Because once again, I got to hear that since there isn’t much Archie Bunkerism in the world today, stereotypical racist cartoons are just innocent fun. (“It was from clipart, so it couldn’t be racist”.) In fact, I was told that by pointing out the racist stereotypes, that I was somehow making things worse.
Luckily, you don’t have to listen to me rant about it. Not because I’m being silent – because silence implies acceptance of the behavior – but because just the day before, Resist Racism wrote up an article that says nearly the same things that I was going to say. (And yes, if you think I’m talking about you in the first paragraph, then you absolutely must read it before getting upset with me. Don’t forget the Racism 101 page as well.)
Then take a look at this post over at Contexts.org that really breaks down caricature. And the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, a fascinating archive that shows exactly how embedded these racist images have been in our popular culture.
“Have been”, you say? Oh, it was worse – or more blatant, perhaps – in the past, but they’re still there. Take a look at this Slate slideshow of how racist attitudes and images have been used to sell products – and still do.
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