a Chinese by birth, and a dentist by profession. But this shy 24-year old is singing his way to people's hearts all over India. Meiyang Chang, the Indian Idol 3 finalist, has a mellifluous voice, which has secured him a berth among the top 10 contestants of the popular music show aired on Thursday through Saturday on Sony Entertainment Television.

Chang, a resident of Dhanbad, has continued to woo the audiences all over the country ever since the beginning of the show. Now, he seems to have imbibed a fresh life into the Chinese community of Kolkata, which is not just going gaga over the young Chang, but also coming together and striving hard to ensure him the top-slot in the show. Kolkata has been home to many Chinese people since time immemorial. The local Chinese, as they are known, are involved in trades including tannery, dentistry, restaurant business and beauty parlour business.

With most Chinese youths having either of these backgrounds, Meiyang Chang's passion for music is setting him a class apart. A self-confessed bathroom singer, Chang has no formal training in music. Still, his melodious voice and his impeccable pronunciation of even the most complicated Hindi words have won him rave reviews from the audiences as well as the judges of the show, including noted lyricist Javed Akhtar, and celebrated music director Annu Maalek.Needless to say, with such a fan-following, Chang is creating quite a stir among the Chinese people of West Bengal."

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:uHZEfuLIRjsJ:www.dhapa.com/chinese-indian-idol-meiyang-chang+chinese+wins+indian+idol+televi

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 05:31 PM

God help us with Murdoch's power on the rise.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: robomatic
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 05:42 PM

I think good ol' American entertainment had a massive role on account of its writers and wide disbursal around the world.

I am throwing these examples down, there are many others-

From Broadway: "Flower Drum Song" "Showboat"/ "West Side Story"/ "South Pacifac"/ "Lost In The Stars"

From Hollywood: "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner"/ "The Presdient's Analyst"

From the television show: "Bonanza" "Kung Fu" "I Spy" "Dick Van Dyke"

Racism was endemic on this continent for hundreds of years. The media allowed ideas in the form of stories to get out there, and in the case of the Civil Rights Movement, a light to shine.

But it is 'use' of the media rather than media itself. The Nazi state controlled all media and all media bent to the racist will of the state in order to justify, validate, and promote a racist government agenda.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 07:27 PM

By no means was I suggesting that television and other mass media networks-including newspapers and Interent-are inherently positive when it comes to promoting interracial understanding.

I know that that's not the case.

I agree with your point, And I agree with your point, robomaticm that the media can be used to help rather than hinder racial understanding and fan the flames of racial misunderstanding or hatred.

For example, I think that television's coverage of the 1960s and 1970s American civil rights demonstrations was crucial in helping Americans see that institutional changes needed to made in a number of laws and policies, and that personal changes needed to be made in how people of different races considered each other.

And more recently, television coverage of the government's absolutely inept response to Hurricane Katrina, shocked scores of people and may have planted the seeds of the Republicans' undoing and led to the election of President Barack Obama.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Peace
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 07:38 PM

Azizi, what you say in the opening post is really good. I DO think media has an important if not pivotal place in ending racism. Two shows that stand out from the late 1960s were Star Trek and Archie Bunker. Both of them did a wonderful jobs opening eyes. Hecy, we even got to like a guy from outer space (Spock) and dislike Klingons because they were bad, not because of the way they looked.

AB opened up television for people of colour that got them away from the Aunt Jemima stereotype and used enough comedy in the series to lighten its very serious message.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 07:41 PM

On the other hand, "The media's coverage of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath has been criticized as some news reports of rapes and murders in parts of New Orleans appear to be unfounded. Following a background report, two media experts and a journalist who covered the storm discuss problems in catastrophe coverage."

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/weather/july-dec05/media_9-29.html
September 29, 2005

-snip-

But I believe that even the coverage of the poor coverage and negative slants some news reports gave*, helped raise some people's consciousness that there were problems that needed to be addressed.

How well those problems have been addressed is another story.

* I'm specifically referring to reporters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina who provided a positive frame news stories of White people who salvaged food, beverages, and other essentials, but provided highly negative news reports and video/photographic captions of Black people doing the exact same thing.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: robomatic
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 08:00 PM

GUEST:

haha ohyour serious

get a grip

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 08:03 PM

Bruce, thanks for that point about the Klingons. I hadn't thought about that. I agree. Star Trek, for all it's flaws, was ground breaking television-as was Archie Bunker and his interaction with George Jefferson.

