The Representation Of Black Identity in Films

The Representation Of Black Identity in Films The debates over race and representation of African American in films have been highly contentious for over a century. Blacks have generally been perceived and stigmatized, throughout history, as trouble makers, incapables, intellectually limited, inferior, lazy and irrational, amongst the many other demeaning labels attached to them. These labels are connected not only to the history of colonization but also, importantly, to the exploitation, perpetuation, and careful maintenance of stereotypes through cinematic clichà ©s which have imposed themselves easily and significantly on the popular imagination. As rightly stated by Wijdan Ali, the projection of harmful and negative stereotypes onto marginal or ineffectual groups within a society has always been an easy and useful method for making scapegoats.  [1]  Effectively, films form the ideal platform/space to circularize and preserve the labels which the mainstream audience desires to attach to the black community. Five decades of the Civil Rights Movement have gone by, and the degree of change in the black community, though undeniably real and noticeable, remains perplexingly complex and inadequate. Although the fact that we now live in a time in history where Americans have voted for a black President, where blacks now occupy positions of power and are ostensibly less subject to institutional discrimination than in the past, the black community nevertheless remains inadequately poor, unemployed, undereducated and negatively labeled. Therefore, adopting a writing-back style in Bamboozled (2000), Spike Lee satirically attacks the way in which African Americans have historically been misused and misrepresented on screen. Through Bamboozled (2000), the director attempts both to entertain and to educate his audience about the history of African American representation within popular culture, with the word bamboozled itself indicating the state of having been cheated or conned. Bamboozled (2000) presents American mass entertainments history of discrimination through abasing minstrel stereotypes, which first started to be performed in musical theatres and which were later brought to cinema with films such as The Wooing and Wedding of a Coon (1905), The Sambo Series (1909- 1911) and D.W Griffiths controversial The Birth of a Nation( 1915). Consequently, the purpose of this study is to analyze both the African American evolution in the American film industry and the social construction of black identity through symbolic representation in cinema. These will in turn help to understand why the integration of African Americans is considered as a problematic issue even in a sophisticated era where racism seems to be a thing of the past, and where people are supposedly no longer judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.  [2]  This paper will also analyze the effect of stereotypes on black identity using Spike Lees film, and will explore the impact of such a film in the deconstruction of stereotypes and the renegotiation of a stigmatized identity. But before getting to what Bamboozled (2000) actually brings to the table of African American films, it is important to look at the history and evolution of black representation in Hollywood cinema, which the following paragraphs are going to deal with. African American in American Films: A Brief Retrospective African Americans first started to be represented in minstrel shows in the late 1820s and later on television in the early 20th century.  [3]  Through blackface minstrelsy, a performance style where white males parodied the culture, clothing, songs, dances and speech patterns of Southern blacks  [4]  using blackface makeup and exaggerated lips, Americas conceptions of blackness and whiteness were shaped by these mocking caricatures. While whiteness was posited as the norm, every black face was a statement of social imperfection, inferiority, and mimicry that [was] placed in isolation with an absent whiteness as its ideal opposite.  [5]  Consequently, for over a hundred years, the belief that blacks were racially and socially inferior to whites was ingrained and accepted by legions of both white and black minstrel performers and audiences. The caricatures took such a firm hold on the American imagination that audiences naturally came to expect any person with dark skin, ir respective of his/ her background, to conform to one or more of the following stereotypes; Jim Crow, a dull-witted and subservient plantation slave; Zip Coon, a gaudily dressed, lazy man from the city representing the proud newly- freed slave; Mammy, the contended, happy, loyal and ever-smiling female slave (as evidence of the supposed humanity of the institution of slavery,); Uncle Tom, the good Negro; submissive, hearty, faithful no matter what, stoic, selfless, and oh-so-very-kind,  [6]  Buck, the proud and menacing Black man always interested in white women; Wench/ Jezebel, the temptress; the mixed race Mulatto and Pickaninnies, who have bulging eyes, unkempt hair, red lips and wide mouths into which they stuff huge slices of watermelon.  [7]   As time moved on, black appearance in mainstream films became more and more frequent, as well as the increase in the number of independent black directors, from Oscar Micheaux to Daniel Lee and Spike Lee. Since The Birth of a Nation, which marked a change in emphasis from the pretentious but harmless Jim Crow to the threatening savage Nigger, black filmmakers have responded by creating race movies and blaxploitation films which were tailored to black audiences . The 1970s witnessed a resurgence of the blaxploitation genre with films such as Sweet Sweetbacks Baadassss Song (1971), Shaft (1971), Black Caesar (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974). Since such films were themselves in turn accused of using the negative to hyperbolize issues pertaining to blacks , this genre saw its end in the late 1970s to give way to a new wave of black directors, such as S. Lee and John Singleton, who focused on black urban life. However, we cannot afford to simply celebrate the achievements of black filmmakers for the so-called ethnic arts. And as Stuart Hall remarks, we have come out of the age of innocence, which says that its good if its there.  [8]  The mere fact that such films have had a considerable increase does not mean that the black self is undergoing a positive change although it may be true that the level of clear-cut racism has known an important decrease, or even a disappearance. This can be backed up by Appiahs statement that changes in the representation of blacks do not ipso facto lead to changes in their treatment.  [9]   In Bamboozled (2000), Spike Lee directly addresses this issue of African American representability as being a discourse of white essentialism. Through Bamboozled (2000) the director invites his audience to realize that although nobody goes around in blackface anymore,  [10]  it does not entail that Hollywood has altogether abandoned/given up essentialist discourse. The name of the blackface show in Bamboozled (2000) is in itself very symbolic; Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show. Here, Lee suggests that minstrelsy has not disappeared in the new millennium. In his own words therefore, it has only gotten more sophisticated. Gangsta rap videos, a lot of the TV shows on UPN and WB- a lot of us are still acting as buffoons and coons.  [11]  Clearly, his aim in this satirical film is to show that even today, the American film industry is still concealing essentialist discourses within contemporary films. Consequently, as essentialism involves ongoing human and social interacti on as well as limitation, identity regulation and enforcement takes place within this kind of racist discourse, whereby blacks have to undergo identity dilemma while trying to seek approval. Appiah, K. A. (1993). No Bad Nigger: Blacks as the Ethical Principle in the Movies. In: Garber, M, Matlock, J and Walcowitz, R, L Media Spectacles. New York: Routledge. 77-90. Bogle, D. (2001). Black Beginnings: From Uncle Toms Cabin to The Birth of a Nation. In: Bogle, D Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films . 4th ed. London: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. p1-18. Crowdus, G. and Georakas, D. (2002). An Interview with Spike Lee. In: Cynthia Fuchs Spike Lee: Interviews. United States of America: University Press of Mississippi. 202-217. Mercer, K. (1994). Diaspora Culture And The Dialogic Imagination: The Aesthetics Of Black Independent Film In Britain. In: Mercer, K Welcome to the Jungle: New Positions in Black Cultural Studies. New York: Routledge. 53-68. Wijdan, A. (2003). Muslim Women: Between Clichà © and Reality. Diogenes. 50 (3), 77-87.

