Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Early Childhood Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1
Early Childhood Education - Assignment Example A teacher who does not appreciate children of these ages may not have the patience to be effective and efficient. I do not think there were questions I would have worded differently. The questions were very direct. Based on her answers, the interviewee showed a very clear understanding of what was asked. She was able to tell me about her experience in teaching young children, how she coped up with their social and emotional needs, how she would manage a class smoothly and how she would incorporate cultural diversity in her classroom. I found her answers appropriate to the questions and informative about the type of educator she is. In this assignment, I was to act as a director who had to find suitable teachers for my very young impressionable students. As early childhood educators, I wanted to ensure the applicants were up to the task of shaping children at the most crucial stage of learning. The assignment was very rewarding because it made me realize how important our work is.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Influences on Providers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Influences on Providers - Assignment Example Healthcare expenditure is covered by several sources of funding including out-of-pocket payments where individuals pay for services through deductibles and copayments (Musgrave, 2006). Another source is the private health insurance coverage like the point-of-service plans (PPOs) and health maintenance organizations plans (HMOs). The US government expenditure on healthcare is incurred through government health plans like Medicare, Medicaid, Military Health system and Childrenââ¬â¢s health insurance program (CHIP) (Kronenfeld, 2002). Unemployment rate in the US has increased over the recent past. Unemployed individuals increase the financial costs of the health care providers since they may not be able to pay the deductibles and copayments. The high unemployment rate will increase the federal spending on Medicaid health care program (Sultz & Young, 2011). Increase in employment will lead to more employer financed healthcare insurance thus reducing the costs of government sponsored programs. Employees are more willing to purchase healthcare insurance once they are offered benefits like income tax allowances by the employee (Sultz & Young, 2011). About 46.3 million citizens representing 15.4 percent of total population have no insurance coverage. The number of uninsured citizens has been increasing due to lack of employment and ineligibility in government sponsored health care schemes (Sultz & Young, 2011). When the uninsured are unable to pay for the full medical costs, such costs are added to the providerââ¬â¢s costs. The increase in healthcare insurance will lead to early detection of the medical conditions thus a reduction in the overall medical costs incurred by the healthcare providers will be possible (Musgrave, 2006). The US economic downturn has increased the overall unemployment rate in the economy. The recent economic meltdown and financial crisis have led to
Monday, September 9, 2019
Two Techniqyes in Hospitals Laboratory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Two Techniqyes in Hospitals Laboratory - Essay Example This paper summarizes each of these methods and provides examples of their relevance to biomedical research and clinical medicine. Flow Cytometry Analytical flow cytometry (AFC) is used to assess the biochemical composition of cells using an optical scanner in the assessment of individual cells as they are screened individually at a rapid rate (approximately 100 cells per second) through an optical scanner (Boddy et al 2001; Givan 2001). This methodology permits quantitative measurements of molecular components within each cell individually (Davey & Kell 1996; Givan 2001). An important medical use of AFC is the identification of specific strains of infectious bacteria in infected cells obtained from patient biopsy (Boddy et al 2001). Once the pathogen is identified, AFC is also used in therapeutic assessment of antibiotics on the clinical course of infection by examining patient cells by AFC post-treatment. In this regard, AFC is an important biomedical tool in the assessment of para meters of clinical sensitivity and resistance of specific bacterial strains to specific therapeutic regimens (Davey & Kell, 1996). In addition, AFC can be used to measure the cellular DNA and protein concentration and the activity of specific enzymes (Roederer 2001). The capability of AFC to assess molecular content within individual cells involves the use of fluorescence measurements to characterize the biochemical components of cells. In this technique, fluorescent probes are applied to specific cell molecules which are then assessed via the detection of optical excitation patterns emitted by these optically labeled cell components. (Shapiro 2003). These optical excitation patterns emitted by the fluorescently labeled cell components can be used to pinpoint specific types of molecules and to quantitate their concentrations within the cell (Shapiro 2003). This accuracy is facilitated by the standardization of controlled flow by means of hydrodynamic focusing methods (Shapiro 2003). Further analytical sophistication can be achieved by the use of multiple optical beams and two channel detectors to detect two different cellular signals at the same time in the same scan while providing a high sensitivity (Zhong et al 2005). Labeled nanoparticles are also be utilized as probes in the molecular assessment of cell composition (Zhong et al 2005). In addition to biochemical composition, AFC can be used to assess cell proliferation by means of accurately identifying cell cycle composition of dividing