I opened my browser, it's like the card catalogue of the internet, and saw an interesting topic. It was an essay concerning an old friend of mine and probably an old friend of yours as well, Uncle Remus. You do remember Uncle Remus don't you? I admit to not having thought about any of those stories in quite some time. I don't believe I ever read any of them to my grandchildren either. They were like the little golden books to me, Dick and Jane and don't forget Spot. I'm certain I bought some little golden books for those grandkids though. Well, whatever the case I was surprised to learn that Uncle Remus is practically banned. Considered to be extremely racist and offensive, those books are not to be read to children. Yeah, they are " Politically Incorrect " no doubt about that. The way they were written, the dialogue and imagery, all of it politically incorrect.
I began reading this essay, written by a Phd, concerning the content of those stories. This person was taking the view that the books, written in the post civil war era, were nothing more than plantation era stories and really a form of cultural appropriation. Those stories were stolen from slaves, written into the Uncle Remus collections and made very profitable. Uncle Remus was like Aunt Jemima, a racist stereotype used to hawk a product by the white man. This Doctor when on at some length about all of that. His major concern was the lasting impression these tales have had on children. I read that paper with some interest. Then, me being me, I had to give my opinion on the subject, if only to myself. I spent some time considering all of what he had written.
Now I admit I was impressed with his choice of vocabulary, I had to look a few words up. He did make a reasoned argument about the true nature of those stories. But, and there is always a but, my first thought after reading all of that was, what kid thinks about that? Maybe it was because I was born in 1950's. When I was little I just listened to the story for the enjoyment of hearing the story. I never thought about whether Uncle Remus was a slave, of being oppressed , or any of the social implications connected with any of that. No, I just laughed at Briar Rabbit and his adventures. I didn't think of the Tar baby as anything but a doll made out of tar. The Tar Baby is especially offensive you know. Yeah I guess I can see that but I never associated the two meanings as a child, that is something I was taught by the " older " folks. So, in my thinking the fault lies not with Uncle Remus but with those explaining the story, like that PhD guy. It is my thought he was way overthinking the whole thing. Kids don't think about all that stuff when they are five years old. Does it effect them in the long term? I don't know, I'd say it didn't bother me a whole lot, as I said, I never really gave t a thought. They were just stories after all, works of fiction, no different than Popeye the sailor or Robin Hood. Uncle Remus wasn't a real person and everyone knows that rabbits really can't talk. As far as tar went, it is sticky stuff when it gets hot, anyone would know that as well so making a tar baby made sense. You see, that's how kids think, not equating that imagery with any social injustices in the world.
Well whatever. No more Uncle Remus. The truth is he has been relegated to history as unacceptable. What a shame. I can't help but wonder if that is a good thing or a bad one. That's what adults do, not children. That's my thinking anyway. Children tend to learn what we teach them. If we start teaching them that Uncle Remus books are nothing more than a racist agenda to make a profit, that's what they will believe. If you don't want children to see or do something, tell them they can't. Human nature you know. Uncle Remus was a part of my childhood and that is were I have left it all these years. I also remember the story of little black Sambo. Many people mistakenly believe that little black sambo was an African-American. No, he was Indian, as in India. But, the book and the restaurant chain ( Sambo's ) have fallen from favor. Sambo's restaurant was named by combining the initials of the principal owners. Either they didn't realize that some would be offended or whether they didn't care, we don't know. But, we do know it also spelled ( no pun intended ) the end of the restaurant. No more Briar Rabbit either! Amazing isn't it? I'm so damaged.
I began reading this essay, written by a Phd, concerning the content of those stories. This person was taking the view that the books, written in the post civil war era, were nothing more than plantation era stories and really a form of cultural appropriation. Those stories were stolen from slaves, written into the Uncle Remus collections and made very profitable. Uncle Remus was like Aunt Jemima, a racist stereotype used to hawk a product by the white man. This Doctor when on at some length about all of that. His major concern was the lasting impression these tales have had on children. I read that paper with some interest. Then, me being me, I had to give my opinion on the subject, if only to myself. I spent some time considering all of what he had written.
Now I admit I was impressed with his choice of vocabulary, I had to look a few words up. He did make a reasoned argument about the true nature of those stories. But, and there is always a but, my first thought after reading all of that was, what kid thinks about that? Maybe it was because I was born in 1950's. When I was little I just listened to the story for the enjoyment of hearing the story. I never thought about whether Uncle Remus was a slave, of being oppressed , or any of the social implications connected with any of that. No, I just laughed at Briar Rabbit and his adventures. I didn't think of the Tar baby as anything but a doll made out of tar. The Tar Baby is especially offensive you know. Yeah I guess I can see that but I never associated the two meanings as a child, that is something I was taught by the " older " folks. So, in my thinking the fault lies not with Uncle Remus but with those explaining the story, like that PhD guy. It is my thought he was way overthinking the whole thing. Kids don't think about all that stuff when they are five years old. Does it effect them in the long term? I don't know, I'd say it didn't bother me a whole lot, as I said, I never really gave t a thought. They were just stories after all, works of fiction, no different than Popeye the sailor or Robin Hood. Uncle Remus wasn't a real person and everyone knows that rabbits really can't talk. As far as tar went, it is sticky stuff when it gets hot, anyone would know that as well so making a tar baby made sense. You see, that's how kids think, not equating that imagery with any social injustices in the world.
Well whatever. No more Uncle Remus. The truth is he has been relegated to history as unacceptable. What a shame. I can't help but wonder if that is a good thing or a bad one. That's what adults do, not children. That's my thinking anyway. Children tend to learn what we teach them. If we start teaching them that Uncle Remus books are nothing more than a racist agenda to make a profit, that's what they will believe. If you don't want children to see or do something, tell them they can't. Human nature you know. Uncle Remus was a part of my childhood and that is were I have left it all these years. I also remember the story of little black Sambo. Many people mistakenly believe that little black sambo was an African-American. No, he was Indian, as in India. But, the book and the restaurant chain ( Sambo's ) have fallen from favor. Sambo's restaurant was named by combining the initials of the principal owners. Either they didn't realize that some would be offended or whether they didn't care, we don't know. But, we do know it also spelled ( no pun intended ) the end of the restaurant. No more Briar Rabbit either! Amazing isn't it? I'm so damaged.
No comments:
Post a Comment