Franklin in Peanuts

The Peanuts cartoon franchise started in the early 1950s and is one of the most famous and influential cartoon series of all time. Because Peanuts was featured primarily in comic strips in the Sunday newspaper and later in films and television specials, its target audience is family friendly, with both children and adults taking part. In 1968(according to Wikipedia), which was also in the heat of the civil rights movement, a new character, Franklin, was introduced into the Sunday comic strip. Because he was African American, Franklin made history and quickly became one of the most famous African American cartoon characters of all time.

Franklin represents many complex themes and ideas, both positive and negative. Primarily, his presence represents the acceptance of diversity. Franklin appears to be normal, and is easily accepted by his peers. His actions and personality appear to be remarkably average. Franklin's ability to blend in sends a message to the readers that being a minority is no big issue because everyone is truly equal. Franklin is normal, therefore all African Americans must be too.

However, Franklin also appears to represent an underlying notion of segregation. Charles Schultz seems to include certain subtleties in order to keep Franklin from fully integrating with the other characters. For example, in this screen shot, taken from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973), Franklin is sitting across the table from the other characters all by himself.



Perhaps decisions like these represent political pressure on Schultz in order to diminish Franklin's role. Or maybe they stemmed from the creator himself, who believed that minorities could never be fully immersed into American society. Whatever the case, minor details like these, although not entirely noticeable, tend to become unconsciously consumed by the audience and affect their thoughts and behavior.

Overall, the character Franklin featured in the Peanuts series represents a seamless inclusion of minorities into a largely Caucasian society, however other characteristics appear to undermine this concept by promoting a separate-but-equal mentality.

When Morgan Freeman Narrates, He's Magical

MILLION DOLLAR BABY. nuff sed.

Morgan Freeman = Eddie Dupris

"The Magic Negro is a simple, humble person."
Eddie Dupris is so simple and humble that he doesn't even want to replace his old socks with holes in them.

"Perhaps he is a janitor, or a farmer, and he doesn't know anything about those fancy colleges or them modern sciences..."

In one scene, Eddie asks who Yates is, because he's not formally educated. And of course, he's the janitor in the boxing gym.


"...but what he knows, he knows from the heart..."
Eddie offers advice to many of the characters in the movie, most of them white and whatever he says is always right

"His entire existence revolves around the lead white character, whom they help with their simple, rustic wisdom..."
Eddie is the supporting character to Clint's and Hilary's characters, both of whom are white.

"It's as if they have nothing better to do."
All Morgan Freeman does is clean up in the gym and do maintenance.

He probably makes a bajillion inspirational speeches throughout the movie, NOT including his omnipresent narration throughout the movie. And whatever he says is always right.

Morgan Freeman's character in Million Dollar Baby is the quintessential Magic Negro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIbBz0OCfYg

Stewie Griffin, age 1: gay and violent

Complete with an elitist British accent and goals of world domination, Stewie Griffin from Family Guy is a prime example of The Gay/Effeminate Psychopath. The Cracked article references how the "Flaming Homo Bad Guy only has one goal in life, to be gayer and more evil than anybody else," which is exactly what Stewie's character is about. More than anything, Stewie wants to kill his mother, Lois, who doesn't understand what he's saying (which can be confusing...).

In fact, he tries to kill Lois in one of the episodes (so in the next episode, she tries to kill him).

There is a question to his sexuality because he appears to be attracted to girls but he's supposed to be only 1 year old. There is speculation that Stewie is gay, but the creators of the show decided to keep it vague. Supposedly he'll eventually realize he is gay or be closeted forever, and carry his repressive anger towards to his mom. Of course, he's just a baby which might explain his actions and how/what he says; then again he sounds like an older man. The ideas flip flop, you see, but essentially he's gay and violent. Here's a clip of Stewie, being violent (and gay, they say)...