mitotic cells. This assessment can be carried out in individual cells (Pozaroski & Darzynkiewicz 2004). This method requires the DNA binding dye propidium iodide (Shapiro 2003). DNA and protein content can be assessed simultaneously in individual cells by means of bivariate analysis and comparisons between normal cells and tumor cells (Pozaroski & Darzynkiewicz 2004). This technique also permits the evaluation of cell viability on an individual basis and can distinguish ce ll death resulting from apoptosis versus necrotic mechanisms (Bertho et al 2000). Apoptosis results in a characteristic cell fragmentation into small apoptotic bodies containing fragmented DNA segments; this process can be detected by AFC and distinguished from plasma membrane degradation which is characteristic of necrotic cell death mechanisms. Cell viability measurements are an important component of disease assessment with regard to the identification of pathogenic mechanisms that may cause cell
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Film The poursuite of happiness Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Film The poursuite of happiness - Movie Review Example The turning point happens when Gardner joined a training program at a prestigious stock-broking firm, Dean Witter. Despite having neither Wall Street experience nor a college degree, Gardner defied all odds of being homeless and became a success stockbroker and ultimately, a millionaire. This review will explore the rags-to-riches journey and examine the film's true pursuit of happiness in the context of the significance and meaning of happiness from the perspective of a child and an adult, in addition to dissecting the writer and director's vision in presenting the obstacles Gardner faced and allowing the audience to find their own interpretation of happiness. The United States Declaration of Independence pronounce "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." (The Declaration of Independence 2008) When Thomas Jefferson wrote this, it meant a basic right and a goal of life and this film's objective was to capture the essence of these two notions. Even though the ultimate setting for happiness starts off as the pursuit of money as the solution to his problems, the fact that Gardner accepted an unpaid six months internship with a one in twenty odd of getting the final job offer dispels this view.
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Coffee Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Coffee - Case Study Example The quantity of output that is likely to be produced in a cartel depends on the strength and stability of the cartel. For instance, if the cartel decides to act as a monopoly then it has absolute authority over all its members. The following graph shows the output and price in case of a cartel arrangement (Dwivedi, 2009). The summation of individual marginal cost curves provides the marginal cost curve for the industry as a whole and the intersection of the marginal revenue and cost curves determines the equilibrium level of output and price. Once the industry has been determined then the individual firms ascertains their own level of output by matching their own marginal cost curves to the profit-maximizing level. Cartels have been banned in a number of developed countries like the U.S.A. on account of the negative impacts it has on the consumers (Marshall and Marx, 2012). In many cases it has been observed that the cartel members hide prices, charge unreasonable price and artificially constrict output and all of these reduces the welfare of the consumer. Consumers can also lose confidence in the business as cartels have been largely associated with the negative sentiments. In most of the cases the business enterprises which are not a part of the cartel are often eliminated from the business and this in turn affects the overall effectiveness of the economy as a whole. Formation of cartels has been associated with the reduction of the innovation and economic efficiency. Governments and economists of various countries thinks that cartels are ineffective because unproductive members take refuge to the cartels and are not bothered to improve their performance (Grossman, 2004). It has also been fo und that cartel members often discourage the entry of new entrants into the market and this in turn restricts the chances of economic growth and job prospects for many. In many cases the cartels have been held responsible
Friday, September 6, 2019
Googles Mission and Values, an Analysis Essay Example for Free
Googles Mission and Values, an Analysis Essay Google is a 21st century company even though it was founded in 1998 with a simple mission statement; Googleââ¬â¢s mission is to organize the worldââ¬Ës information and make it universally accessible and useful (Google Inc, Quick Profile, 2010, à ¶ 1). Google has one vision: to accomplish it mission by providing the best web based services to its end users. According to the Google on its corporate website, there are ten things they (Google) know to be true that are the keys to their success (Google Inc, Our Philosophy, 2010, à ¶ 4-17) 1.Focus on the user and all else will follow 2.Its the best to do one thing really, really well. 3.Fast is better than slow. 4.Democracy on the web works. 5.You dont need to be at your desk to need an answer. 6.You can make money without doing evil. 7.Theres always more information out there. 8.The need for information crosses all borders. 