Ok. So, the copy place made a huuugggeeee mistake: only copying every OTHER page of the reading. Yeesh! Ack! This is terrible. So, obviously no reading assignment due for Tuesday.
Instead, watch the Betty Boop film I've embedded here. It's called Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle and was made by the Fleischer Brothers in 1932. Then,
1) give your thoughts on the film's presentation of race and/or gender
2) respond carefully to another student's answers to question 1). Please use your critical thinking skills to position your fellow student's argument in relation to your own. If you are the first person to post, answer question 1) and then post your answer to question 2) a little later (once others have posted).
Bear in mind a couple of things when you write your analysis. First of all, Betty Boop was a very popular cartoon character who appeared as "white" in her other films. And second, The Royal Samoans and the dancer Miri--who appear in the beginning of the film--were supposedly authentic performers from the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific. A much less important factoid is that my favorite Girl Scout cookie took its name from the Samoan Islands, which export coconut products.
Keep up the good work, everyone. Come to my office hours if you have any questions about the next assignment.
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73 comments:
To start out, the woman in this film was played up and made to look like a perfect goddess. Betty Boop is constantly exemplified by her good looks and body. When Bimbo gets into the canoe with her, we see him check her out, only to see Betty shut his eye lids like blinds. In addition, Betty Boop is brave and protects Bimbo when their canoe crashes and they land with the talking trees. Later in the film, she does what seems to be the hula to a tribe and Bimbo the king, excentuating her curves, and good looks.
As for the African American tribe, they are portrayed as uncivilized savages. They have big teeth, only wear skirts, carry spears and shields for weapons, and messy unkempt hair. In addition, they are also portrayed as not the smartest of the bunch, falling for Bimbo’s trick of adding a few earrings, and smearing his face with mud, only to make him their revered guest/leader.
As for Bimbo, the only white male in the film, he is seen as the ideal person with the best voice, shown by him singing in the canoe. Although he may be seen as ideal by the tribe and Betty Boop, he is an extreme scardy cat when the canoe crashes and he cowers to Betty. Also, he treats the tribe, at least one member with little respect when he lights a match using a members behind, and then throwing the used match down his mouth.
One more quick thing, is that the love of the racially different Betty and Bimbo can be viewed as unacceptable for the time, shown mainly by the last scene in the film. When they kiss in the canoe, not only does Betty ask if anyone is looking, but Bimbo then proceeds to cover themselves up with an umbrella.
I found this cartoon pretty interesting. In comparison to some other work I’ve seen from this era I thought the gender overtones weren’t too terribly bad although they were certainly present. I was a bit more intrigued by its portrayal of race. I also felt that since there were no white women in the cartoon it was tough to separate any gender issues from racial ones. That being said, the only minority that talked was Betty Bop. This gives me the impression that minorities are less capable of communicating; especially since the only thing they do besides dance is point their spears. They’re also shown as being extremely racist themselves since they get so hostile when they find out that Bimbo just had dirt on his face. I thought for a second that it may have been their intent to put Bimbo—the only white man—on the throne, then I realized they thought he was a native anyways.
Although I said I didn’t see too much wrong with this cartoons portrayal of gender there was still a few interesting aspects to it. The only 2 women seen are seen dancing; shaking their hips no less, which was seen as extremely scandalous at the time. Notice while Betty Boop does her dance the flower covers its eyes and buries its head in the sand. I felt as though this gave the impression that women are to be objectified, and only useful for sex. Then again, both of the women were minorities, so that could also be taken as racism. Maybe had they made Betty Boop white they wouldn’t have made her do that scandalous dance.
As for Dan Gorchynsky’s comments I thought he made a few good points. I also disagree with him a bit. For starters, the tribe wasn’t African American they were Samoan. I feel as if people try and paint any racial differences in early media as simply racist. I think that’s a huge stretch to associate this with an anti-black piece of propaganda. I think that can be a dangerous thing. Hypersensitivity to racism has a tendency to mesh every racial difference into one huge, sanitary, racially neutral mess. For example, he noted that by giving the Samoans poorly maintained hair, spears and shields, and “skirts” made them look like “savages.” My issue with this is that I doubt that Samoans were suave pacifists. In order to give a historical representation it’s necessary to represent people as they are, and not attempt to make everybody equal. Equality doesn’t apply to every situation in life. Equality means sameness, and that doesn’t leave room for the vast array of cultural differences in the world.
