What is with black people and dice

The Dork Knight

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When these cartoons were made, usualy some African American people would gamble. So using a pair of dice would be a joke on how some would gamble.
 
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happyheathen

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Originally posted by Gotlucky64
When these cartoons were made, usualy some African American people would gamble. So using a pair of dice would be a joke on how some would gamble.

the game was and is 'craps', was then common to blacks (at least rural, and, I believe, urban)

see Leadbelly's 'Stagger Lee' (pronounced 'staggolee')

'stagger lee threw a seven,
billy swore that he threw eight'

the idea that blacks found dice irresistable, was, and is, demeaning (and more than a little bit stupid)
 

Nelson

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The whole thing with American American protrayed as gamblers goes all the way back to D.W.GRIFFITH'S 1915 film, "THE BIRTH OF A NATION" where several scenes contained blacks depicted as womanizers, gamblers, drunks, and being very lazy people.

Even in "Race Films" back in the 20s 30s and 40s they were also playing roles as dunken gamblers with noting to loose.

So it came as no surprise that the animated cartoon would take shot at the African American sterotypes being nothing but gamblers in certain cartoons.For example:

All This Rabbit Stew

Angel Puss

Porky Pig's Feat

Tin Pan Alley Cats

Wot A Night

These are just some of titles that feautre stereotype gambling.
 
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happyheathen

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Originally posted by kiddiesunshine
watch how you phrase your titles! that sounded a tad racist.

a. I hope I did not offend

b. I don't think anyone in this discussion meant to offend - although the title did seem to assert that blacks found dice more attractive/engaging than did non-blacks.
(the assumption made by 'toons)

and 'Birth of a Nation' - where to start...

a. I recommend this film to all I think mature enough to understand it.

b. D.W. was a brilliant filmmaker, but was unable to think outside the racist teachings of his youth - don't feel too smug kids - your prejudices are just as ingrained (as are mine) (although I do like to think that I created my own...)

for a brief history:

portrays the klan as heros
used by the klan as a recruiting tool in the 1920's
asserts that Jesus approves racism
and even more - it is an excellent time-capsule of all the worst of 1915 America
 

Sogturtle

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Originally posted by happyheathen


a. I hope I did not offend

b. I don't think anyone in this discussion meant to offend - although the title did seem to assert that blacks found dice more attractive/engaging than did non-blacks.
(the assumption made by 'toons)

and 'Birth of a Nation' - where to start...

a. I recommend this film to all I think mature enough to understand it.

b. D.W. was a brilliant filmmaker, but was unable to think outside the racist teachings of his youth - don't feel too smug kids - your prejudices are just as ingrained (as are mine) (although I do like to think that I created my own...)

for a brief history:

portrays the klan as heros
used by the klan as a recruiting tool in the 1920's
asserts that Jesus approves racism
and even more - it is an excellent time-capsule of all the worst of 1915 America

Annnnnnd Dave~

Master-director D.W. Griffith was IMMEDIATELY called down for the extremist-racist views that he espoused in "Birth Of A Nation" (including the dice-throwing). Griffith felt everyone was being intolerant of HIM!!! Soooo he responded to all the criticism of him and "Birth..." with the brilliant but dizzying "Intolerance".
 
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happyheathen

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Originally posted by Sogturtle


Annnnnnd Dave~

Master-director D.W. Griffith was IMMEDIATELY called down for the extremist-racist views that he espoused in "Birth Of A Nation" (including the dice-throwing). Griffith felt everyone was being intolerant of HIM!!! Soooo he responded to all the criticism of him and "Birth..." with the brilliant but dizzying "Intolerance".

funny how simply EVERYONE thinks THEY are right, huh?


'will the circle be unbroken, by and by Lord, by and by...'
 

Thad Komorowski

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The title of the thread could've been "What is it with this one gag" since our friend, kiddiesunshine, is indeed African American, he's stated so.

-Thad:D
 

barnyarddawg

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Originally posted by Thad Komorowski
The title of the thread could've been "What is it with this one gag" since our friend, kiddiesunshine, is indeed African American, he's stated so.

-Thad:D

My bad, I thought Kiddiesunshine was talking to Happyheathen.
 