9.You can be serious without a suit. 10.Great just isnt good enough. What does all this mean in relation to the espoused values and vision of the company? This question requires a closer look. History What a grand endeavor founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin undertook when they founded Google. Googles mission statement seems almost untenable. Both the founders are brilliant engineers and in light of the advancement of technology and their pension for understanding algorithmic math, they built the first Google search engine. Little did they know how the grand ideals encapsulated in Googles mission statement could really change the face of the world in which we live, based on the computer coding to search the web more efficiently, but how did that happen? Before Google, from 1994 to 1997 web search was hit or miss using such services as MOSAIC, Wandex, Webcrawler, Infoseek, Lycos, Altavista, Magellan, Excite, Inktomi, Ask Jeeves, Northern Light Snap, Yahoo, and other smaller search engines. In 1998, that changed with the Google algorithm (Viney, 2008). Once Google was unleashed into the wild of the World Wide Web, it quickly took its place at the top of the search engine services as the best. To give credence to this fact the very name of the company has become a verb. Very few that live in a wired world have not heard the phrase Google it in relation to finding an answer on the internet. Google was so far ahead of its times even James Jenny, reviewer of the book by Jeff Jarvis What would Google Do? states I realized I was reading a glimpse of the future after gaining an understanding of Googles grand goal, its mission, organizing the worlds information (Penny, 2010, pg 810). Philosophy Googles founders simply had an understanding of what could be and found a means to try to accomplish it. They idealized that the world would be a better place if everyone, yes everyone, had access to the same information. A capitalism comparison seems appropriate here since it is based on the precept that the best minds can create the best product and that product will win the market. Google did just this in its creation and it has not only revolutionized the world of internet search, it has begun to see it mission statement to fruition. In the minds of the founders, free information leads to better ideas and actions for all of humanity. Better ideas that will lead overall to a better planet lead by the best thinkers that have the most influence over the direction of industry, politics, and other world opinions, all based on the precept of an unlimited worldview of information that is unlike the education systems in place today in most classrooms. Google espouses the possibility of an education that is not myopic from the point of view of a countrys agenda as can be seen in the teaching of Tiananmen Square in China where none of the textbooks and public media will show the atrocities that happened that day in 1989 as just one example (Richelson and Evans, 1999). Analysis So how has Google fulfilled its vision, mission, and the edicts of it companys culture? The answer is not simple and it would require a PHD dissertation to delve into Googles proposed failures, but even longer, to qualify and quantify its impact of the good it has brought to the world as a whole. It does seem prudent to quickly point out a few of it missteps. A couple of examples are: 1.Google Buzz a Twitter like clone had unintentional consequences for Gmail users because it shared personal information by default with everyone in the users contact list without the consent of the Gmail user. 2.Google Wave was an attempt to redefine email. However, recently Google decided not to continue development due to lack of interest by its end users. All of this has been possible due to Googleââ¬â¢s corporate culture that encourages its employees to communicate freely, innovate constantly, and requires that 20% of every employeeââ¬â¢s work week be spent working on personal projects without the direction or oversight of management. Gmail came from this directly as did Buzz and Wave. Even Googleââ¬â¢s communication with the rest of the world is open and direct. In a recent blunder by Googleââ¬â¢s street view project, individualsââ¬â¢ personal information was collected by Google which in some cases included entire emails, passwords, and other data that was inadvertently broadcast by individualsââ¬â¢ unsecured wifi routers. In response to this Google admitted in earnest that it had done so, but that it did not mean to do it and made every attempt to correct the problem. They were up front enough that even the FTC ââ¬Å"forgaveâ⬠Google for this unintended trespass after they investigated the issue (Forbes, 201 0). Conclusion Overall Google has lived up to its mission and values, both internally and externally. It allows its employees to spread their wings, work in an open environment that promotes ingenuity, and encourages open communication. Google also communicates openly with world governments and humanity as a whole. Even in the wake of Google becoming a public company, it has not lost sight of what makes it special. Google indeed lives up to the ideals it espouses in all respects.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
African American Film Stereotypes
African American Film Stereotypes The black American actors have come along away within the movie industry in a myriad of perspectives. This is exemplified by the present huge number of black actors in Hollywood, the contemporary influential roles they play and even more essential; the modern view they present in relation to the stereotypical roles of the past century. A far cry from what it used to be in the early and mid 20th century with all film roles assigned to this group having attached racial prejudice. During the periods between the 1900 and 1970, many blacks were given subordinate and subservient roles. The theatrical image, Black face continued to be the conventional depiction of black actors within the film industry, with many of them such as Dewey Markham adopting the image as integral to their act (Padgett, 2011). Actors of this era were given roles of servants, often of the lowest levels, such as janitors, house helps, porters, cooks, gardeners and cleaners among others. Such roles