Okay, very simply the bottle is a figure of a black woman who, for many, represents a house slave. For those people, it represents a time when it was appropriate to keep slaves and to call someone an "Aunt Jemima" is to say that she has risen above her proper position in life which is to be a slave in the kitchen.
Is that racist enough? Could the bottle just represent a black matron who cooks well? Possibly, but the context and attitude of the person behind the comment is as important to the interpretation of it as the words themselves. In this case the announcer was very intentionally using it in a derogatory way with the intent to invoke the image of slavery. We know this because the radio announcer was very specifically calling them subservient, i.e. slaves. So in calling Dr. Rice an Aunt Jemima, he was saying that she was a slave who had gotten above herself and she should go back to the kitchen where she belongs. Just sickening. -Kevin On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 06:56:51 -0400, Angel Stewart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > What the heck is wrong with Aunt Jemima??? > That is like saying something is wrong with the personification of Mabel's > Kethcup and other cooking stuff (Local). > > To my knowledge, the image represents and is stereotypical of how good the > food of that culture tastes. Certainly Mabel's stuff is > spicy, giving that home cooked seasoning taste etc. to the food. I'm thinking > it is the same thing with Aunt Jemima. At a certain > time in the States perhaps women who looked like Aunt Jemima were notorious > for good cooking, pancakes etc. I know that at Breakfast > Shed which is one of the major places in Trinidad to get good old style > creole cooking, most of the women that cook there look just > like Mabel, and the cooking and recipes used is totally passed down from > mother to daughter hence there is a strong cultural aspect > to it. In fact I would say that you almost HAVE to be from that culture to > have a hope of competing with those cooks, or preparing > food that tastes that way.The mix of spices, the Shadow Benny from the back > garden, the Cive, it might even be the metal pots. And > THAT is what the marketing folk were trying to tap into with Mabel's image on > the products. Racist never came into it. > > Is it Racist to have Mr. Plumber/Mr. Clean or whoever being a big bald headed > white guy with his arms folded across his chest?? > > I'm starting to think that there may be certain levels of racism here, but > not necessarily on the part of the artists or the images > involved. > > -Gel > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Special thanks to the CF Community Suite Gold Sponsor - CFHosting.net http://www.cfhosting.net Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:137278 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
