U BLACK INK October 19, 197
YEa
(Continued from page 5)
clearly demonstrated as the Jeffersons
try, but don’t quite make the assimilation
process complete. Mix some more jokes
and laughter and there you are.
Stereotype No. 3: Sanford and Son—
Take one shiftless, lazy, somewhat
drunken old man, give him a son to keep
him out of trouble and a junk shop of his
very own. For your matriarch figure, we’ll
add a loud, unattractive aunt. This show
might have about ten good jokes and will
touch upon a significant social issue about
every ten episodes.
Got the picture? of these productions
are creations of Norman Lear, who also
created the comedy-drama “All In The
Family. Any objective comparison will
show the latter is clearly a superior
production as far as dramatic situations,
character development, and scripts.
Every word is not a build-up for another
punch line. The characters are more
human, more dimensional, and have a
wider range of emotions.
The Black Lear productions are pleasing
to Blacks because it is gratifying to see
Black faces in prime time segments. They
are equally gratifying to white audiences
because they depict the familiar, com
fortable Black roles.
NQ
(Continued from page 5)
male image—and about the dullest
character on the program.
George’s wife, Louise, is also positive,
but critics claim that she is a “mammy”
figure because she at times appears more
sensible and level-headed than George. So
what? If the situation had been reversed,
some well-renowned member of the in
telligentsia would probably label the
program as “chauvinistic.”
Moreover, do white viewers complain
because Ted Baxter on the “Mary Tyler
Moore Show” is a negative white image
Exposure better in big school
(after all, he’s about as dimwitted as they
come)?
Or because Maude Finley dominates her
husband Walter, is she labelled as a white
mammy?
Must every television program be
psycho-analytically examined?
More importantly, while Black parents
and Black adults in general are so busy
worrying about the kinds of images our
children see on the television screen,
they’d do well to realize who the most
important Blade images really are—they
themselves.
(Continued from page 5)
balance our programs to meet everyone’s
needs. I hope that your accounts in the
future will be a little bit more objective.
GaryShmerling
Chairperson, Carolina Forum
Broadway Clarifies
Dear Editor;
Certain remarks attributed to me
recently in your publication are not en
tirely correct and I request a correction be
published.
I did not say that a Black brother would
be a fool if he went to a Black School. I did
say that I would advise him to go to a white
school because he would have more media
exposure, and would in all probability
recieve a better deal as far as his
scholarship goes. He would not be required
to work at a part time job to make ends
meet. In addition the facilities and the
physical plant is usually in better shape
because of more alumni suppwrt. You must
remember that white schools have been in
business longer and their graduates are
usually more affluent and are able to make
larger donations to their schools. Black
schools are slowly building their plants but
it will be a while until they can be com
pared with the University of North
Carolina, Harvard, and Notre Dame. But
one day they should be on a par with these
institutions.
There are two more points that I would
like to make: exposure to mass media if
you play for a “name” school is better and
the professional scouts are usually at these
games rather than those of a small Black
school, unless it is Grambling. Your
chances for a pro contract are better at a
larger school. Secondly, when and if you
play pro ball—those days end after a few
years and then you must still think about
making a living. Name schools, with large
and active alumni groups can usually open
doors in business and industry especially
for a former athlete if he had done well
while in school and did well in the pro
ranks.
Please don’t think that I am against
Black schools. They have their place in the
schene of things for now but for an athlete
who aspires for greater things the only
place is in a mostly white school, college,
or university. They can open doors that
other schools cannot. Then the Black
athlete in turn can assist the Black sister
or brother when he is in a position to do so,
later in life.
Rod Broadway
V
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