Another television show that I believe has helped White people view Black people in a better light, was (is, since it's still problably shown on television) The Cosby Show.

I know that this show also had/has its flaws. But which television series is perfect?

In my opinion, even the casting of the actors/actresses to play members of the Cosby family* was educational. I remember when I living on campus at a very predominately White college, several times different White people asked me if African American families could have children with that range of skin colors. I truthfully answered "Yes". This opened the door to other casual conversations about race.

Again, I'm not suggesting that that show or those conversations were life changing. But for some people they might have been part of small part of a cumulative movement toward increased racial understanding.

*http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/Cosby-Family-Photo.jpg

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Bobert
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 08:13 PM

It's been a two steps forward, one backwards for a long, long time... Recently, however, it's been more one step forward and one backward... What we are not seein are the documentaries that we once saw... They were educational... What we are seeing instead are formula sitcoms and dramas where roles are not new but repeated over and over and very much sterotypical... And that's just TV...

The print media is in decline because the internet has replaced it so newspapers are not out to grind any axes but quite the oppoiste...

So the media, IMO, is like treading water right now...

That is not a good thing... There was a time when the media was more proactive... Not these days... They are pro-profit... I think we can just forget the media for now as an agent for change... Or even an agent to educate... Entertain??? Well, yeah...

Is this the way it should be??? Well, no, it isn't but the media corporations have us by the throat and they really don't see themselves as the bad guys...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Peace
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 08:14 PM

Shortly afterwards there were spin-off shows in which people of colour could 'be themselves': that is, interact at home, screw up, have family arguments and show the people being portrayed as human beings, just like the viewer. The shows weren't perfect, but they were exceptionally educational in a social sense.

Think back to Tracy, Hepburn and Poitier: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." That movie forced people who saw it to question their feelings about 'inter-racial' marriage. It opened discussion. And that was important, too.

Media can change the world--for good or bad.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Peace
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 08:22 PM

"You folks"

I read your post. What's the problem?

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: bobad
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 08:22 PM

Hey, who's screening the wackos around here anyway?

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 08:42 PM

In my opinion, the most important mass media innovation in the 21st century is YouTube.

That website gives everyday people around the world the ability to document and research what politicians are saying, and have said.

Think about the impact of capturing what former Virginia Senator George Allen said on videotape. Here's
a clip.

What is ironic is that immediately right before he identifies that college student using that racial slur, Allen says these words:

"My friends were going to run this campaign on positive and constructive ideas. And it's important that we motivate people for something".

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Emma B
Date: 30 Aug 09 - 09:45 PM

I regret I can't share the degree of optimism about the role of the media and especially you tube, which has the potential to be one of the most scary innovations!


A recent YouTube 'hit' has made startling predictions about the Islamification of Europe over the next few decades and has been viewed more than 10 million times!

The seven-and-a-half minute video "Muslim Demographics" uses slick graphics, punctuated with dramatic music, to make some surprising claims, asserting that much of Europe will be majority Muslim in just a few decades.

It says that in the past two decades, 90% of all population growth in Europe has been Muslim immigration.

In France, it says 30% of those aged 20 and younger are Muslim, with the birth rate for Muslim families massively exceeding that across all families. It says France will be an Islamic Republic within 39 years.

In the UK it says the Muslim population has risen 30-fold since the beginning of the 1980s

The claims made about individual countries that are most striking. The video says that a typical French family has 1.8 children but that French Muslim families have 8.1 children.
But, no source is given for this information and the French government doesn't collect statistics by religion.
So it is impossible to say what the precise fertility rates among different religious groups in France are.

In fact, no country on earth has such a high fertility rate and in Algeria and Morocco, the two nations which send the largest numbers of Muslim immigrants to France, the fertility rate is 2.38,according to the UN's 2008 figures.

These and many more apparently 'indisputable statistics' and inaccurate if not ficticious, government statements are sent around the world courtesy of you tube

These lies have been viewed 10 MILLION TIMES!
The authorship is unknown -Posted by inactive account 'friendofmuslim'


One UK radio programme which looks at maths and statistics has attempted to debunk this influential video and challenge the infamous demographics it portrays

Disproving the Muslim Demographics sums but the uneasy thought remains - how many people will view this..........