Danny D’Acquisto
TA- Steve Wetzel
In the film Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle, it depicts indigenous people not really as human beings, but more like a clichéd stereotype. They are not portrayed as three dimensional people or characters, but are shown derogatorily as one dimensional savages whose actions (such as chanting) seem to be pretty cheesy. Sadly, it was probably how most people looked upon native people and their cultures back when the film was made, and how they were portrayed in a lot of other films, like in the 1933 version of King Kong for example. Rony put it a good way when he said, "[indigenous people are] landscaped as part of the jungle mise-en-scene." What he means is that they've been wrongly associated with being a less developed race then the "whites" and now they're thought of more as animals. In the film the natives are portrayed almost like wild animals from the jungle--like their status is closer to animals then to humans, simply because their lifestyles and skin color are different. To quote John Seeleye from a quote by Rony, "It is a tradition, moreover, that promotes the majority opinion[...],that wild things--whether whales, apes, or men--belong where the wild things are." An unfortunate, but true statement, I believe.
I thought Danny D’Acquisto brought up a good point in his response though, about how at the end of the film when the native see that Bimbo's blackface has been washed away by the rain, that they turn on him, showing the clichéd natives as racists themselves. I think it is a good idea to remember racism can go both ways, but I think it also a bit racist to show the natives as the only racist people in the whole movie. That they are the only ones who initiate the hostility is presuming on the creators part and it leads back to what I wrote about natives being associated with wild animals and how I think it's a racist way of depicting them.
Travis Torok
TA:Steve Wetzel
‘Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle’ was like many other films during that time period in that it presented race and gender in ways that aren’t exactly considered politically correct today. The way the natives in the short film looked and behaved showed “[. . .] the perception of indigenous peoples as a link between the ape and the white man, as in between animal and ‘human’ [. . .]” (Rony 162). Sure, they were walking on two legs and standing upright, but their faces, except for Betty Boop’s, couldn’t pass for those of humans, even by animation standards. Also the noises they were making as well as the way they went after the pair when they were running away seemed to perpetuate the idea that they’re all savages. It seems to me that the way Betty Boop is shown seems more in line with how Rony says white women are generally presented in ethnographic films with being “[. . .] the object of the film spectacle, [. . .]” (Rony 171). She was the center of attention for much of the film and served as a spectacle for the group of natives before being chased off.
I think that Travis Torok brought up a good point in that the way the natives are depicted is ‘cheesy’ since it’s overdone and so obviously not true. I’m not sure if the all of the viewers of the film when it originally came out would have thought of it as corny and untrue or not, or if they even cared if the depictions were accurate or fair.
Katrina Schwarz
TA: Kate Brandt
The Samoans in this cartoon are portrayed in a couple of stereotypical ways. In the introduction the Samoans are seen as dark skinned yet Americanized versions of real Samoans. They are put in primitive grass clothing and made to sing in their native tongue and yelp wildly over the highly generic “hula girl”. However, the signing men and the hula girl are made up to look clean cut and in well physical condition as appropriate for television viewing. Furthermore, the hula girl is put on display in skimpy clothes as she entertains the men. This sheds light on the exploitation of women.
In the cartoon the Samoans are made into a different extreme stereotype. The land is made out to be mysterious and scary and the natives living there primitive, dark skinned, and animalistic. Later, Bimbo is even able to control them in order to serve his every whim. This suggests that they are easily controlled and subservient to the demands of the more intelligent and civilized “white” Bimbo. The Samoans are seemingly predominantly defined by their dark skin complexion. They are all the same dark color and by painting Bimbo’s face with mud he is able to suddenly blend in seamlessly with the natives. This not only suggests the high importance placed on skin color, but also the natives supposed naivety. Even Betty Boop’s skin color is changed in order to fit the schema of the film.
