You guys don't understand the history of these symbols. During the late 1800's and early 1900's there was an effort to define Black people as mentally childish and needing of white guidance. We see this in movies, printed papers, cartoons and minstrel shows. They characterized black as submissive, comical and stupid. Many of the product names and images sprung from these negative stereotypes and a few such as Uncle Ben's rice and Aunt Jemima syrup managed to survive. This is also where the infamous blackface scandals were born.
These images are both purposeful and damaging. In a segregated world where many whites never actually knew real black people, these images defined Blacks. Even today, we are hindered by these lingering characterizations as we move into positions of responsibility, like President.
Are these harmless jokes irritating people with decidedly weak senses of humor? Nope. These images are powerful and damaging. For example travel the USA and you will be amazed that nearly every state, road, and lake has a Native American Name. They saved white people in this country from sure starvation, taught them about crops that would flourish here and even inspired our founders with a representational form of government. However, when it was decided to consolidate all of the land in N. America from sea to shining sea, images of Natives changed from noble and proud peoples to savages. Changing public opinion of "Indians" was a necessary prequel to the genocide that followed. Now "Indians" are portrayed as a weak, poor and drunk people who couldn't cope with modern civilization - dirty deed done and hidden in history with the average American none the wiser.
Since there was a media, whites have tried to stereotype and define Black people in ways that justified the atrocities committed during slavery and the oppression that followed. A more recent example was Hilary Clinton defining Black Youths as "Super Predators". What then followed was a willing liberal America that approved of incarcerating an entire generation of Blacks for non-violent offenses.
So these symbols are serious, purposeful propaganda.
These images are both purposeful and damaging. In a segregated world where many whites never actually knew real black people, these images defined Blacks. Even today, we are hindered by these lingering characterizations as we move into positions of responsibility, like President.
Are these harmless jokes irritating people with decidedly weak senses of humor? Nope. These images are powerful and damaging. For example travel the USA and you will be amazed that nearly every state, road, and lake has a Native American Name. They saved white people in this country from sure starvation, taught them about crops that would flourish here and even inspired our founders with a representational form of government. However, when it was decided to consolidate all of the land in N. America from sea to shining sea, images of Natives changed from noble and proud peoples to savages. Changing public opinion of "Indians" was a necessary prequel to the genocide that followed. Now "Indians" are portrayed as a weak, poor and drunk people who couldn't cope with modern civilization - dirty deed done and hidden in history with the average American none the wiser.
Since there was a media, whites have tried to stereotype and define Black people in ways that justified the atrocities committed during slavery and the oppression that followed. A more recent example was Hilary Clinton defining Black Youths as "Super Predators". What then followed was a willing liberal America that approved of incarcerating an entire generation of Blacks for non-violent offenses.
So these symbols are serious, purposeful propaganda.
