So I found this the other day (I have no idea how long it has been out cyberspace) It's a political satire by Randy Newman about how many anti-Obama folks are not anti-Obama, but anti-black-man-in-the-White-House. (And I don't think we need to argue whether or not that is a true fact- there are countless examples of racist comments about the president) This video is a commentary on this issue. Unfortunately, Newman ends up sort of reinforcing stereotypes of another kind while attempting to comment on our racism here in the US.
From the middle of the song....
I’m dreaming of a white President
Someone whom we can understand
Someone who knows where we’re coming from
And that the law of the jungle is not the law of this land
In deepest darkest Africa nineteen three
A little boy says, “Daddy, I just discovered relativity.
A big eclipse is coming
And I’ll prove it. Wait and see!”
“You better eclipse yourself outta here, son
And find yourself a tree
There’s a lion in the front yard
And he knows he won’t catch me.”
How many little Albert Einsteins
Cut down in their prime?
How many little Ronald Reagans
Gobbled up before their time?
I don’t believe in evolution
But it does occur to me,
What if little William Howard Taft had to face a lion
Or God forbid, climb a tree?
Where would this country be?
Someone whom we can understand
Someone who knows where we’re coming from
And that the law of the jungle is not the law of this land
In deepest darkest Africa nineteen three
A little boy says, “Daddy, I just discovered relativity.
A big eclipse is coming
And I’ll prove it. Wait and see!”
“You better eclipse yourself outta here, son
And find yourself a tree
There’s a lion in the front yard
And he knows he won’t catch me.”
How many little Albert Einsteins
Cut down in their prime?
How many little Ronald Reagans
Gobbled up before their time?
I don’t believe in evolution
But it does occur to me,
What if little William Howard Taft had to face a lion
Or God forbid, climb a tree?
Where would this country be?
Where to start? How about with deepest, darkest Africa? Conjuring images of Africa as wild and untamed, maybe dangerous and possible bad or evil. Then of course the obvious Africa is not a country, despite the song (and most Americans) believing that Africa is a unified whole- rather then a continent made up of multiple countries spanning a wide variety of religion, environment, culture... I could go on but you get the drift. How about the law of the jungle is not the law of this land? Because the term jungle hasn't been used at all in context of talking about the President. Oh right, yes it has been used.
A lot.
There' a lion in the front yard. I can say with great confidence the the vast vast majority of Africans have never had a lion in their front yard and additionally that most Africans have only seen lions in the zoo. (The same way most Americans have never had a bear in their front yard) But that doesn't stop him implying lions have Gobbled up many future leaders before their time. And of course, to further reinforce that point he adds great video of lots of little "African" kids with a quick cut to the lions in the field chewing on their latest "prodigy"
So in trying to call out Americans for their racism he ends up employing many of the same stereotypes and completely wrong assumptions that to some degree fuel our racism- there very racism he is railing against.
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