Usually the stories around Stewie in every episode involve his plans to destroy the world, to dominate, or to create some kind of trap or weapon to kill Lois; there are so many examples... So yes, he's the gay/effeminate psychopath.

The Ugly Duckling Turned Swan

Ugh, i don't know how to remove the line underneath my text, sorry!

So, I'm sure most if not all of you can recognize all of the images above. These are all examples of female characters who have undergone major makeovers (purely physically) to win the man of their dreams. In She's All That, the popular Zack Siler has to ask the dorky, artsy Laney Boggs to the prom because of a bet. He eventually starts to realize that she's an interesting person but it's not until she undergoes an extensive transformation (aka cut her hair and ditched the glasses) that he falls for her. One of the last scenes shows them making out and slow dancing.

Then, there's Miss Congeniality in which FBI agent Gracie Hart must enter a beauty pageant in order to track down a terrorist. Even though they make her over into a hot, vavavavoom beauty contestant for work related reasons, she still ends up getting her man by winning over co-agent, Eric Matthews.

Lastly, in Princess Diaries, Mia Thermopolis is a 15 year old girl who finds out that she is the next crown princess of the fictional country, Genovia. Because a princess must be presentable and is constantly being photographed, Mia's grandmother hires a team of makeup artists to transform her frizzy mane into sleek, straight hair, abandon the eyeglasses, and wax her unibrow. Oh, and of course, she ends up winning the heart of her guy friend.

So what? Are these depictions offensive? Well, all of these examples exemplify the emphasis on physical beauty for young girls and women (especially high schoolers) and that the only way to win that guy over or become noticed and successful is to be physically beautiful. Why is it that glasses are seen as dorky and unattractive anyways?

Can y'all think of any movies that have the guys undergoing makeovers? Would it have been any different if She's All That had Freddy Prince Jr. as the geeky guy who gets glamified?

what about the sexy latin ?!?!

Just wanted to also mention this...we hear about the sexy Spanish women roles -- being the other, the temptation, being the "help" (maids) -- characters like Penelope Cruz in Spanglish or Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan, but what about the sexy male "help?" The role of Jesse Metcalfe as the sexy latin gardner on Desperate Housewives is a prime example! Eva Longoria and him end up having an affair, but their relationship can't last because she expects a lavish lifestyle and he can't provide that for her because he is ...the help...

The hooker, the victim

The stereotype of prostitution and the hooker being a victim may be outdated, but has been prevalent in many films over the years. Much of the movies that women portray in these roles finds themselves victims of the world. Thus, having to result to prostitution for survival. This incorporates the sexualized woman ideas: selling their bodies, sex as a commodity, women subservient to men, etc. A prime example of this is the movie Pretty Woman and the role of Julia Roberts as Vivian. Vivian is a working girl on the streets of Beverly Hills. Clearly new to the game and taking tips from her other hooker friends, she lands a man (Richard Gere) who shows her that she is more than just a hooker. Her character finds herself realizing throughout the film that being a hooker is no life for her and she deserves better. She says in the movie that she got pretty good grades in high school, but got mixed in with the wrong crowds, doing drugs, etc. But with the help of someone from the "outside world" she realizes that she can do more with her life and that she is a victim of life's ups and downs. The role of the hooker is generally portrayed as a victim. These women are dancing and/or selling themselves for sex to survive, to provide for their children and themselves, etc. They don't actually want this life. They feel they have no other choice. Here's the trailer for Pretty Woman :) my fav!

The Gay Riddler

Arteaga refers to one of the six favorite offensive stereotypes used by Hollywood as the Gay/Effeminate Psychopath. He says that this character is usually depicted by “carry[ing] out effeminate gestures and phrases that show a creepy, semi-erotic fascination with the male hero.”

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/1/A70-850

This character type can be seen within the excellent 90’s film, “Batman Forever,” with the character of the Riddler played by Jim Carey. The Riddler dresses in a flamboyant, green colored spandex one piece and dons a cheesy eye mask. The whole motive behind the Riddler’s evil actions stem from his obsessive jealousy of Batman’s (Bruce Wayne) success as he is merely an insignificant inventor.