could not be compar ed to the more privileged roles assigned to their white counterparts, mainly depicted as their employers and bosses; a sort of carried forward perception of the slave and master in a newer dimension. Roles of servitude clearly brought out the perception of the black community and further aided its projection within the American society through the movie industry and TV programs (Bogle, 2001). The scenario gradually took a turn towards a rather positive outlook towards the late 1970s into the 21st century. Much of the strength in these early racial stereotypes has dissipated, but their still exist vestiges of these within the movie industry, perpetuating incorrect attributes about the African Americans. Treatment of the African American actors between 1900 and 1970 Early era: 1900 to 1950s Actors and actresses from the black American community within this period faced many challenges within the movie industry. In the early part of the century, role depicting black people were played, not by black actors but rather by nameless white actors after painting their faces dark black (Bogle, 2001). This tradition, commonly referred to as black face, was carried over to the silent films from the stage shows and theatrical plays of the preceding century. Together with this theatrical image came the racial stereotypical of the African Americans as perceived within the American society; a white dominated society whose views were the ones making all the influence in the films. Racial discrimination and how it was deeply engrossed within the fabrics of the American society at the time, is seen as the major cause of their plights. Black actors were treated with low regard and given roles that had little impact on the main plots at many times. Many of the talented black actors were ig nored, vilified or even utterly dismissed from movie production houses at the start of the 20th century (Higginbotham, 2001). The few who joined the industry had little chance of making any great impact as their white colleagues. Such roles were assigned only to serve the purpose of depicting the black race within the society. Comedians and jesters especially in the 1920s to the 1940s were roles allocated to black funny men such as Bert Williams, Willie Best and Billie Robinson Bonjangles , albeit with a touch of docility or meekness. Taking a critical look at all roles, gives a portrayal of their community with a racial perspective. Turner classic movies produced mainly between the 1920s and the 1950s illustrate the stereotypical black roles of domestic workers and servants working for their white employers. Some of the roles portrayed images of ridicule and shameful aspects viewed as part of the black culture and general personalities. a negative attitude towards work is one perception about black people projected by some roles, notably by the roles played by Stepin Fetchit. Although the actor grew wealthy with his roles describing him as the laziest being on earth, they further advanced these indolent and lethargic attributes to the African Americans (Padgett, 2011). Combining the negative attitudes towards work and the white community, in addition to their problematic environment and personalities, are clear racial stereotypes borrowed from the blackface image (Padgett, 2011). Being given supporting roles of lesser impact on the films was also reflected by the lack of awards won by these actors. Consideration for awarding nominations to excellent black actors was subject to racial prejudice and attitudes. Some really deserving cases were not chosen for the same reasons. The reality of their situation was compounded by the fact that all movie productions were dominated and managed by the white, forcing any talented black performer to conform to the directions of the movies and the script. Without the presence of the changes that took place in the 1960s, after the rise of black civil rights movements, independent black owned production houses and companies were not feasible and as result, it meant a a take it or leave it situation for these actors. Having to make a leaving forced them to accept these roles, in spite the wrong generalizations they portrayed. The late Bill Bojangles is one actor, who was called the quintessential Tom, with his many roles mirroring the servile and submissive black janitor or porter in many of his roles (Padgett, 2011). In real life, the actor the sort of man who could demand to be served (at times exposing his pearl handled revolver) when refused any service at all white luncheons. Many of the actors accepted roles that did not portray their real personalities as individuals or the black people as a whole. The 1960s to late 1970s The scenario gradually took another turn for the better towards the late 1950s and 1960s. Changes were brought about by with the introduction of gifted and influential actresses and actors particularly Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Poitier. Production of films like a member of the weeding , where Ethel Waters played a crucial role of alleviating the black image, and Raisin in the sun, greatly enhanced a growing positive view of the black performers in Hollywood in general and their community in particular. The legendary Sidney Poitier is much credited for his roles in Patch of blue, Guess whos coming to dinner, Lilies of the filed, and Slender thread that advanced a more dynamic and handsome picture of the black actor. His strong and huge presence within the films embodied the ideal perfect actor unequaled by none across the racial divides in his time; a feat that can be understated. Transformations were positively impacted on by new breed of actors including Harley Berry and Denzel Washington with increased opportunities being extended to black movie artists especially towards the 21st century. Roles and their actors and actresses A majority