Ethnic Notions doc.

Ethnic notions was a really good documentary especially for exploring the most racist caricatures and destructive to all black people, even children. I was shocked by all of the images, but especially the 'pickaninny.' This is not an image we have seen in any of the books we read in class, but- though it seems like one of the worst (as it attacks children) -still resonates today.

Books like 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, for example, is a book I had when I was little. I didn't realize that it had a history, it seemed like innocent monkeys accidentally getting hurt because they were jumping on the bed. If anything, it was a lesson on not being too crazy and jumping with 5 people on the bed. But the original version of that book uses racist caricatures of kids. The original is called "Seven little N--s" and has way more violent imagery like playing with bricks:

"Five little n--s playing dere was war,

Boom went the canon

Den dey was four…"

(original version played in 'Ethnic Notions')

And the fact that from african american children, the editors of the book turned the characters into monkeys is telling. Another racist stereotype of african american being portrayed as white people as monkeys that was perpetuated in a kid's book. It's vile that kids, innocent, are both the audience and subject of this racism. These small social effects of songs are what perpetuate the systemic racism, because as the 'pickaninny' proves, racism is totally unescapable.

Another kids song that is still used all the time is Eenee Meenee Minee Mo. This children's saying comes from a racist slave mentality:

"Catch a n--- by the toe

If he won't work,

Then let him go.

Goo-dum, goo-dee, goo-deedle deedle deedle"

Though both of these have been evolved into not inherently racist versions, their origins are difficult to associate with them since they are so mainstream.

Ending of White Boy shuffle: Coming full circle

The end of White Boy Shuffle was, as forewarned, quite shocking. Especially the last sentence that concluded the whole story, not just the stage of his life that he had entered once he left college and was living with Yoshiko. I had lost track of Gunnar's father's influence during his adult years, but when he came back in the last few sentences, it felt like someone had suddenly stopped after shaking a bottle of water and all the bubbles were falling to the bottom and disappearing. The pieces set in place, the whole story made sense, but Gunnar's life in perspective suddenly made sense.

Another part that concluded the book really well in the end was Psycho loco's question about why Gunnar had not committed suicide in solidarity of his movement. I think we can see in several parts how that is not in Gunnar's style. Psycho loco, who Gunnar calls one of the best instigators of all time, seems like he would "do the act" to instigate and provoke the movement even further. But Gunnar, who's idea is to not even give white people the chance to be racist, I think sees some kind of dichotomy in the progression of this movement that somehow white people will appropriate and then it, the most extreme form of protest, will become futile. And why give white people the chance to have life easy and not have to check themselves or be aware and empathetic to a variety of people's conditions. This is just my interpretation of his response. But I still haven't totally figured it out- like with the thrashing donkey image: you kill it and bring both the donkey peace (dead) and the people riding the stagecoach a less uncomfortable scenario where instead of having to witness/sit in the moments where the donkey is slowly dying or really in pain, they could just declare the donkey dead and not have it on their conscience anymore. But with each suicide note we read the more painful it is to realize how racist people have not been held accountable enough for their discrimination and how that also is not the answer.

Another example is when one of the Good morning international shows is interviewing him and asks when we is going to commit suicide and instead of making a serious answer he says mildly, "When I'm good and goddamn ready." But obviously his impact was huge, and led people close to him to commit suicide, yet he sticks behind his words.