Jim Carey not only dresses the part of the Gay Psychopath, but his actions also match. From his slinky, cat-like movements to his ultra-effeminate hand positions, the Riddler walks the walk. These things, along with his obsession with Batman and his flamboyant attire, make Jim Carey’s version of the Riddler a great representation of Artega’s definition of the “Gay/Effeminate Psychopath.”

The Magic Negro in The Family Guy

I absolutely love this film, but it definitely doesn’t evade stereotyping, as it incorporates the Magic Negro. In case some of you haven’t seen this film, it is about a man named Jack Campbell (Nicholas Cage) who is an incredibly successful Wall Street banker, who is filthy rich, single, and thinks he has everything in life. His last serious girlfriend was his college sweetheart who he left years ago in order to pursue his career, and he has never looked back on it. However, the truth is that he is completely, utterly alone and unloved.

Luckily for Jack, the Magic Negro is there to save him and show him what he’s been missing. Cash (the black character) is stereotyped in two ways, first as the Magic Negro and then as a “bad buck” as he is portrayed as being “strong, no good, and violent” (Hall, 251). His first scene shows him pulling a gun out at a store attendant at a convenience store (that interestingly enough happens to be run by clueless Asian with bad accents). However, Jack saves the day and stops him from doing anything stupid; they end up having a conversation where Jack tells Cash that he has everything he needs in life. After that Cash casts a spell on Jack causing him to be thrust into a life where he has a wife and kids so he can have a preview of what he has been missing, and to show him that he doesn’t possess everything in life.

Thus, in this film “the magic negro has zero ambitions of his own. His entire existence revolves around the lead white character (Jack Campbell) whom they help with their simple, rustic wisdom” (Arteaga). The story evolves around “the white guy achieving his goals” (Arteaga); which in this case would be Jack Campbell who Cash helps by making him realize that he doesn’t have everything in life and that he is missing love and family.  

Here is a clip of The Magic Negro at his finest moment: 

Representation of Boy Meets World

For this blog, I am going to examine Cory and Topanga from my all-time favorite TV show, Boy Meets World. What is being represented in this photo is a young, white, attractive, blonde girl named Topanga, and white, curly haired brunette boy named Cory. These two people are dressed in casual clothing and are sitting in a natural setting outside on top of a convertible car. Some codes I used to determine this representation are gender codes, because I noticed that one of the teenagers is female, and the other is male. Race is another code because both of these people are clearly the typical, white American teenager. Additionally, Cory and Topanga are cuddling and holding each other so one can assume through 'commonsense' this code shows that they are dating. The genre of Cory and Topanga's show, Boy Meets World, is definitely a comedy/family-oriented genre because it has been aired on television channels such as ABC and The Disney Channel. Finally, the representation is very positive because both people are smiling and happy to be with eachother. They look like a very happy couple, and if I didn't already know and obsess over the show I would definitely want to watch it because I am a hopeless romantic :)

A Blonde Walks Into a Bar...

Thanks to television, film, and a never-ending supply of jokes, blondes have been dubbed dumb. In television shows such as "Three's Company," Chrissy is portrayed as the naive, innocent, and ditsy blonde girl who encountered many simple misunderstandings throughout the show. For example, when the police investigated a robbery at her apartment, he asked, "Who would leave an envelope marked 'Rent' with money in it in plain sight? No one's that stupid." Chrissy replied, "But we are!" Her stereotypical good looks also caused her to be lusted after by her male roommate, Jack.