of the roles extended to black performers were by nature subservient and subordinate to their white counterparts (Zeisler, 2008). These actors had to play roles portraying submission to their bosses and employers. Main roles as pointed out by Bogle included the mammies, mulattoes, toms, coons and bucks (Bogle, 2001). All these negative roles grew out of the background of racial prejudice with the intention of stressing negro inferiority (Bogle, 2001). As a matter of fact, these roles were not directed at creating any harm to the black people. They only reproduced and reflected black stereotypes that had existed since the days of slavery, and which had been subsequently made popular by other forms of art including literature, music and theater (Bogle, 2001). The Toms Black roles referred to as Tom, derived from the 1903 motion picture uncle Toms cabin, depicted the black actor as the submissive servant obedient to his master. They painted a stereotype of the black character as subjective to his white employer from an avuncular disposition. These roles extended perceptions of the relationship between the slave and his master, from an era preceding the movie industry. Labeling of the black community from the tom roles reflects the contemporary racial view prevalent particularly in the years between the 1900 to the 1920s. The toms were socially accepted good negro characters, as pointed out by Donald Bogle, who are always harassed, hounded, flogged, insulted, enslaved or chased. In spite of the ill treatment, the toms keep their faith and do not turn against their white massas (Bogle, 2001). They instead remain hearty, stoic, selfless and submissive to their white boss. Bert Williams is among the first black actors who played these roles, as the use of blackface diminished, with actor James Lowe typifying the role in the 1927s Uncle Toms Cabin (Bogle, 2001). Movie plot depicted the toms as generous, kindhearted and loving towards their masters, even in times and situations that presented them with freedom from servitude. For example, in the 1911 film, For massas sake, a former slave is so attached to his erstwhile master even to the point of selling himself back into the atrocious state of slavery, in order to help his master through a difficult period of financial problems. Obedience to the domineering authority presented through the white employers, as was seen in the slavery era, was the type casted solution to the black problems. Rather than rebel or demand a greater range of rights, they were admonished to accept their lower position in the society with love and a sense of responsibility to their masters and mistresses as long as they lived. The Coons The coons were presented as simpletons and foolish by nature with an exaggerated sense of self but innately coward. Presenting the Negro as some form of amusement objects, with a buffoonish attitude, these roles according to Bogle came in two variations or types; the uncle Remus and the pickaninny (Bogle, 2001). The pickaninny portrayed the black child as harmless, with funny antics of eyes almost popping and the hair standing on end with a little bit of excitement. Diverting attention and creating some pleasant comical effects was the main purpose of this particular role, albeit with a lot of exaggerations and amplification of their naivety. Children actors such as Allen Clayton Hoskins popularly known as Farina playing a character from Uncle Toms Cabin, and Billie Thomas as Buckwheat in the Our Gang; little rascals, typified this coon roles in the 1920s and 1930s. From these little coons, developed the most outright and blatantly demeaning of all the black stereotypes; the unreliab le and extremely lazy and good for nothing people who took no responsibility with their actions. These black roles gave the impression that the African Americans were an indolent race who would rather steal form their white masters, especially food items from the farm, rather than work for anything in their lives. sitting down and idling time away, chatting in a distorted form of English as they wait for opportunities to steal from others, especially the hapless toms, was a typical portrayal of these characters in the movies of the early 20th century. The Rastus series are an exemplary in representing the black Negro males as a basic thief when given the chance without any regard to moral reflection. Black actor, Stepin Fetchit (1902- 1985), carried out this role to greater heights, in movie characters that showcased the African American as very lazy with intense averseness towards any form of work. These were really degrading racial stereotypes. Uncle Remus, related to the tom as a first cousin, is revealed as congenial and harmless, with the tendency to comically philosophize about everything around him, with particular reference to the general position and plight of the Negro community. With his immense mirth, this coon character role, show cases a predisposition of the African American towards accepting the situation of servitude he finds himself in. The Tragic Mulatto The female black roles were no different in illustrating the underlying racial stereotypes adopted as the main view points towards the African American at the time. The mulatto roles depicted tragic lives of the bi-racial women, ruined and disadvantaged by their possession of the black blood. They were not given strong sexual or feminine attributes (Zeisler, 2008). In their futile attempts to be regarded as white rather than colored, this group faces prejudice from both sides of the racial line. Black males also existed but their tendency to stick more to their black community diminishes their significance, leaving the female characters in illustrating the plight of the mixed individuals. The lives of these females are shown to the audience in sympathetic light, hampered and derailed as a result of their divided