Emmanuel Cruz

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This may seem offtopic, but how come the idiots in Hollywood make Hispanics drug dealers and/or gang members? They especially caricature the Puerto Ricans and Mexicans. I would like to know how come these morons at Hollywood do this, since I'm Hispanic. I'm Puerto Rican and Cuban.
 

barnyarddawg

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First of all, I wouldn't take it personally. Hollywood uses stereotypes of all races, even white people, because it's easier than having to actually develop a character with motivations and depth (See Road Trip or The Breakast Club). It comes from laziness or carlessness rather than to deliberately put down a race or group of people.
 
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happyheathen

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Originally posted by DarkEJ310
This may seem offtopic, but how come the idiots in Hollywood make Hispanics drug dealers and/or gang members? They especially caricature the Puerto Ricans and Mexicans. I would like to know how come these morons at Hollywood do this, since I'm Hispanic. I'm Puerto Rican and Cuban.

the short form is:

all cultures are/have recently been racist.

I'm mainly Irish (with enough German to allow me to use the term 'kraut' as well as 'mick').

ever hear a little tune called 'No Irish Need Apply'? Each new immigrant group gets its own derogatory name(s) and stereotypes.

I did like Mark Russell's line 'What do Irish gays do - STAGGER out of the closet?"
 

Cartman

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Originally posted by kiddiesunshine
watch how you phrase your titles! that sounded a tad racist.

I did not mean to offend anyone by this phrase and I am certainly not a racist person. What I meant is "Why black people in cartoons are often excited by rolling dice?"
Please try not to jump to conclusions.
 
J

johnmcw

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No offense at all

For whatever it's worth, I am African American and I took no offense at the question about dice or anything that has been said on the topic in subsequent posts.

The dice thing goes all the way back to minstrel shows starting in the mid-1800s (that's where Griffith got it). Even the Warners' directors were no stranger to minstrel shows, which continued to tour into the 1930s; they were a central part of American entertainment at the time. The Jolson movie MAMMY of 1930 depicts Jolson as a minstrel in the present day; an episode of BLONDIE on the radio in 1939 made a reference to "the end man in a minstrel show", assuming audience familiarity even then; the guys who created AMOS N ANDY honed their chops in minstrel shows (big surprise). And note the ending gag in FRESH HARE -- the half-circle formation is a minstrel staple that audiences would have recognized.

Thus the dice thing was as much in the air as late as the 40s as, say, the "booty" obsession is now.
 

lislebartman

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You think that's bad?!? I'm one of the original mutts!!

I'm Irish, Scotch and Norwegian on Mom's side

I'm German & English on my Dad's side

I'm telling you, there's nothing like a drunk Kraut blowing on bagpipes craving fish & chips and a pint of warm ale!!:D
 

Lonestarr

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I am African-American as well, and I wasn't too offended by the topic title.

My thoughts on these stereotypes: I just flat out despise them. I truly can't believe that people were so narrow minded, especially D.W. Griffith. I'm taking film classes and in my film history course, I saw "The Birth of a Nation" for the first time. It's just the thing to make someone like me cringe and seethe. I can't believe that the film is so heralded by historians. It's absolutely insulting to African-Americans, not so much because of the treatment of them in the film (don't get me wrong; I hated that), but because most of them were obviously not real African-Americans. The following class, I saw "Broken Blossoms". While I wasn't offended, it was fairly hurtful.

As for the cartoons, I'm very glad that they've been swept under the rug. However, Tex Avery's "Magical Maestro" is hacked to near-crap.
 

DR. BELCH

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Well, I'm--

--Scots-Irish, and we know what prejudice my people faced in the 19th century. There's a lass about these boards I frequently e-mail whose half-Catholic and half-Jewish...and has been spooked by her folks for years by being told that the blood from her father's side would've been suffiecient in the 1930's to win a one-way ticket to Hitler's ovens. Lovely thing to tell a girl, isn't it? :rolleyes:
These days everyone's hyphenated and segregated. In the fifties it was white communities with "colored" drinking fountains, "colored" eateries, and signs reading "NO [starts with an n and rhymes with "trigger"]S HERE". These days look at any major city and you'll see a large concentration of blacks/minorities surrounded by small, white satellite communities. There may not be--if you'll pardon the expression--signs saying "NO HONKEYS HERE" about, but the racial lines are pretty clearly drawn and understood regardless, and one knows where not to go when the sun goes down.
 

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