Food and Beverage Packaging Innovation Essay

Beverage giant Coca-Cola wants to get a little love for its iconic cola drink from the upscale consumer set, so its decided to create and test-market a sleek set of contoured aluminum bottles for its flagship Coke brand. Yes, we said aluminum bottles. The Atlanta, Georgia USA-based beverage company chose the annual Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference in the Big Apple last Friday (February 22) to introduce the attractive, new 250-ml soda bottles, which come in red, black and silver aluminum. Thus far, the beverage company is offering its regular Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero varieties in the red (pictured at left), black and silver aluminum bottles. A Coca-Cola executive at the conference on Friday said the company is test-marketing the upscale-looking aluminum pop bottles in the U. S. , and wanted to introduce them to the influential consumer analysts group as way to get attention and feedback on the new packaging concept. Coke isn’t doing away with its soda cans or plastic bottles. Rather, its test-marketing the aluminum containers as a new packaging option. The beverage marketer also hopes the new, sleek look will attract more younger consumers who are always looking for the next new thing, along with more higher-income, upscale consumers who are into style. Currently, Coca-Cola isn’t selling its snazzy, aluminum-bottled Coke varieties in retail stores. Rather, they have been introduced thus far in select night clubs and bars, and offered for sale at some special events. The beverage marketer is however selling a version of its fairly new Coca-Cola Blak (pictured at left), a carbonated coffee-cola beverage, in a brown and black colored 250-ml contoured aluminum bottle in France. the aluminum bottle’s color is very similar to the color of the carbonated coffee beverage inside. In 2006, Cocoa-Cola bottled Coke and Diet Coke in similar sleek silver aluminum bottles for its year-long M5 promotion. The bottles, which were made for the beverage marketer by Exal USA, won a number of industry product packaging awards and were grabbed-up by consumers as collectors items. Coke also recently introduced a version of its Caribou brand iced coffee line in small aluminum bottles. And Coca-Cola’s number one competitor in the carbonated soda category, PepsiCo, has introduced a version of its Mountain Dew soda brand in aluminum bottles. Exal USA also produces the current red, black and silver contoured aluminum bottles Coca-Cola is test-marketing in the night clubs and at selected venues, and is thinking about introducing to retail food and beverage stores. Coca-Cola is far from the first U. S. everage company to introduce its drinks in aluminum bottles. In fact, the concept of packaging beverages in aluminum bottles begin taking off in the U. S. about two years ago. Juice marketers, energy drink-type bottlers, beer companies and others began introducing beverage products in aluminum bottles in 2005, and the practice is growing. The trend also is catching on in places like France, Australia and Mexico, where some bottlers are doing the same. In Austral ia, beer brand marketer Fosters recently introduced â€Å"Crown Lager† in attractive gold aluminum bottles. Fosters is now exporting the aluminum-clad lager to the U. S. as well. In Mexico, a new beverage called â€Å"Hot Hangover Tea† is being marketed in silver, red and black aluminum bottles. The tea-based drink is said to cure a hangover in addition to tasting good. Of course, is one is drunk and drops the fairly heavy aluminum bottle on a toe, the cure might be worse than the affliction. French juice company Teisseire is marketing a line of juice cordials in 330-ml aluminum containers in retail food stores, cafes and other venues in France. The bottles have a specially-shaped neck which is designed to make it easy for kids to grip. The bottle’s graphics are colorful and bold against a brushed aluminum background. Teisseire–as do all the other beverage companies–say a key selling point of the aluminum bottles, in addition to the sleek look, is that they chill rapidly. The bottles also are 100% aluminum so are recyclable as well. The beer category in particularly is seeing a mini-explosion in the use of aluminum bottles on a selective basis. In addition to Australia’s Fosters, U. S. raft beer marketer High Falls Brewing Company, based in Rochester, New York, has two varieties of beer–Pale Ale and Honey Brown lager–which come in aluminum bottles, and which are selling extremely well, especially in bars and clubs–but also in supermarkets, convenience and liquor stores. Other brewers are following suit and introducing varieties of their beers in aluminum bottles. Being such an international iconic brand though, the fact that Coca-Cola has introduced three of its Coke varieties in the sleek, contoured aluminum bottles is a big deal. Coke’s innovation goes a long way in helping to legitimize the aluminum bottles