racial inheritance (Bogle, 2001). The Mammy The mammy is another of the female black stereotypes related to the coon characters and degraded to their level by association. Distinguished by her gender, the mammy is described to the viewer usually as big and fat, with an argumentative and difficult nature. She displays the black family matriarch as bad tempered and fiercely independent. Some of the Tom and Jerry cartoon episodes depict the cats owner as a black mammy who does not tolerate the cats antics throwing him out after provocation. Hattie McDaniel played the mammy role in the movie Gone with the wind, eventually landing her an academy award; the first for an African American. Despite their tough stand, mammies are also depicted as soft hearted, sweet, jolly and kind to others (Zeisler, 2008). The Brutal Black Buck The last of the male roles is described by the irrational and rather shortsighted buck, who in many instances showcases hypersexual tendencies. The brutal black buck is clearly depicted by D. W. Griffiths the birth of a nation released in 1915 (Bogle, 2001). It brought out a depiction of the Negroes as being lustful and arrogant in an idiotic way. Exposed as savages and brutes without much regard to rational approach to issues, with all actions revealing more uncivilized attributes, this role mostly came up against a white hero who emerges triumphant in the conflicts. Painting the black Negroes as psychopaths, with strong tendencies of revealing beastly characteristics, through these characters, exemplifies the wrong racial stereotypical views attached to the black individuals and community as a whole. Impact of the black stereotypes All these racially projected stereotypes were not representative of the Negroes; separately as individuals or collectively as a community. Black actors basically took these roles within the movies but did not ascribe to them as part of the black behavior, attitudes or nature. Many of these black actors openly rebelled against these stereotypes painted by their roles in popular movie and TV programs (Bogle, 2001). Black attributes alluded to only served to degrade the Negro image to a point of humiliation, pointing out to their presumed lower capability and intelligence which in turn justified their lower position within the American society. Impact of these stereotypes painted a social divide along racial lines with implications of huge differences between the white and black races. Admired black performers of the 1980s, including comedians Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, found it hard to shake away these lingering stereotypes in their roles. Having majorly created such images within its audience and the industry at large, meant some vestiges of these characters continued on, especially the glamorized coon roles (Bogle, 2001). Most comic roles were assigned to black actors in this era, albeit with sharp street wise skills and intelligent demeanors, far from the nitwit coons depicted in the 1940s movies. Female roles slowly adopted significant positions in movie plotlines with a modern depiction of sexual appeal glaringly missing from early movies. Glamorized Characters Criticism from own culture During the late 18th century, white had immersed themselves into blackness depicting violence and men conceptualized African men as having a vigorous sexuality. By then, blackness was the way to go which brought rise to blackface. Even whites started wearing black masks to depict their blackness. Unfortunately, this was not the true representation of the black culture. It is therefore justified that the black community of the African Americans taking issues with their fellows who made their way into the movie industry and took roles which showed negatively the black culture. Apparently, it was quite difficult for black actors and actresses to refuse a role offered to them since they were still struggling for recognition in the movie industry. This means that they were always at loggerheads with people from their African American communities for lowering their standards. As early as 1906, George Walker of the Williams and Walker Minstrel duo had criticized black actors in an essay where he commented that they wrongly portrayed the black community in their roles by using makeup that exaggerated their darkness, usually by painting their lips luminous red. He comments in the essay, Negroes on the American stage that nothing is more absurd than to see a colored man making himself look ridiculous in order to portray himself (Crum, 2010). The argument is that the caricatures in which the black actors played on the screens asserted the superiority of whiteness and were therefore responsible for escalating the discrimination of the black Americans. Some actors like Williams and walker, enlightened at how the caricature presented their race, moved out of blackface to begin their own minstrel where they distanced themselves from the caricatures. Unfortunately, most of the black actors, due to the financial gains they got from the roles they played, failed to notice this and thus maintained the status of the white seniority (Crum, 2010). Sydney Portier The movie industry by them was selective of the roles to be given to black actors as much as it was hard for any black actor to gain acceptance to the theatres. One black actor who had to struggle this much was none other than Sydney Portier, who went ahead to become the first African American to win the Grammys in 1963. It goes without saying that this did not come easily to Portier. The roles allocated to him were usually demeaning as compared to white actors. Although he received the most advanced roles for a black actor at the time, he was criticized by his fellow African Americans that his roles did not display the causes of the real problems affecting the black community. Note that in his films, he had roles that