No. of Recommendations: 8
Dope1:
They weren't racial stereotypes. Uncle Ben was in fact a real guy. Go get yourself a clue. Umm, the man on the boxes was not
a real guy.
The man depicted on the boxes was a black Chicago waiter who posed for what became the illustration for the brand used by Mars, Incorporated. The name originated with a rice grower in 1946.
At that time, white Southerners “used ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’ as honorifics for older blacks because they refused to say ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’”
Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima were mascots were intended to let white consumers indulge in a fantasy of enslaved people as submissive, self-effacing, loyal and contentedly pacified.
In short, pretty much the definition of racism.
Here, go get yourself a clue:
Most of those bemoaning the loss of “Auntie” today wouldn't have discovered her the way that earlier generations did, as cut-out dolls from the box of pancake mix. Nancy Green, the real Kentucky woman born into enslavement in 1834 who became the model for the original Aunt Jemima on the box, first had her appearance corrupted for the branding and then transformed into an antebellum toy for white children. Her heartbreakingly sincere appearance at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 assuaged any remnants of post-bellum rage at Black people by telling stories and cooking up the original Aunt Jemima pancake mix — a little wheat, a little corn and a lot of nostalgia for something that never was.The Title “Uncle”:
In the Southern United States during the Jim Crow era, Black men were often denied the formal and respectful title of “Mister”. Instead, they were referred to as “boy” or “uncle,” a practice that stripped them of dignity and was a clear sign of their inferior social status.
Also, see the “Smiling Black Man” archetype.
Servile Imagery:
The packaging featured a smiling, white-haired Black man, which critics argued invoked the stereotype of the submissive, contented servant. The bow tie, specifically, evoked a sense of servitude.
So, yeah, racist.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/aunt-jemima-...https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/business/uncle-bens... 