as viable beverage packaging options. It will obviously be interesting to see if Coca-Cola decides to expand its current pilot-test of the of the contoured aluminum-bottled sodas beyond the night clubs and selected special event venues anytime soon. The company executive at the New York conference said the success of the current pilot programs would be the primary determining factor regarding if and when Coke expands distribution of the aluminum -glad soft drinks nationally to food and beverage stores. It seems to use the Coke in the contoured aluminum bottles would be perfect for selected distribution to upscale retailers like Whole Foods Market, Target, Cost-Plus World Market, Trader Joe’s and the numerous regional, upscale food retailers throughout the U. S. , like Publix in Florida, H. E. B. in Texas, Bristol Farms and Gelson’s in Southern California, Wegman’s on the East Coast, and many others. The same in the UK with retailer’s like Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, for example. We don’t see the aluminum bottles becoming a big-selling mainstay of the giant beverage company’s brand line-up though. Price competition is too aggressive in the carbonated soft drink beverage category to do any serious volume with a package that isn’t dirt cheap to produce, bottle and sell. However, we think the sleek, contoured aluminum Coke drinks could do very well as a niche item at the upscale-type of retailers we mentioned above, as well as be a big hit at higher-end night clubs across the U. S. and internationally. Think New York and Miami in the USA, London, Moscow, Mexico City and a few other international cities where style and beverage choice seem to be synonymous these days. For trend-setting consumers, packaging can be King. Not only that, but if a consumer saves enough of the sturdy, aluminum Coke bottles, they can even melt them down and make something out of them: perhaps a backyard BBQ, a post-modern aluminum planter box for the garden, or a sleek red or silver aluminum wagon for junior. In fact, perhaps Coca-Cola should launch a contest. Perhaps something like: Design the best item made out of used Coke aluminum soda bottles. Not only would that be fun marketing, it would be the green thing to do. After all, reuse is even better than recycling from an environmental standpoint.

My Neighbor Totoro

JoAnna Carraway Professor Childs English 1301 26 Feb. 2013 My Neighbor Totoro Movie Review â€Å"My Neighbor Totoro† is a Japanese base children’s film animated in the 1980’s written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. This movie was different from American films. There is no fighting or bickering among the characters. The movie is based on two sisters and their father who moved to a new town to be closer to their mom; who is ill and in a hospital nearby. The girl’s father hires the neighbor as new babysitter whom they have never met before.In this film the Japanese culture is very different from American society today, but very inspiring and enjoyable for its young viewers. The two sisters Satsuki who is the oldest and Mei being the youngest were very excited about moving to their new home and closer to their mom. When they arrived to their new home the girls ran all through and around the house. Their dad introduces them to the neighbor, who was an old lady who was keeping the house up while it was empty. The neighbor told the girls to call her â€Å"Granny†. The girl’s father also told them that she would be the new sitter while he went to work.Her being the girls sitter was strange to me; because in this culture we live in today; us as parents we do not leave our children with strangers we know nothing about, so that didn’t set too well with me. He should have let the girls get comfortable, and get to know her first. The old lady seemed to enjoy the girls and the girls enjoyed her too. Granny had a grandson, who the girls passed along the way to find their new house. When the girls asked if he knew how to get to their new house, he told them it was haunted, but granny put a stop to the rumors.The father, who was a professor at the local college in town, was always busy and a bit inattentive to Mei. Satsuki who is only nine and attends school had to grow up very quickly; by helping with her litter sister combing h er hair and cooking for her while her mother is ill in the hospital. Both girls’s had a very big imagination. Mei wondered off into the woods one day while playing outside alone. Mei found a tree that had a path inside of its trunk, that’s when she found a spirit named Totoro. When she told her father and sister bout Totoro they didn’t believe her. Totoro was there to be with Mei when she didn’t have anyone else. Satsuki and Mei were looking forward to spending time with their mother on the weekend. It’s been awhile, so they were very excited about spending time with her. That’s when an urgent telegram was sent from the hospital concerning their mother. The girls panicked and were afraid