Hollywood and Race

I can't pass judgement on this show. I am an old white country man who was a small child when it was on the air. I remember the episodes being on TV but remember nothing about them. I simply paid no attention to them and formed no opinion either way. As an adult I have yet to see a single episode and I am not sure that I even want to.

I knew no African Americans as a child. They did not live in my area. My contact with them did not happen until I was in my latter teens. Today I count them among my best friends.

Once someone like myself becomes friends with them things change. I get offended when my friends get insulted on account of race.I get offended when I see an old Hollywood Caricature of black people. I saw a movie the other night that had a short scene that showed an African American man in fear. His eyes were rolling around like a frightened horse. He acted like an idiot. I've seen scared black people many times in my life. They never act like that. I thought of my friends and shut the TV down.

Hollywood pats itself on the back now days about how networks and film makers boldly fought against racial prejudice. A young person these days could easily buy into that propaganda. It's true that some producers did but for the entire industry to claim that they did is simply not true and in my opinion that's what they infer. I could go into a really long rant on this subject but I will not.

I fully understand why this show was removed from the air. I remember the days when it was an insult to call somebody Kingfish. Sometimes by other kids daring you to fight them. Sometimes by older white people when describing people they were making fun of. Things like "Old Kingfish there is so dumb all he will ever be in life is a ditch digger."

My transition from living in an all white area to having friends of other races was not as easy as I make it sound. For years I did not understand why the word "Boy" was such an offensive word. White folk in my home area used it frequently in referring to both yong people and men. It was not until I started watching old Hollywood films that I suddenly realized why. Back then they referred to servants as "Boys". "Boy fill my glass." "Boy bring my paper and be quick about it." and on and on.