Amos and Andy

I found it interesting to look at Amos and Andy to understand the way whites viewed blacks during the time. The cartoon confirmed much of what we already knew; blacks were seen as lazy, uneducated, and animal-like. This is seen in the opening when Andy is sitting at the desk sleeping and it is also seen in the way that he speaks. The cartoon continued with the tradition of the minstrel music that Professor Hass mentioned many times in lecture. Whites were entertained through the exploitation of unrealistic black characteristics. Cartoons such as this one are the reason that stereotypes about blacks continued for so long; it was difficult to turn away from this image when whites continued to exploit them for entertainment.