Additionally, the film, "Legally Blonde" is also a play on this label. Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is a pretty blonde who is very popular in her sorority and with the boys. But by seeming to break the stereotype, she gets into Harvard Law School (mostly to follow her ex-boyfriend rather than to become a lawyer, which in itself is another stereotype) but then realizes that she is more than just a pretty girl. Thanks to her knowledge of designer shoes (an additional stereotype), she is able to win the big lawsuit at the end of the movie, win the new guy (Luke Wilson), and become a successful lawyer. Although Elle breaks the premonition that blonde girls are not smart, the film further deepens the stereotypical view with Elle's stereotypical characteristics, such as her obsession with pink, her over the top outfits, and her puppy.

There is even a website solely dedicated to the apparent ditziness that is supposedly found in all blonde girls (http://www.coolblondejokes.com/) thanks to how they are portrayed by the media.

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl

A certain kind of character has been showing up a lot more lately in movies, specifically those movies aiming to be quirky, coming of age/self-discovery films. (Fairly) Recently, this character has been seen in Garden State, Elizabethtown, Almost Famous, My Sassy Girl, The Girl Next Door, and in possibly every movie in which Zooey Deschanel has starred. This character is known as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and she has been described by The Onion A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin as a "bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures"( 16 films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls).

She has been compared to Cracked's Magical Negro in that she has no known life of her own and exists simply to further the life of the (male) protagonist and help him meet the goals he otherwise could not have achieved. But aside from her ability to transform men from uptight, sad-sacks into free, live-life-to-the-fullest kinda guys, she is defined by her "quirkiness". NPR categorizes Natalie Portman in Garden State as the quintessential MPDG as her quirks involve lying all the time, making new noises in order to feel unique, actually telling people she's weird and then doing a silly little dance to illustrate her weirdness and of course changing Zach Braff's character's life with a song.

Surely there are men out there looking for their own MPDG to pull them out of their horribly boring lives, but here's the problem: the MBDG as we know her doesn't exist in real life. Because in real life, she is fucking crazy, literally batshit insane. In the real world, this girl would hospitalized. She would be completely insecure and unsure of herself to the point of self-destruction. And that is the real problem with the MPDG. It's not just that she's really fucking annoying, but rather she, like so many other stereotypes,reinforce unrealistic standards for women. She's attractive to the male protagonist because she has no real standards. She’s too flaky to think about her future and too spontaneous to be in a committed relationship. Her flaws are seen as cute idiosyncrasies rather than real mental problems.Moreover, she is transitional. The men in these movies rarely end up with the MPDG. She is used as a device to further their lives, and then they go back to their old lives, ie/ Zach Braff and Ben Affleck going back to their fiances in The Last Kiss and Forces of Nature, Charlize Theron DYING in Sweet November. But somewhere along the line, this archetype of an unstable woman has actually become romantic and desirable. According to these films, it is attractive for a woman to be carefree to a point where she does not think about money, security, a career, or open communication. JiJi Lee sums it best in her piece, Modern Love:

"At the heart of these films is the implication that women have the desire and energy to devote themselves to their troubled male counterparts, further ossifying the traditional roles that men and women are supposed to play. While the progressive twist depicts men as the ones in distress, women are still meant to cosset them...Rather than breathing new life into this genre, more than anything, these independent films resuscitate the antiquated notions of how men and women interact. Men may go for a more complicated woman but they still want her to play a simple role."

Here is a link to the NPR story on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. There is a really great video that explains Manic Pixie Dream girl more as well as giving examples. I can't embed it, but it's worth it. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95507953

Assignment for Thursday & Some Class Housekeeping

This week, you get to pick one of two options (and you can also post by end of day Thursday, since we don't have class and I won't really be online anyway):

1) Read the Cracked article "Hollywood's Six Favorite Offensive Stereotypes". Pick one and write about an example that doesn't appear in the article.

2) Analyze any character from any media using some of the questions from the handout "How to Study Representation." (I will put a copy on Blackboard if you weren't in class to get it). Use at least three or four of the questions.

ALSO: I forgot to mention that one of the readings for class Tuesday has changed. Surette, "Crime and Justice in the News Media" replaces Potter & Kappeler, “Constructing Crime”. It's on Blackboard.


