"White Culture Expectations of Black Youth: Can't They All Just Be Buckwheat?"

"White Culture Expectations of Black Youth: Can't They All Just Be Buckwheat?" (excerpt)

The White Culture's perceived actions of black youth betrays an intersectionality with the mythic stereotypes first employed in the early days of film. While "Birth Of a Nation" is an obvious marker, the real damage can be seen in the seemingly anodyne films meant for children. As such, "Our Gang" (or, as it was later know, "Little Rascals"), beginning in 1922, can be seen as Point Zero in the White Perception of Black Youth Culture...

The black characters of Buckwheat, Farina, and Stymie showed the best of what could be expected of black youth: unintelligent, occasionally unintelligible, they were generally harmless when keep as a lone figure amongst superior whites who kept them in their place...

Witness 1928's "Spook Spoofing": the white children cruelly taunt the black male Farina over his superstitious ways. The symbolism is inescapable: the ignorant black youth is bullied into accepting the oppressing White Culture. Notably absent are other representatives of black youth: rebellion was not an option to white audiences....

The inclination of the White Culture to label many black youth as 'feral' is to witness the perception of the Buckwheats, Farinas, and Stymies without the supposed controlling factor of some idyllic benevolent white guidance. Without a Spanky to suppress them they are apt to transgress White expectations, always to their detriment...


I am Laslo.

https://althouse.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-professor-was-just-offering-up-some.html