Furthermore, Betty Boop’s character is blatant sexist stereotyping. She is portrayed as the defenseless damsel in distress that is meant to look pretty and wear revealing clothing for the amusement of her suitors. Later, this aspect is epitomized when she is put on display as the “hula girl” In even more revealing clothing for the men to drool over.
When reviewing another peer’s examination of the film I noticed that a lot of the blatant racial stereotyping and sexist ideology was seen by both of us. We both noted the primitive and naivety of the natives, and also the objectifying of Betty Boop’s body. However, I do disagree with his interpretation of Betty as brave. As stated earlier, I see her as a “damsel in distress” which follows suit with the ideology and sexist trends of that era’s media. Also, I think he failed to fully interpret the importance of the subservience of the natives to the “white” Bimbo’s rule. On the other hand, I appreciated his views on the bi-racial relationship between Betty Boop and Bimbo. Due to the conventions of the time, this would have high social significance/consequence.
[Garrett Katerzynske]
[David Witzling]
After reading my classmates responses, I do agree with them, and see where I had strayed. I really like labeling Betty as the damsel in distress, and now after reading the above seems totally relevant and kinda stupid I didn’t see that at first. I also agree with Katrina’s comment on Travis Torok’s natives depicted as “cheesy.” Times change and so do the views of people, yet the reality of it (of the time period this was released) is still somewhat out of reach for us no matter what we try to do.
Dan Gorchynsky
TA: David Witzling
Betty Boop was considered the image of perfection in women. Big, attractive, innocent eyes, shiny hair, a petite, hourglass figure, and shapely arms and legs all contributed to this “perfect” caricature of a woman. This video uses that sexuality to attract the Bimbo character who landed on the island. Throughout the cartoon, Bimbo ogles Betty Boop, particularly during the dance scene when even a flower is embarrassed and uproots itself and then buries itself head first into the sand. Betty reflects the prevailing subservient role women had during the 30’s, as she is portrayed first dancing for Bimbo and the other men (there don’t seem to be any other women in the cartoon), sitting at Bimbo’s feet and then running away with him in the end. Aside from the clear gender bias reflected in this cartoon, racism is overwhelmingly evident. First, Betty Boop is made to be native simply by darkening her skin tone; all the other features remain the same. The island is depicted as dark, remote and scary with savage natives brandishing bones in their hair, body piercing and grass loin cloths marching threateningly toward the characters. Betty speaks perfect English however the natives only grunt and yelp. The depiction of the natives is typical of the manner in which minorities were regarded during this era. They are portrayed as savage and of low intelligence, being easily fooled into not only thinking Bimbo is a native simply because he has darkened his skin and put a bone in his hair, but also into regarding him as a king or a god because he sings and dances well. They only discover he is not a native when the dirt washes off his face in the rain and Bimbo becomes white again. I’m not sure of the significance of the Royal Samoans’ performance in the beginning of the cartoon; I’m not familiar with the Samoan culture so I don’t even know if the performance accurately reflects the Samoan heritage or whether it was intended to reinforce the message of the cartoon.
I loved Katrina’s observation of the perception of native people as being the link between ape and human. That is exactly what this cartoon does. The natives are portrayed as having little intelligence, no language other than grunts and yelps, and aimlessly chasing the white character around the hemisphere until the US border closes up and stops them from pursuing Bimbo into this country. I only partly agree with Katrina’s observation about Betty Boop representing the manner in which white women were depicted in films. I think minority women were as much, if not more, relegated to roles of subservience both sexually as well as practically.
TA: K. Brandt
Betty Boop was a cartoon character in the 1930’s preserved for mature audiences. Considered an icon during the depression era of “better times,” she was portrayed often wearing short dresses, high heels, and a garter belt. She was toned down and made more acceptable for younger audiences later in the future. Before this “toning down” was the cartoon we see above. Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle portrays the native tribe as particularly savage. One thing not clear in the cartoon (but with further reading into the synopsis of the cartoon) is the fact that the tribe is actually supposed to be a tribe of cannibals. This is a disturbing quality given to the natives that make them less acceptable as normal people. It gives them an animal-like quality. Along with being clad in only grass skirts and jewelry of bones and face paint, the characters drawn up aren’t exactly drawn to look human. Their animal-like drawn faces lend a hand in the savage, unforgiving animal stereotype of native tribes. I found it interesting that Betty Boop had dark skin in this cartoon. I didn’t pick up on that until watching it a second time after reading the whole post. This is another racial quality linking Betty Boop to the savage stereotype. In order to avoid being the savages’ next meal, Bimbo puts dirt on his face and a bone in his hair in an attempt to blend in. upon finding him and Betty, the tribe mistakes him for a cannibal god and takes him back to their home to make him king.