For your blog entry NEXT TUESDAY, use the class material to analyze a news story whether from the physical paper, online, cable news or local news. 


Finally, PLEASE COMMENT ON THE POSTS OF YOUR CLASSMATES. You need to make two comments a week; if you're not doing that, you won't be getting full credit for the week. 


Thanks! Have a great weekend.


- Alice

Master Shifu

OK... so maybe Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda (2008) is not a total "mean, old, and gigantic asshole" as the article describes this stereotype of the Wise, Old Asia Asshole. But he certainly does hold some of the qualities of one.
From the beginning, Master Shifu is distant towards Po (the Panda), because he wants him to learn everything there is to know about becoming a real master of kung-fu. Multiple times, Master Shifu is totally mean to Po, and shows him that he as a smaller animal is still much better than Po thinks he is himself.
I think that this character fits into the stereotype well, although not 100%. I think that the stereotype was presented in a milder way that in the Hollywood movies like Karate Kid, because this particular cartoon was aimed at children, a younger audience that the producers probably did not want to alienate entirely.

Let The "Random Black Girl" Stop the Show

I come from a background in commercial musical theatre, and while it's worth noting that colorblind casting is encouraged by most, it's rare for race to stay out of the equation entirely.

Further, at least in our musical world, there are definite expectations of what black performers do and how they sound. When throwing together an ensemble, it's normal to try for at least one or two minorities. They may get nice costumes and equal treatment for most of the show, but ultimately, black actors need to be able to WAIL. Otherwise, you've used the minority card on someone who "sounds white," and what's the point in doing something like that?

This clip comes from Patina Miller, an incredible young actress with whom I've worked a few times. She's currently in London, starring in the Sister Act musical. In this clip, she comments on the place of the African American in musical theatre. In a way, it's liberating--she's aware of all the stereotypes and requirements, and still makes for a wonderfully entertaining number in what could have been incredibly awkward.

Certainly, this ties into Hall's definition of representation and "racialized knowledge of the Other" (260). We have built in expectations of what a specific race can and will do. In this case, it's SAAANGing (as they proudly refer to it) as if they were in church.

Try My Googy Googy

As I was reading about stereotypes of blacks in Hall's book, I immediately thought of The Office.

Hall defines stereotypes and being stereotypes as being "reduced to a few essentials, fixed in Nature by a few, simplified characteristics" (249).

In the episode Diversity Day, Michael Scott conducts a meeting about diversity and runs an exercise involving guessing the race on a coworker's forehead. One person looks at the card on another person's forehead and gives that person clues as to who they may be. But of course, it's The Office, and what would be something kind of interesting in a normal workplace is a completely different thing in the Dunder Mifflin workplace.

The employees all use stereotypes to describe the different races on one another's foreheads. They say "simple, vivid, memorable, easily grasped and widely recognized charactersitics" to describe each other's cards.

The best part is probably when Michael Scott imitates an Indian and gets slapped by Kelly, or when Dwight thinks he's a woman, or that Stanley actually has the black card... OK all of it was funny.

Stereotyping in Pretty in Pink

According to Stahl, "stereotypes flatten, homogenize, and generalize individuals within a group, emphasizing sameness and ignoring individual agency and variety." (Stahl, 16) In the classic 1984 film, "Sixteen Candles," racial stereotypes are explored and exploited. The most prominent stereotype in this film is the portrayal of the"average, white, middle-class American family." They live in a quaint suburb with 3 children, a mom and a dad and loving, yet eccentric, grandparents. Like many families, the eldest daughter gets much of the attention, not only because of her wedding that is about to take place, but also because she is their first-born and prized daughter. This is not to say that Molly Ringwald's character, Samantha, isn't loved, it is just that Ginny, her older sister, is the first of this generation in her family to experience all of life's 'rights of passage' such as getting married, so everyone can't help but to be excited. Molly is the awkward middle child. She is searching for an identity of her own- the typical teenage syndrome. The fact that her family forgot her birthday puts a damper on her already not-so-exciting day. She is the average girl who dreams for the popular guy in school. Samantha's little brother is portrayed as a typical younger, annoying, little brother who is somewhat babied due to his age. 