were of upper class and professional status which were only held by white. It therefore was viewed by the black community as unacceptable as the roles were so far removed from the majority of the blacks. They argued that, Portier is equal, if not superior to any of his white antagonists, who are forced to recognize his abilities and to purge themselves of their own racism. It was viewed as a misrepresentation of the people and their plight (Ricrob, 2009). Dorothy Dandridge Another rising star in the black community was Dorothy Dandridge who was also a musician and therefore played more in musicals. The roles she had on the screen were viewed to be stereotypic by the black community who thought that she had aligned herself too much to the white community and was therefore not a good representation of the black community. This fact rose because she doubled up as a musician who constantly entertained at exclusively whites clubs (Mills, 1999). Mulatto actresses Tragic mulattos were the leading roles for black female actresses. These were the roles in which many African Americans were afforded which afforded them the status of sex objects. This was not a true representation of the African Americans and therefore they usually took to tasks the females like Dorothy Dandridge who played these roles that were demeaning to the culture. It is also important to know that African Americans also prided in having women like Dandridge because they addressed the plight of the blacks. Contradicting? Well, the movies production rights belonged to the whites and the blacks only played the roles offered to them (Pilgrim, 2000). The mulattos were women born of white fathers and black slaves and therefore were beautiful. Although all black women slaves were vulnerable to rape, the black mulattos were more susceptible because of their radiant beauty and white skin which was appealing. Apparently, the white men viewed the black skin as insult. Such roles played by black actresses depicted mulattos as seductive and were therefore viewed by whites as party to concubinage and other sexual abuse, putting women in the black community at harms way. However, it was in some way responsible for bridging the gap which existed that denied legitimate sexual relationship between men and women of different races (Pilgrim, 2000). Dorothy was the most successful tragic mulatto in the theatres being the first ever black woman to be held romantically in a movie by a white man in the film Carmen Jones (Pilgrim, 2000). Dorothy Dandridge suffered nervous breakdown since just like in her movies on the tragic mulatto, she was like one in real life with a life of broken marriages. In this context, according to Spike Lee, was a failure of understanding exactly the grounds they stood on. When Spike, who introduced romantic ebony movies, released a romantic movie, he gave a leading role to a black girl which was criticized greatly by other black Americans who argued that the sexual expressions that were displayed by Nola in the movie Shes gotta have it was unbecoming and unrepresentative of the African American culture as it presented black women as being natural sexually promiscuous (Abrams, 2008). Blaxploitation and womanism Blaxploitation began as a result of the black power movement of the 1960s which was expected to depict a community that had illuminated with civil rights and wanted to free African Americans from political and social exploitation. It accredited to the movie song sweetback by Melvin Van Peebles. What the movie writer and director did not know is that his movie, instead of showing African Americans as free and liberated had opened a new way in which they would be exploited. There was great success in the movie and therefore other movie directors and producers, seeing that the black community would support anything that had a black cast, rushed to cash in on this. Soon many movie productions like shaft were released. This movie mostly focused on sex and violence (Lawrence, 2008). Note that this films showed black heroes working in white dominated localities and was therefore popular to black audience since it helped them escape from reality. Additionally, there was a need for desegregation in the United States after the cold war and therefore filmmakers were focusing on hiring black actors to feature in anti racism movies which were to be good for both white and black audience. Note that most of the blaxploitation movies depicted blacks as sexually promiscuous and generally irresponsible, showing the daily life in the ghettos where most blacks lived. And although they were produced with black cast, advertised as black, with both script and concept, they were white dominated with the writers, directors and producers all being white and there were not producing the movies for the message they wished to deliver but to cash in on the audience. This and the fact that they only portrayed the blacks with violence, drugs and sex, were some of the contributors of the decline of the blaxploitation movies (Bigley, 2003). Womanism also started at the same time that blaxploitation started and was to show the womanhood of the African American movies. With roles in movies like Cleopatra Jones, women were now playing heroine movies. The most important aspects of womanism was to portray a bond of love, whether physically or sexually, between black women. Apparently, the black women had been oppressed by sexism and racism and this is what womanism was yearning to address. Development of womanism further escalated blaxploitation where the theme was used in the movies to use the sexuality of a liberated black woman. It is important, however, to note that there is a great difference between feminism and womanism. Although they are related, womanism is rooted to the time of slavery and tragic mulattos while feminism is based on sexism and feminism. These were