After reading a few of my peer’s posts, I came to understand more on the gender issues displayed in the cartoon. Betty is portrayed as the “Defenseless damsel in distress” wearing nothing but a grass skirt and lei to hide her breasts. This ideology was quite common in that period of media. Later in the video, Betty Boop performs a rather provocative dance for Bimbo in front of the natives. During the dance, you can clearly see the natives and Bimbo trying to avoid eye contact with Betty while still sneaking a few peeks out of the corner of their eyes. A flower even dives below ground to avoid seeing the beautiful woman dancing.
Another idea brought up by one of my peers was the fact that Betty and Bimbo’s relationship would be quite contentious during the time it was produced with Betty being darker skinned and Bimbo being white. Desegregation and modern civil rights hadn’t been rethought until the mid 50’s.
- Corey Otto
TA: Steve Wetzel
Andrew Megow
Betty Boop "Originally" was the perfect woman in every man's dreams in the 1920's and 30's. She is the Jessica Rabbit of her time because of he petite body, good looks, and her courage to show off herself once in a while. It wasn't until the late 30's that they turned her into another sexist stereotype where she was a housewife. One sexist stereotype from another. Anyway back to the cartoon, in this particular piece Betty is the sexy island savage babe. She is black in this particular cartoon because she is part of a savage tribe that I'll get to later. Bimbo the "male-american" I presume is in awe at her sexyness finding her only an object of pleasure even though she thoughtfully helps him several times.
The tribe they encounter are uncivilized savages and african american. These savages are noodle-like characters drawn to give a distinct difference between the main characters, unsettling to look at basically. The only intelligent one in the tribe is Betty who seductivley dances for the rest of the savages in scene. Big teeth, dirty and well, savages, they fall for the oldest trick in the book when they encounter Bimbo doing the ol' black face trick which is racist on several accounts. One just the idea of it is frowned upon in today's culture and just the fact that the savages are apparently stupid enough to fall for Bimbo's trickery. Bimbo the white man of the cartoon is portrayed as the sensible and smart one of the bunch. He also sings very well I might add in case people we wondering.
I really thought in depth at Dan Gorchynsky's part where he talks about the controversy not in today's world but yesteryear when Betty Boop was more recognizable. He commented on the fact that the scenes where Bimbo is kissing Betty could be considered very controversial due to her skin color. It's just interesting to consider the fact that one thing could be controversial in one century and another completely different thing could be controversial in another century
T.A. Laura Bennett
Elizabeth Miller
First off I would like to say that this clip made me think of Betty Boop in a different perspective. We all see Betty Boop as the ideal "perfect" woman, but this cartoon proves that she's not. She is friends with Bimbo who isn't like her, but they are both friends with each other. However, when it comes towards the end of the clip everyone chases Bimbo because he's different, but Betty stays by his side. Both characters are portrayed as "perfect cartoons". You have Betty who is the "ideal woman" for a man and then you have Bimbo who has the perfect singing voice. Needless to say that I was very interested in this clip because of the way this cartoon was perceived.
I agree with Dan commenting on how Betty Boop is brave. She does protect Bimbo from crashing and she protects him from the African American tribe. When they notice that he's not like them and starts chasing after him, Betty stays by his side. Bimbo is the only white male in the film which makes him the easiest target for the African American tribe. Unlike Bimbo, Betty isn't the only African American in this clip.