something was wrong with their mother. They rushed off to use a phone to call their dad, but Mei got lost trying to keep up.Once Satsuki noticed Mei was missing she had the whole neighborhood was looking for her. That’s when she turned to Totoro for h elp to find Mei. Totoro got a cat bus that could fly up in the sky and look over the town to find Mei. They found her on a dark road crying; she was trying to get to the hospital to make sure her mother was ok. The cat bus was a big cat, with eyes as headlights, paws as wings and its body open up inside filled with soft cat hair as seats. This is what made the movie different imaginary flying cat bus and friends.It’s good to see that the girl’s imaginary friends were able to help find Mei and take them to the hospital to see if their mother is ok. In American movies you don’t see much of siblings like Satsuki and Mei. They were getting along, playing without fussing and fighting with each other. The two sisters were very loving and kind towards one another. This movie is a great movie for children to watch to learn and see how to get along and enjoy childhood even when things come up and the older sibling has to step up the take care of their younger siblings. M y Neighbor Totoro† is a good non-violent movie for kids to watch. â€Å"My Neighbor Totoro† is based on experience, situation and exploration—not on conflict and threat (Ebert, R). When looking for films for children you should look for films similar to â€Å"My Neighbor Totoro† for your children. A film with violence tends to put children on the wrong path at times. So we want them to see and learn it’s not all about fighting bickering amongst each other, but how to love, and help one another when situations come up. Work CitedEbert, R. Rev of My Neighbor Totoro , Dir Hayao Miyazaki. Roger Ebert. Dec 23, 2001. Greenberg, Raz. â€Å"Giri And Ninjo: The Roots Of Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro In Animated Adaptations Of Classic Children's Literature. † Literature Film Quarterly 40. 2 (2012): 96-108. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Klady , L. Rev of My Neighbor Totoro . Dir Hayao Miyazaki. Variety. Variety Media. May 5, 1993. W ed. Feb 2013. My Neighbor Totoro. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Perf. Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning. Studio Ghibi,1988. DVD

Religious Violence in Nigeria - 6487 Words

Religious Violence in Nigeria – the Causes and Solutions: an Islamic Perspective BY A. O. Omotosho Swedish Missiological Theme 2003, P. 15-31 Introduction M. M.C. K. Ajuluchukwu in his rejoinder to Northern Zone of the Christian Association of Nigeria’s booklet Leadership in Nigeria observes: â€Å"Ordinary Nigerian know nothing about inter-religious cleavages except when incited by their respective doctrinal leader. 1† This remark is a challenge and indictment to Nigerian religious leaders, and worth taking up keeping in mind the recent history of Nigeria in term of inter-religious harmony. So the purpose of this article is to examine the causes of inter-and intra-religious violence in Nigeria. It will also examine the role of†¦show more content†¦Political violence These were some other disturbances that were more political or tribal in nature than religious, which were erroneously described by some people as religious, simply because the two parties involved belong to a different religion. These include the Zangon Kataf riot of 1992. This involved Hausa settlers and non-Hausa people of Southern Zaria. The riot spread later to Kaduna, Zaria ad their environs. Many people died. In April 1994, Aminu Mato, Hausa by tribe, was appointed as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Jos Local Government of plateau State, to the displeasure of local people. This led to serious violence in which many lives were lost and the appointment was reversed. The only connection between these two incidences and religion was that Hausa settlers in the first case were largely Muslims and Aminu Mato in the second case was also a Muslim, while the opposing sides were largely Christians. Causes of religious violence Many factors are responsible for religious violence in Nigeria. However, in order to do justice, it will be proper to classify these factors according to the nature of the violence. As already pointed out, Nigeria has experienced both intra ad inter- religious violence. In the case of intrareligious violence, two major reasons can be identified.Show MoreRelatedThe Federal Republic of Nigeria Essay examples1486 Words   |  6 PagesThe Federal Republic of Nigeria Located in the west of Africa, housing a city with major attractions in the country as the Nigerian National Mosque and the Nigerian National Christian Centre, it is safe to say that Nigeria has a prosperous ethnic diversity housing 250 ethnic groups of which there three in 250 ethnic groups are predominant which are the Hausa, Yoruba and the Igbo. 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