After viewing the film, I have a mixed take of what Spike Lee believes whether mass media outlets can be changed or that racial stereotypes will continue to be emphasized. The film argued both ways implicitly and explicitly where one could interpret the movie in both ways. The argument that mass media can be changed is represented by Sloane Hopkins, the assistant of Delacroix who was embarrassed to be associated with the minstrel show that was created. She even went to the extreme of pointing a gun at Delacroix to force him to see his racial misdeeds. The argument that leans on the idea that racial stereotypes will continue to be emphasized is evident in the success of the minstrel show (Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show) which gained popular acceptance to the audience despite its excessive racial jokes that target African Americans. The humor used in the show is blatantly and offensively racial and yet it created a following in the film. The success of the show is so compelling that even Delacroix, the creator of the show, changed his position and attitude about Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show. His initial motive in creating the show was to find an escape out of his contract by getting him fired through an offensive show he created. He thought that by creating a racist show, many would find it offensive and will get him fired which he thought to be an escape out of his contract. But instead, the show achieved the phenomenal success that Delacroix changed his position and even embraced its success. The change of attitude of Delacroix towards Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show implies the difficulty of changing mass media where racial stereotypes will continue to be emphasized no matter how people would try to change it. The narrative of the movie implies that for as long as the show registers a high audience rating, it will continue to run regardless if its show is racially offensive or inappropriate. The film communicates the reality that the showbiz industry is still driven by the profit motive and not by racial equity or racial propriety.
My own take in the film is that mass media outlets should be changed because racial stereotypes still continue to be emphasized. One should not accept or yield to the economic reality that audience rating will dictate what kind of show that will be aired. One should consider the effect of a show on the group of people of which it is marginalizing. In the case of Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show, its success is based on deriding people of color particularly African Americans. It is not right to have fun and laugh at the expense of another. Just because it achieves a high rating, it does not necessarily mean that we should accept it. We could find other ways to entertain people, do satire, create humor, and have fun without stepping on other groups of people. We just have to be creative and work harder.
True, the ugly racial stereotypes in advertisements, TV shows, and films still continue to permeate despite the increasing emphasis on diversity, inclusion, tolerance, and equality. But without a conscious effort to end it, there will be no hope that the content of media will improve. The audience should demand better shows. If the audience will dictate that they no longer find racially charged humor funny, the media will certainly change.
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