This portrayal of this family may be a "kernel of truth" of what the majority of American families may look like, although it is obvious that many come nowhere near to this stereotype. However, this family plays a greater role in the stereotypes that are apparent in this film; they also serve as a "difference" or a point to contrast against the incredibly stereotyped Asian character, Long Duk Dong. 

(for some reason this video's embedding was disabled so you have to click on the link, sorry....it's worth it i promise)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTchUep_bmg&feature=related

Long Duk Dong, who is nicknamed "The Donger" is an exchange student who has come to live with Samantha's grandparents. He is an eccentric character portrayed as if he has no social manners, speaks some English with a heavy accent, and throughout the film, whenever Long Duk Dong's name is said, a gong rings. In comparison to Samantha's family who areaccustomed to the American culture and live the typical suburbia lifestyles, Long Duk Dong was quite the opposite. The majority of his lines throughout the film ( "Wassa happening hot stuff?" "No more yankie my wankie. The Donger need food." "Oh, sexy girlfriend." "Au-to-mo-beeeeeeeeeeeel?") carried little importance and only served to create a comic relief. This also served to further create an stereotype of Asians. Additionally, there is a great negative demeanor underlying Dong's character. He is portrayed as an unusual character, and at the end of the clip I posted above, the little brother says, "He's totally bizarre....I just hope you burn the sheets and mattresses after he leaves." I find that such an ignorant statement, and although a majority of stereotypes "may have a basis in fact," it is naive to immediately discriminate against others. 

"Oh, I'm sorry Ma'am. I thought you were black."

Stuart Hall discusses how differences are crucial in formulating our meanings of cultures and races and that without it, meaning could not exist. “It is the ‘difference’ between white and black which signifies, which carries meaning” (234). He then mentions the example of how “Britishness” connotes “whiteness” (235).

Check out this video of Gina Yashere, who is a black British comedian. In this clip, she does a great job in emphasizing, while simultaneously putting a funny spin on this topic that Hall discusses.

It is so effective and funny because most of us associate the British accent with someone who is posh, classy, well-off, intelligent, and white. Most of her stand up is on the subject of her being black and British and making fun of how people, especially Americans, are so thrown off by this because black people are usually portrayed as speaking in Ebonics or in a southern drawl or in "American" accents in our media. Rarely do we ever see a black person speaking in a British accent, but people, they DO exist.

Lost In Translation or How to Shoot Two Birds With One Stone

Sophia Coppola’s Lost In Translation presents a love story between two Americans staying in Tokyo, Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). The bond between the two characters in forged by their mutual feelings of displacement and alienation during their stay in Japan, in other words they connect because they are both presented as the 'Other'. In The Practices of Looking, Sturken & Cartwright define the Other as, "a term used to refer to the category of subjectivity that is set up in binary opposition to the dominant subject category in a culture" (451). But by presenting Bob and Charlotte as the Other in order for both of them to find each other, Coppala has placed them in an exaggerated version of Japan rife with stereotypes.

