Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No. I am a black woman and I appreciate the hard work of the many black women domestics of the past who worked hard for their families and who made it possible for me to achieve the things I have in my life.
I look up to Aunt Jemima. FWIW she and other black caricatures that are stereotypical are highly collectible by black Americans, including myself, because we appreciate how far we have come throughout the decades.
Three of my great grandmothers were domestics and/or cooks (one a baker) and so I don't think anything negative about Aunt Jemima and especially not her present form, which is drastically different than what it used to be. I also don't view Uncle Ben negatively.
However, I will state that both do have negative histories in regards to portraying black people in overly exaggerated way with facial characteristics and words that made it out like black people didn't know how to speak standard English and were ignorant. But I'm glad that both Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben have been kept around as they are a tool for me personally in teaching young American children about our country's past regarding race and stereotypes.
Lets just re-write history and make anything we might have been ashamed of disappear. The logo is of a black woman who knows how to cook...She was called AUNT....probably by the plantation kids...Not all slaves lived in misery. Some were part of the family...and loved...
Servants have always existed....some so called masters were jerks...and some who had servants were normal good people ....utter slavery is obscene. A while back I was taken to a private Island north of Toronto. It was a get away that had been in the same family since 1860..I think that is called old money.
There were servants in this old cottage...what I notices was when the maid or the cook were doing their jobs....members of the family were expected to help...If the maid was doing the dishes...it was your duty to assist. You also were expected even if you were a guest to clean up after yourself.
I really do not believe in any sort of servitude unless you pay the helpers well. What I saw with the old money folks was that they had some class...I was wondering if back in the day slave owners were respectful of their servants? I can not imagine that it was all abusive.
Also I wonder if slave owners who treated their servants as equals had to do it secretly...if they were frowned upon by their fellow slavers.?
On the bold, I'm thinking you must not be American.
I mentioned Uncle Ben as well in my post above. Both "Auntie" and "Uncle" were used by some whites when they spoke to ANY black person. It was not a term of endearment, it was a way to not address black people in a formal manner. They would not call Aunt Jemima "Mrs/Miss Jemima" because she was not considered a "lady" worthy of respect. Same as they would not call Uncle Ben "Mr Ben" for the same reason. Also, many times they would never even know the black person's name. They'd just call them "aunt" or "uncle" to a black stranger who they didn't even know. This was common in America up through the 1960s and didn't end after slavery in this country ended.
You other views on slavery are very odd. There were many owners who did treat their slaves well but just as many did not and were heavily abusive. Women especially were frequently raped and sexually assaulted. All were abused even by "good" masters. Read some slave narratives if you want to learn about slavery in America. You will find accounts of good and bad masters. Odd IMO but many times when I read the slave narratives, a formerly enslaved person stated they had a "good" master, but then proceeded to speak about how many times that "good" master beat them. So "good" is relative IMO and should not be taken to believe that these people were truly respected and treated as you would treat your family member. Family members don't proclaim to own their brothers, sisters, children, or grandparents, unless they are tyrannical in personality.
Why? Do those trademarked symbols remind anyone of a painful, servile past in which vast numbers of human beings were forced to "grin" and bear it or face punishment?
If a kindly picture of an aunt reminds one of a painful servile past, one needs help as pretty much any object, word, color or picture is also a reminder.
Such a person would never be caught wear cotton fabrics, jewelry held on with chains and of course the rope display in home depot.
Over the top sensitivity is quite different from being sensitive.
So if anyone of jewish, christian, or relatives of lost servicemen and holocost survivors see a toyota, honda mitsubishi or mercedes driving down the road they should fall apart because of the bad memories ???????
Living in the past is the stuff of the midddle east where revenge murders take palce because someone's grandfather, 1,000 times removed, stole the other guy's grandfather's goat.
The ban on words and pictures is a power grab, nothing more, begun by activists who see a profit in teaching hypersensitivity.
Sensitivity is fine and to be respected, but not batshoot crazy hypersensitivity that makes enemies where none exist.
How prejudiced is to make everyone believe that all people represented, think, act and feel alike when they see AJ.
Activists do not represent all they pretend to represent. They deftly deflect any opposing response to their inflamatory nonsense to be a slur on all black people.
Then use that as evidence to validate the victimhood perpetrated by ALL white folks...except of course liberal democrats who preside over inner city death chambers and get a free pass.
I went grocery shopping recently to pick up some pancake syrup. A woman next to me in the aisle made a comment that she couldn't believe they hadn't pulled that product of the shelf. I asked why and her response was that it basically stereotyped blacks and was very offensive. Personally I didn't see any thing wrong but I didn't want to say anything so not to start a scene in the store. Do you think she was right?
I went grocery shopping recently to pick up some pancake syrup. A woman next to me in the aisle made a comment that she couldn't believe they hadn't pulled that product of the shelf. I asked why and her response was that it basically stereotyped blacks and was very offensive. Personally I didn't see any thing wrong but I didn't want to say anything so not to start a scene in the store. Do you think she was right?
No. I am a black woman and I appreciate the hard work of the many black women domestics of the past who worked hard for their families and who made it possible for me to achieve the things I have in my life.
I look up to Aunt Jemima. FWIW she and other black caricatures that are stereotypical are highly collectible by black Americans, including myself, because we appreciate how far we have come throughout the decades.
Three of my great grandmothers were domestics and/or cooks (one a baker) and so I don't think anything negative about Aunt Jemima and especially not her present form, which is drastically different than what it used to be. I also don't view Uncle Ben negatively.
However, I will state that both do have negative histories in regards to portraying black people in overly exaggerated way with facial characteristics and words that made it out like black people didn't know how to speak standard English and were ignorant. But I'm glad that both Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben have been kept around as they are a tool for me personally in teaching young American children about our country's past regarding race and stereotypes.
Interesting.
I knew some antique dealers who occasionally sold those black caricature items. One of their steady customers was none other than the great Harry Belafonte, who is an avid collector.
I personally do not care for it but you are correct in its historical/educational value.
May I ask, do you display it prominently in your home? Just curious.
Yes, a bottle of high fructose corn syrup being passed off as maple syrup is extremely offensive. Why anyone would put that garbage on their food is beyond me.
The funny thing is when people pile on the honey or maple syrup thinking they are healthier and somehow not going to lead to diabetes when used in excess when in reality their molecular makeup is very similar...
Don't get me started on people who think agave is healthy and then go on to bash HFCS... they simply lack any scientific understanding and believe what is trendy.
I remember seeing that picture on a billboard when I was a kid in the sixties. It used to scare the bejesus out of me
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