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: SharonA
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 03:09 AM

Another movie of the "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" era that comes to mind is "Gentlemen's Agreement" starring Gregory Peck. In that film, Peck portrays a writer who tells people he's Jewish for a series of articles about his experiences with bigotry, discrimination and stereotyping. Even his young son is taunted by classmates and his girfriend, who considers herself open-minded, is forced to take a good look at her own deep-seated prejudice.

The original Star Trek was a groundbreaking TV show on more levels than have been mentioned here thus far. TV's first interracial kiss was planted on Nichelle Nichols by William Shatner, in the episode "Plato's Stepchildren". Then there was the episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", in which two aliens aboard the Enterprise are calk-white on one side and jet-black on the other but consider themselves to be of different races ("Isn't it obvious? Lokai is white on the right side. All his people are white on the right side."). One "race" has enslaved the other, and their determination to exterminate one another threatens the ship and destroys their planet. Of course, there was also the ongoing theme of Spock's mixed-race status (half-human, half-Vulcan) and the various ways it affected his life, including frequent verbal attacks by the ship's doctor.

But robomatic's citing of Bonanza confuses me. I didn't watch the show, so I'm unfamiliar with any role it might have had in changing viewers' attitudes about racism. Robo, please enlighten me!

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: SharonA
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 03:14 AM

Oops, sorry, that typo should be read as "chalk-white" (though I suppose caulk can be white, too!). In case I didn't make it clear, the only difference between the two races of aliens in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" was that one race was white-on-the-right and the other race was white-on-the-left. The intentional irony was that, when the two men were shown in profile arguing face-to-face, their faces appeared to be of the same color!

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: s&r
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 05:09 AM

A quote from a bio of little Joe from Bonanza    "Michael Landon presented great pride of authoring "The Wish," which guested black actor Ossie Davis and aired on March 9, 1969. In the story, Dan Blocker ( Hoss ) assists a neighboring black family but unwittingly becomes the fumbling and insensitive "liberal," in part the target of Landon's script.

       Michael recalled, "Mainly, I wanted to get across the idea to whites just why black people are angry and frustrated and I wanted to help cool some of the backlash. One black writer saw the show and said to me. 'You've gotten so close to what it's liken to be black, I could hardly believe it was written by a white man.' For me that was my Emmy."


Stu

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Emma B
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 06:24 AM

Just five years ago Lionel Morrison, of the NUJ's Ethics Council, wrote

Negative media coverage - the same old story

'Xenophobia and racism are based on the age-old desire of man to find a ready scapegoat and the dislike of anyone who does not readily conform, whether in behaviour, colour or religion. To perpetuate racism and xenophobia through our media is not only antisocial and grossly irresponsible, it is well nigh criminal.

The attitude of our newspapers and broadcasters is a crucial element in race relations and opinion-forming on asylum seekers. Immigration or colour prejudice can be materially affected by the way these media handle stories concerning them.

This observation is not new and, sadly, neither are racist and xenophobic articles and news reports new to our newspapers.'

The article reflects how, for two weeks in 1976, readers were subjected to almost constant news coverage on Asian immigration and asylum seekers from all the newspapers -- and those two weeks turned out to be only the precursor of a long summer in which immigration, race relations and black people provided a major portion of news coverage.

"The problem, it seems, always lies with the asylum seekers, and not in white racism"

One of the headlines

"'Queue Jumping' Rumpus" -- Express, 8/5/76

could just have easliy appeared in 2009
and something similar in fact was!

"Labour backs down on promise to stop migrants jumping house queue"
Mail online 31st July 2009


With the expansion of the EU British papers carried such headlines as
'BRITAIN HERE WE COME' and 'WE CAN'T COPE WITH HUGE GIPSY INVASION' to accompany stories that all the gypsies in the states joining the EU in May would come to the UK and claim benefits.

This massive resurgence of xenophobia resulted in NUJ Journalists on Express Newspapers in London condemning their own paper's 'racist' coverage of immigration and demanding a 'conscience clause' to allow them to opt out of working on such stories

The shameful Islamophobia at the heart of Britain's press

- examples of inaccurate and downright lying in the tabloid press in recent years

On Thursday 26 February 2009 the London bus driver described in one of these 'stories' accepted £30,000 in damages from the Sun over a claim that he ordered passengers off his vehicle so that he could pray. report

But how many people read - and believed - the original version?