In one scene, Bob and Charlotte make fun of the inability of the Japanese people to distinguish R’s and L’s. In another, Bob takes advantage of the fact that the Japanese chef cannot understand English. He not only tells Charlotte to take one of her shoes off, but also yells condescendingly at the chef, something to the effect of, “What’s with that serious face?” Yet annother example of the stereotyping of the Japanese in the film is the scene in which Bob is aggresively propositioned by a Japanese prostitute. Japanese women are so often portrayed as either docile and submissive or sex-crazed dominatrices in Western culture. The mispronunciation joke gets brought up again in this sequence: the prostitute tells Bob to "lip" her stockings, which causes great confusion until he figures out that she means "rip". This, along with more stereotypical concerning the size and manners of Japanese people are shown throughout Lost In Translation as a means of comedy.
While these stereotypes are clearly placed in the film in order to provide a more believable alienation for Bob and Charlotte's relationship to be built upon as well as serving as a shared souce of bemusement at the "oddities" of Japanese culture, they are still harmful and offensive stereotypes.
Furthermore, Coppala also manages to stereotype Americans as bratty and unwilling to learn, by portraying Bob and Charlotte as having these problems connecting with the Japanese culture. In one scene Charlotte trips and blames the sidewalk for her incident, even going as far as to mention suing the city. Additionally, Bob and Charlotte wander through the whole film, revelling in their alienation, never once thinking to learn the language or trying to understand Japanese culture. This only furthers the already held assumption that Americans only think their culture is correct and are stuck in their ways. By portraying Japan as "odd" along with characterizing Bob and Charlotte's bemusement with it, Sophia Coppola plays into different stereotypes associated with both cultures.

Stereotyping in "Weeds": No One is Safe

When examining the representation of race in media texts, the television show Weeds is interesting to consider. This show prides itself on being offensive. Most television shows appear only to stereotype minorities, leaving the Caucasian characters to represent the norm. However, I argue that Weeds does not discriminate when it comes to stereotyping, as it examines all races from a critical perspective not only by placing these characters into their typical racial roles, but by over exaggerating these characteristics in order to transcend these roles.



In the show, it is apparent that many of Juan Artega's "Hollywood's 6 Favorite Offensive Stereotypes" exist. Primarily, "the Latino maid" is represented by the Botwins' maid, Lupita. Artega claims that this character, among other things, "runs around in the background with a vacuum cleaner, or waving a duster..." which is mostly true of the television show. Lupita 100 percent fits into this role - she is constantly muttering Spanish under her tongue while shaking her head at the Botwins, and manipulates her insider knowledge of the family to her own advantage.

Other examples of racial stereotyping would have to include prominent African American characters Heylia and Conrad. These roles, while a bit harder to classify according to Artega's model, fulfill certain well known African American stereotypes such as the "angry black woman" as demonstrated through Heylia, outspoken yet all about the family and a good cook; and the "tough black guy", Conrad, who partakes in criminal activity, yet on the inside is a sensitive, caring man.

In the show, there is also a tendency to use Caucasian stereotypes for certain characters placed in a typical upper middle class suburban community. For example, the "overbearing, perfect soccer mom" could arguably be exemplified through the role of Celia Hodes, who portrays the some of the more extreme characteristics of that role.

While most media texts position these roles at a higher angle and connote an element of normalcy, Weeds is able to place Caucasian stereotypes on the same level as that of the other roles. For this reason, the television show seems much more balanced than other TV shows. In Weeds,everyone is a victim. No one gets left out.

Antiquing

From what little time I spend in antique stores, there seems to be a renewed interest in overtly racist children's toys which are commanding higher prices than ever. Most of these dolls and figurines, depict black americans in extraordinarily poor regard, evoking minstrel archetypes of the "jolly negro" or "dandified coon," and so it's interesting that the most avid collectors of these offensive artifacts are the young (primarily white) urban liberals categorized by their projected tolerance and who have been responsible for the propagation of "political correctness."

Since political correctness has been outed by the forward thinking as a masked form of discrimination, this proclivity towards these kinds of objects seems a somewhat logical (though equally troubling) next step. The justification, I imagine, is that the acceptance of these most intolerable objects both assumes responsibility and acknowledges a part of our cultural heritage (which is explicitly behind us.) It's difficult then to tell if the practice of collecting these "cultural artifacts" is in fact the sign of a truly liberal society or if it is just another form of imperial liberalism.

What do you guys think?