Wasn't this racist?
I thought that originally this wasn't racist, but later it was, like Pastoral Symphony in Walt Disney's Fantasia.
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MovieChat Forums > Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943) Discussion > Wasn't this racist?
Yes, it was racist, or perhaps reverse racist. Bob Clampett told me that WB was asked by the War Department (or some such) to make a cartoon for black soldiers--to boost their morale--and this was the result. It certainly wasn't intended to put down our African-American troops. I don't know whether those soldiers identified with the stereotypes, or just accepted them good-naturedly, but apparently the cartoon was a hit. For the record, I accept cartoon caricatures of white men without taking offense. I may not look like Elmer Fudd, though I recognize some of his traits in me. That's what makes him human, and me, too.
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I realize you made the comment I'm replying to long ago, but it's important to note the role the racial power dynamic plays here. Elmer Fudd wasn't the only type of depiction of whites in media, yet the stereotypical and racist black characters were the only types of depictions of blacks. Those characters where created by the group in power to define, demean, and oppress a group with no power at the time; they shaped a national consciousness with horrible, dehumanizing portrayals. Nothing similar can be said of Elmer Fudd because it's an entirely different scenario. Your comparison of the two is really very outrageous.
shareI wouldn't let anyone see this that I wouldn't serve 120-proof whiskey to . . .
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