From: Fred Greenspan <greenspan-AT-earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 22:19:06 -0400 To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Avoiding racism in caricature Yes, Alan, it looks like people with different political agendas have been debating the different sides of this issue for a long time. Maybe there is a puppet show in the Sally Hemmings controversy? Cheers, Fred On May 6, 2008, at 8:00 PM, Alan Cook wrote: > Jefferson's Black relatives to current knowledge were the probable > offspring of the nephew, but there is still the problem of Sally > Hemmings. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Fred Greenspan > Sent: Tuesday, May 6, 2008 12:42 PM > To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Avoiding racism in caricature > > Alan, to give you a further update on Thomas Jefferson, when we were > at his site last year our tour guide told me that the latest DNA > tests had shown that those believed to be living decendents actually > traced back to his "wayward" unmarried nephew who lived on his > estate. According to the tour guide, none could be traced directly to > Thomas Jefferson. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but is > certainly plausable. Perhaps you would care to research it? > > Fred > > On May 6, 2008, at 6:11 PM, Alan Cook wrote: > >> I like Suze's approach. >> >> And she's right about how things change. I just wish it was always >> for improvement. >> >> Decades ago I visited the home of former President Thomas >> Jefferson, and asked the lovely white lady in charge of admission, >> what information did they have about Jefferson's black relatives? >> It was all lies and a communist plot, the end! That basically is >> what I was told. >> >> Nowdays there have been Jefferson family reunions of Black & white >> descendents, and the article I read read so long ago in Ebony >> Magazine turned out NOT to be lies or a communist plot. We can >> always hope that truth will eventually surface. But we also have to >> keep things in context. >> >> As long as the war in Iraq continues, healthcare diminishes, >> children continue to be left behind and hungry, homeowners are >> dispossesed, our military gets umpteen tours of duty, and the >> dollar value drops I don't think we are in a position to be overly >> critical of what people did in 1909/1910. >> >> ALAN COOK >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: SuzPuppetCosmos-AT-aol.com >> Sent: Tuesday, May 6, 2008 10:51 AM >> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org >> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Avoiding racism in caricature >> >> Hi Creaturise >> I think the symbolism strikes responses >> sometimes good sometimes not so good >> because of experience or inexperience and ignorance. >> We either know too much >> or not enough lol.!! >> But that should never stop the messenger! >> Years ago for a Library I made a line of story puppets >> and performed then gave them the characters. >> It was a basically white protestant community. >> My George Washington was black (I have his picture before costuming) >> One of the audience said >> "Was George Washington a 'colored guy'"? >> I told him no but this actor is and he is doing a good job isn't he? >> They agreed. >> I am Northern Italian with ancestry of Turkey >> and I never did care much for stupid rules. >> Suze >> >> >> >> >> In a message dated 5/6/2008 10:15:24 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, >> creaturiste-AT-primus.ca writes: >> >> Hi all. >> >> The current discussion about minstrel shows brings me to think >> again on a >> recurring topic in my creative process. >> For a long time in the past, I was blocked, something prevented me >> from >> doing puppets other than "white", for fear of shocking or being >> erroneously >> called a racist. I was affraid of caricature-like and grotesque >> features to >> be interpreted as a generalisation, as a mockery of a large group >> of people. >> >> Today I realise what a waste of time that block was! so many >> faces, so many >> fun shapes could have been learned and applied! I know for a fact >> I am not, >> nor could ever be racist. I love human variety too much, am >> fascinated by >> it. >> I'm of confirmed "mixed origins" myself, with ancestry from French, >> Scottish, American, and Native American. I often wished one of >> those could >> show more, so that I could be a bit more "exotic", but I'm already >> too >> "diluted". >> LoL. >> >> When I do a caricature, I am mocking a specific person, maybe a >> specific >> type of person, according to their inner characteristics. An evil >> greedy man >> can be of any group. It still hard to avoid cliches, because of >> the large >> amount of them in pop culture. Not too long ago, I realised that >> no matter >> what I do to represent these inner traits, I'll resort to physical >> attributes, because that's just how humans perceive things: >> through symbols >> and associations. >> And no matter what I do, I can't be making everybody happy. Some >> will find >> offense. Someone could actually find a puppet of mine that looks >> like them >> (without my intent)! There always seems to be a few "offended" >> that would >> censor you. >> >> I've been lucky so far in regards to censorship. Maybe it's >> because my >> creatures have not been specific-enough to identify them to an >> ethnic group. >> Most of them are fantasy creatures of strange colors, far enough >> away from >> anygroup to not cause any stir. >> >> I'll probably start making portraits in modeling clay soon, as a >> study of >> the human face. I might even put those skills to work, start >> offering a >> puppet portrait service, caricatured or not. So I'm glad that >> self-imposed >> block of mine is almost entirely gone! >> >> >> What do you think are the causes for people's anger towards >> interpretation >> of human features? >> What else does that bring to mind? >> As always, I'm very curious! >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org >> Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit >> Archives: http://www.driftline.org >> >> >> >> >> >> **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists >> on family >> favorites at AOL Food. >> (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001) >> _______________________________________________ >> List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org >> Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit >> Archives: http://www.driftline.org >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org >> Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit >> Archives: http://www.driftline.org > > _______________________________________________ > List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit > Archives: http://www.driftline.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit > Archives: http://www.driftline.org _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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