Elizabeth Miller
T.A. Kate Brandt
In Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle, the issue of race is extremely important. First of all, Betty Boop, traditionally a white character, is portrayed with dark skin in this cartoon, as a means to make her appear more Samoan. Before the cartoon begins, a native Samoan band, accompanied by dancers, appear, wearing traditional Samoan clothing, most likely as a means to emphasize the history of Samoa found in the music. It is the portrayal of the other Samoans that is truly provocative, however. The Samoans in the cartoon are literally portrayed as dark, wild, dogs, carrying spears and grass skirts as they prepare to savage Bimbo and Betty. They are also portrayed as, for lack of a better term, stupid. Bimbo is able to fool them with such unbelievable ease, one can’t help but laugh at the “simple-minded” Samoans.
I really liked Travis Torok’s interpretation of Rony’s discussion of indigenous people in early films. The natives in these films are looked on less as people and more like just a natural part of the landscape. It is almost like these jungle scenes would be incomplete or somehow inaccurate if some wild-eyed, man-eating, savages didn’t burst from the underbrush at any given moment.
Joseph Otterson
TA Laura Bennett
Chris Schasse
TA: Laura Bennett
I believe there is a lot more to say about race than about gender in Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle (although, in Betty Boop cartoons as a whole, there is much to be said of their views on gender).
I think a lot of the racism in this cartoon could be wrote off as ignorance on the part of the director, using seemingly racist traits to create a spectacle, if it were not for the authentic Samoan dancers at the beginning. Betty Boop cartoons are often littered with slapstick humor, making every character in the film appear extremely dumb to create a spectacle. But putting The Royal Samoans and the dancer Miri at the start of the cartoon makes the viewer associate the tribe people with the Samoans.
The tribe people are first depicted as a religious cult moving forward in conformity, sparking some sort of fear. Bimbo then proceeds to “fit in” with the tribe people by knocking himself over the head with a bone, using the “swirling planets” that appeared around his head as earrings and the broken bone to stick into the lump that just formed on his head. Bimbo breaking the bone over his head symbolizes the kind of mindset the director believes a “white” person must get in before he/she is able to “relate” with the tribe people. Bimbo then proceeds to wipe dirt on his face, revealing what the director believes about the color of these people, comparing them to the dirt in the ground.
By singing and marching with him, the tribe people depict Bimbo as a god, amazed by his voice. This shows what the director thinks of the Samoan concept of religion. They are depicted as conformists who will worship anyone who looks a certain way and can impress them. This is a common trend in Hollywood cinema that is still around very much today (one example being Pirates of the Caribbean II)
I agree with Dan Gorchnysky on the depiction of the “African American” tribe (assuming he meant the tribe in the film). I obviously disagree with him on the point that they were “African American,” because that really makes no sense at all (they would have to be from America, which is not an island, to be “African American”), and because the blog post told us they were Samoan. I also disagree with him on the fact that the love of the racially different Betty and Bimbo was viewed as unacceptable. I believe Betty’s character is the typical shy, ditzy girl, and whether she was black or white she would be nervous of others watching her kiss Bimbo.
The cartoon's of old were very subjective and played upon racial stereotypes quite often and this cartoon is no different. Betty Boop is meant to be the ultimate exotic beauty which no man can refuse, so when Bimbo stumbles upon her, he is ensnare by her good looks. The racist aspect comes into play when her fellow islanders come around and in order to be liked, he rubs dirt on his face to look like them. After this trick works, he begins "singing" with them by making noises, this too works and the tribe accept his as their leader. By doing this the islanders are seen as stupid and uncivilized, not being able to tell the difference between their own skin and that of a white man who rubbed dirt on his face.
I disagree with Katrina's response to Travis in that i believe that most people at the time wouldn't have seen it as "cheesy." These cartoon's, though meant for adults too, were mostly for kids, who upon seeing this would associate with what they were seeing. Also, at the time, not much was known about the other cultures, as the television was a very new invention. People only had pictures in books or short films to see what far away islands looked like.