used as themes in the womanist movies like in the character of mammy (Pattilo, 2009). Although the way women were viewed in historically has not changed much, even after the emergence of womanism, they were still viewed as sex objects and things to lust after. In the end, however, they started getting empowered roles, acting heroines and gaining lead roles (Gates Higginbotham, 2004). In as much as this has been the development in the movie industry and the rise of chicks with guns like Angelina Jolly in Lara Croft, they are still viewed as sex objects even though they are currently independent. Initially, they were given the roles of damsels in distress (Starlet, 2007). From Uncle Tom to co-starring Initially, when the blacks came into the movie industry, their roles were actually not played by blacks. Rather they were being played by white in blackfaces. Uncle Toms cabin was the first movie in which a black role played in a movie. Tom was always harassed, flogged, exploited and generally made fun of in the movies. This role was almost always what African Americans received in early cinemas so that they greatly exaggerated the inferiority of the blacks and the superiority of the whites. As can be see, no leading roles were given to African Americans until the beginning of the blaxploitation (Bogle, 2001). Due to the great criticism that the black community had for uncle tom, buffoon and mammy roles and subsequent of some split in blackface by other enlightened actors like William and walker, movie producers started giving roles for assistant starring and sometimes leading roles to black Americans but this was realized completely during blaxploitation (Bogle, 2001). Effects of racism and stereotype to the movie industry Stereotyping in the movie industry was experienced in the allocation of roles to actors. African Americans had roles that showed the naivety of African Americans. Furthermore, those roles depicted them as being unintelligent, lazy and violence prone. In addition to this, it portrayed all beautiful women as unintelligent and highly sexually promiscuous. In this respect, it promoted further exploitation of the black community and strengthened the negative perception of the African Americans by the whites. Although it brought a lot of resources to the movie industry, stereotyping led to the collapse of the once popular subgenres like the blaxploitation movies (Bogle, 2001). Racism and stereotypes in the movie industry always have a direct influence on the society and these values are inscribed in the minds of many. Most of the movies in the earlier times during the time of blaxploitation portrayed blacks as the most violent people, usually had whites being the victims of some black actor. As a result, society tended to carry this image with them and usually people would be scared when there was a black man in the bus or in the vicinity because they were thought to be either robbers, murderers and even rapists (Gates Higginbotham, 2004). On the other hand, all movies showed uncle toms personality in these movies. This made it look like all blacks are lazy and unintelligent. The reflection therefore of film is directly reverted in the community and governs how people of a certain race are to live. How can it be explained that the first person to die in a movie will most probably be a black? The villain is the criminal? When it is a leading role the case will be different. But this villain will be very intelligent as compared to the black villain (Bogle, 2001). Conclusion The life of the film industry in America has been as turbulent for African Americans like everything else. The industry which has initially been run by white Americans always wanted to show the superiority of the whites against the African Americans. Looking at the roles that were traditionally given to black actors and actresses including Uncle Tom, buffoon, mammy and Uncle Harvey, the depiction is that African Americans were highly ignorant and unintelligent. As for mammy, it depicts negatively the role of African American matriarchs. Stereotypes and racism was high in the movie industry. The African American woman has not been spared in the stereotype and prejudice that existed in the movie industry. Roles offered to black actresses depicted the black woman as irresponsible and sexually promiscuous. In fact, this was not limited to the African American woman. Most movies during the blaxploitation were filled with sex, violence, vulgarism and most ultimately unintelligence. Apparently, the movies, those made by black directors such as Melvin Peebles were meant to expose the plight of the African Americans although they ended having negative effects on the culture of the African Americans. This led to criticism from African Americans who argued that the actors were not representing the culture of African Americans who included Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Portier. Ultimately, after the blaxploitation, the film industry started changing although it still was stereotypic and racist in nature. However, now black actors started getting lead and supporting roles in the films and even some professional roles that were played by Sidney which include a doctor in Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner and some detective roles. Note that these were held only by whites. It was a great move for showing the blacks as intelligent on screenplay for the first time. However, the roles of women were still stereotypes with roles such as the tragic mulatto. Sex is still a stereotype that women are still viewed with although they now have independent roles with the development of chicks with guns. The movie industry is one that continues to bring different feeling but although today there is not much stereotypes and racial prejudice, there is still some element.
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