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.