Racism in Cartoons

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Racism in Cartoons

By Michaela L. Duckett – June 6, 2011

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Good Morning! Today is a great day to stop making excuses and start doing something you’ve been putting off. Research suggests that people are more likely to maintain behaviors begun on Monday throughout the week.

A national movement called the Monday Campaigns, asks Americans to devote the first day of every week to health. One suggestion is to adopt Meatless Mondays. The goal is to improve personal health and the health of the planet by cutting out meat once a week. Click here for meatless dinner recipes.

The weatherman says today will be mostly sunny with a high near 90°. Tonight a stray thunderstorm is possible through the evening.

Here is what is brewing in the news this morning:

Racism in cartoons
French sociologist and author Antoine Buéno reignited the conversation about racism in cartoons when a video clip of him discussing his views about The Smurfs went viral this weekend.

In his new book "Le Petit Livre Bleu," Buéno asserts that the seemingly innocent cartoon is laden with racist, sexist and anti-Semitic propaganda. In the clip (below) he sites The Smurfs’ first comic strip titled “The Black Smurfs” as one example. He said it can be considered a “racial threat” because in it the Smurfs get sick and turn black. “When they become black, they lose all trace of intelligence,” he explains. “They become completely moronic. And furthermore, they can no longer speak they just go nyap, nyap, nyap.”

Watch the video, and share your opinions about it in the comment section.

Throughout the years, Walt Disney has also had its fair share of racist claims. Many believe that several Disney characters like the jive talking “Jim Crow” featured in the movie Dumbo and Sebastian the crab in the Little Mermaid (among many others) perpetuate negative stereotypes of African Americans.

This video (below) titled “Racism in Disney” takes a look at some of those stereotypes.

QUESTION: What emotions do you feel watching these videos? How do you feel about the portrayal of black people in film and TV in general? Please share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.
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First man ‘cured of AIDS’
Timothy Ray Brown has gone down in science journals as the first person to have HIV eliminated from his body. The forty-five year old suffered from both leukemia and HIV when he received a bone marrow stem cell in 2007. The transplant came from a man who was immune to HIV, which scientists say about 1 percent of Caucasians are, reports CBS News. Since then, Brown’s HIV has gone away. CBS reports that he has no replicating virus and isn’t taking any medications. (Read more and watch video of Brown)
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Beason’s accuser arrested
The man who unsuccessfully sued Panthers linebacker Jon Beason for allegedly fracturing his nasal cavity at a Charlotte strip club, is adding another charge to his lengthy rap sheet. Greg Frye was arrested early Sunday at The Dirty Martini in Cornelius, reports The Charlotte Observer. Frye was charged with possession of a stolen Breitling Bentley watch, which police valued at $7,000. (Read more here.)
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Steve Harvey has ex-wife arrested
When Steve Harvey’s ex-wife Mary Harvey missed a custody hearing, instead of simply rescheduling the court date, he had her arrested on Friday. According to published reports, Mary is disputing their current custody agreement and was scheduled to be in court on May 10. When she was a no-show, Steve requested that she be arrested. (Read more here.)