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 06:55 AM

Emma, I know that there are a lot of examples of media's role in helping to create, perpetuate, and increase racism.

My purpose for starting this thread was to provide opportunities for sharing examples of how the media has helped and can further help to positively impact the goal of lessening racism and ending racism.

That said, I think that it's good that this thread includes examples of how the mass media has been used, and could be used to create & promote racism, less we be seen as being Pollyannas.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Emma B
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 07:22 AM

The invitation in the original post was
'Do you have any opinions about this?'

Well yes I do!

I think the UK media (at least) is failing badly in the role you suggest and the example of a model with 'Ethiopian Roots' is hardly a bulwark to the almost daily attack upon Asians and Eastern Europeans and Roma in our press and also - ON OUR STREETS!

I feel Bobert's post of 30 Aug 09 - 08:13 PM is a much better reflection of reality than the tendency for people to agree with positive statements or the 'Pollyanna Principle' (selectivity in language, memory, and thought.)

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 08:40 AM

Emma B.

I agree with what you have written.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 08:53 AM

Yet, there has been examples of the media having a positive, educational impact, awakening social consciousness, and prompting people to learn more about history or current circumstances.

In addition, some media programming has also helped to foster self-esteem and positive group identity in People of Color.

A television mini-series that comes to my mind which addressed/addresses all of these points is Roots.

See this excerpt from Wikipedia:

"Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's work Roots: The Saga of an American Family.

Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations. It went on to win nine Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still standing as the third-highest rated U.S. television program ever,[1] behind the series finale of M*A*S*H, Super Bowl XLII, and Super Bowl XLIII. It captivated American television audiences, successfully crossing racial lines and piqueing the interest of families of all ethnic groups."

-snip-

Also, see this comment:

"In 1977 I was 10 years old, and all I remember is the majority of the city where I live was watching Roots each day for a week. I recently bought the video and watched it with my now 10 year old son, who is Black and I show him the importance of getting an education because our ancestors weren't allowed such luxuries. At his age everything is rosy just like it was when I was 10, but hopefully he can reflect back on this movie to motivate him in the future.

Great cast of characters-even though I didn't realize that O.J. Simpson was in it! John Amos was the best and the funniest especially when he kept losing his character's African accent and sounding more like "James" on Good Times! Overall the movie is very touching and will have you experiencing mixed emotions if you're of the Black race, and have compassion if you're of other races that haven't experienced such things. I highly recommend this film and a book called the Miseducation of the Negro as Black family heirlooms-or for anyone who wants to be enlightened concerning a portion of Black history."
sbrnnxn from usa

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075572/

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Emma B
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 12:36 PM

The 'Star Trek' kiss may have been the first inter racial kiss on American TV, although it is claimed that Sammy Davis, Jr. and Nancy Sinatra kissed briefly on the variety program Movin' With Nancy in December 1967.

However, the first interracial kiss on British television was in Emergency Ward 10 in 1964.


In the same year as the William Shatner/Grace Nichols kiss - a piece of sci fiction (the kiss was actually portrayed as having been forced by alien telekinesis!) there was uproar about an 'incident' on
Petula Clark's TV show.

In early 1968 (then at the height of her popularity in America) NBC invited her to host her own TV music special in the U.S. Black singer Harry Belafonte was invited to perform on the show and also do a song or two with Clark

During a taping of the show in March 1968, while singing a duet with Belafonte titled "On the Path of Glory", an anti-war song that she had composed, Petula Clark innocently and naturally touched Belafonte's arm toward the end of the song. Doyle Lott, a vice president from Chrysler, the show's sponsor, was present at the taping.

Lott objected to the "interracial touching"

He insisted they substitute a different take – one with Clark and Belafonte standing well away from each other. But Clark and her husband, Claude Wolff, the executive producer of the show, refused. They destroyed all the other takes of the song, and delivered the finished program to NBC with the touching segment as part of the show.
Clark, who had ownership of the special, told NBC that the performance would be shown intact or she would not allow the special to be aired at all

The show was broadcast on April 8th, 1968 with Clark doing several numbers on her own as well as Belafonte doing several on his own before they sang together. It marked the first time a man and woman of different races exchanged physical contact on American television.   

