Reflection

I came across an article on scholar.google.com that dealt specifically with my topic and was quite interesting. The article talked about black identity dealing with cartoons shows including The Boondocks, a show that I’m investigating more deeply into. It talked about how shows like The Boondocks have a negative effect on the black community, confirming stereotypes that others already believe to be true. This article discussed how characters in the shows such as pimps who are obviously not intelligent and have bad grammar make fun of black men. Also it goes into rap music and the videos that go along with it. In most of the rap videos today there’s lots of money, alcohol, expensive cars and plenty of half-naked women dancing in front of the camera. When people of other ethnicities, maybe someone whom has never came in contact with a black person before sees these videos different generalizations and stereotypes are formed. The Boondocks only presses that point further by portraying these negative images of blacks in the show. Many would say well there are some positive images and episodes but overwhelmingly the negative outweighs the positive. More positive cartoon sitcoms need to be made representing blacks so there is a balance. Race, whiteness, "lightness," and relevance: African American and European American interpretations of Jump Start and The Boondocks Naomi Rockler Critical Studies in Media Communication Vol. 19, Iss. 4, 2010