Amos and Andy Cartoon

This cartoon seems to include all of the prevelant stereotypes about African Americans during its time. When we first meet Andy he is asleep on the job, and we immediately get the impression that he is lazy and lacks work ethic. The characters all use improper, accented English. They are also physically exaggerated, particularly their lips. Several of the characters look very much like apes, and Andy's opponent is not only animalistic as he is, he actually transforms into an angry moose during the match. This relates to the scientific racism we have talked about in class, as the characters are closer to animals than humans, and thus give the impression of being "less evolved." The characters that aren't depicted as being stupid are merely strong and violent.

My guess is that the intended audience here would be white children. It seems to have very little point to it except to make fun of African Americans via stereotypes about them. It was created at a time when blacks were struggling with and/or against the color line, and whites were particularly concerned about it. I think it probably reflects the whites' concern, and thier desire to reinforce the "inferiority" of African Americans.

This also connects to class in that it is a cartoon, which is a format we have looked at as being significant. It makes a point in its exaggeration, which is partially diluted by the "innocent" feel. Unlike the newspaper cartoons, which are intended for adults, however, this allows an ugly message to be delivered to children in a less ugly way.