"When Harry Met Petula"
- just a little bit of history........

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Paul Burke
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 02:05 PM

Do you know any more about this side of Petula Clark, Em? It's something I've never heard of- she was considered just a little bit old- fashioned back in the Beatles era, and though the songs she sang were often witty, I can't remember any particular social content to them. Start another thread if there's more than a postsworth.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Azizi
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 04:05 PM

With regard to Archie Bunker, the lead character of the American television show "All In The Family", wasn't that character and that show based on the British television show

Here's a comment about

TILL DEATH US DO PART

In the 1960s, an MP told the House of Commons that the only sensible political debate in this country was taking place on Till Death Us Do Part. First screened in 1965, the sitcom landed like a meteor on the BBC's cosy TV schedule. It was trouncing Coronation Street by its second series, pulling in almost 20 million viewers.

Its star character was Alf Garnett, the brash, working class reactionary, described by one TV critic as "everything most hateful about our national character - xenophobic, illiberal, racist, anti-Semitic, toadying, authoritarian".

Writer Johnny Speight had meant it as a satire, but millions failed to spot the irony, preferring instead to see Garnett as a champion of the downtrodden, white, working man. Both sides saw the clear message that Britain was struggling to come to terms with immigration."

Number 2 in the BBC's list of "10 key moments in UK race relations".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1517672.stm


-snip-

Perhaps "Till Death Us Do Part" and "All In The Family" are still considered seminal because they portrayed what some racists are like "xenophobic, illiberal, racist, anti-Semitic, toadying, authoritarian", but also family loving, and nice to those who meettheir rigid standards-sometimes even including a few minority persons who they view as an exception to the rule" (like Archie Bunker came to feel about George Jefferson and his wife "Weezi").

I think that may account for the "appeal" that Glenn Beck has for some people-but certainly not for me.

And that's what makes the Glenn Becks of the world so dangerous.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 31 Aug 09 - 05:17 PM

""Its star character was Alf Garnett, the brash, working class reactionary, described by one TV critic as "everything most hateful about our national character - xenophobic, illiberal, racist, anti-Semitic, toadying, authoritarian".""

It was indeed the show which inspired the Archie Bunker series in the USA.

And of course it held one more absolutely delicious sting in the tail.

Warren Mitchell, who played Alf Garnett, was Jewish himself.

The most vociferous opponents of the show were those whom Alf so beautifully lampooned.

It seems they recognised themselves, and didn't like what they saw.

However, it is extremely doubtful whether any such project would ever go to air in today's politically correct society.

As long as GOOD NEWS is NO NEWS, the Media are more likely to be the problem than the solution.

I have been trying for months to interest British local, and national, TV in covering the "Guide Cats" project. They don't even bother to acknowledge my communications, let alone react to them.

Radio, local and national, has been a huge supporter, but even their influence doesn't seem to carry any weight with the TV people.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: Emma B
Date: 01 Sep 09 - 09:32 PM

not quite the 'media' but well enough reported at the time - another little snippit of show biz history.....

By 1939, George Formby   was Britain's most popular and highest-paid male entertainer, with estimated earnings of around £100,000.

'Formby endeared himself to his audiences with his cheeky Lancashire humour and folksy north of England persona. In film and on stage, he generally adopted the character of an honest, good-hearted but accident-prone innocent.'

In 1946 George and his wife Beryl (who had also been a music hall performer) toured immediately pre-Apartheid South Africa.

Despite threats from the National Party leader Daniel François Malan, Goerge insisted on playing to black audiences.
Beryl embraced a three year old black girl who had presented her with a box of chocolates
Malan had them thrown out of the country; he was reported to have told them "never come back to this country".

Beryl, with a typical northern response replied "Why dont you piss off you horrible little man".

Subject: RE: BS: Media's Role In Helping to End Racism
From: olddude
Date: 01 Sep 09 - 09:49 PM

I also give credit some of the greats in the past. When Louis Armstrong "sachmo" was appointed ambassador of peace ... he really did spread peace and understanding. TV shows like the Nat King Cole show... breaking through barriers with their music ... They laid the foundation for African Americans on TV I think long before the sitcoms