Steven Ball
T.A. David Witzling
In Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle, they portray her as a sex symbol and a slave. Betty Boop is already know for being a sex symbol, so it is no surprise she is hula dancing as entertainment for all the men. She is also wearing no top except, for a lei to cover herself. Even the flower hides his head when she starts to dance, signifying that the purity of the flower would be sabotaged if it watched her seductive dance. Betty Boop is also portrayed as the “kings” (Bimbo’s) woman slave. She is sitting next to him on the ground in silence. As for the Samoan Tribe, they are portrayed as ignorant savages. They were only seen attacking Bimbo and Betty Boop or dancing and chanting in loin clothes and bones. They only speak in chants and believe Bimbo was there king, because he put mud on his face and danced around. Also, the Samoans had body structures close to that of an ape. They had long arms, dark skin and giant facial futures. The creators of this cartoon used these basic stereotypes of dark-skinned people to portray what they believed of “those” people.
As I read Val’s interpretation of the cartoon, I agreed with a lot of his observations. He talks about the flower uprooting itself, how Betty Boop was ogled by Bimbo, and the natives are depicted as savages with low intelligence. I also thought it interesting that he referred to the Samoans as minorities. I didn’t think of minorities at all while watching the cartoon, but it brings up a good point. It also is a symbol of how the minorities were worshiping their “white” king.
Carly Rieder
TA: David Witzling
The Betty Boop cartoon is not a new to me, although this is the first Betty Boop cartoon that I have seen since I was younger, the cartoon has become a pop culture hit and you can see her on tee shirts, lunch boxes, toys, etc. The Betty Boop character in this particular cartoon is not white which is a change from the other cartoons, the reason that the Fleischer Brothers made this variation can’t really be know, but it might be to combat the lack of other races in the cartoon. Now I have not seen every Betty Boop cartoon so I don’t know for a fact the amount of diversity shown in the cartoons and how characters of different races are treated. If Betty Boop is always depicted as ‘white’ then the cartoon itself might be considered racist but by changing Betty’s ‘race’ they could show that they can be open to different races. The Fleischer Brothers use an authentic performance from the Samoan Islands, which shows Miri and The Royal Samoans as the play and dance to introduce the new Samoan Betty Boop. This allows the viewer to except the change in the appearance of Betty Boop.
As for the presentation of race and gender in the cartoon itself there are some examples of both. We can see that Betty Boop and the native tribe in the cartoon are not white because their skin is darker then Bimbo’s, the white character in the cartoon. Bimbo is able to pass as native simple by rubbing dirt on his face and putting objects in his hair. This shows how simply the natives can be tricked into believing that Bimbo should be not only accepted but also treated like a king. The ideas of gender rolls in the cartoon are not as clear as we saw in the examples of race. When Bimbo literally drops into Betty Boop’s lap he is overtaken by her beauty and tries to impress her with his singing but in a latter scene we see Bimbo jumping into Betty’s arms because he was afraid of the singing trees. We would normally not see the women protecting the man, but we see that in this scene. Yet once Bimbo is ‘king’ of the natives we see Betty return to the female roll seated at the feet of her king. Again Betty uses her body to reinforce her dominance over Bimbo as she performs the traditional Samoan dance that we saw at the beginning of the film Bimbo becomes so distracted and mesmerized that he doesn’t even realize that the dirt on his face is being washed off. In the last scenes we see the two running away from the tribes men to safety. It is hard to see a recurring theme in the films presentation of gender because it changes throughout the cartoon.
I read what Garrett Katerzynske wrote in his analysis of the Betty Boop cartoon and then compared it to what I wrote in my analysis. I thought that he made some very good points on the way that the Samoan tribes men, and the way they are racially depicted, but I some what disagree with what he said about Betty Boop’s character. Yes she is portrayed as a women of desire but I wouldn’t necessarily call her a damsel in distress, for in some scenes she is comforting Bimbo not the other way around. Over all I thought that Garrett’s analysis did a good job of examining both the film's presentation of race and gender and we both had a lot of the same things to say.
Kirk McCamish
T.A. Steve Wetzel
In the early Betty Boop films one of the first things I noticed is how Betty’s skin tone is tan colored to match with the real native live performers. Later in the film, we see Betty doing dances similar to the natives to demonstrate a connection to culture. I find this interesting because in the later films Betty is a white woman. Betty Boop as a Native is a positive because she is a reflection of the culture in the area. There is a negative as well and that is the fact that most of the American experience views and envisions Betty as a white woman.
A second issue is gender; Betty is the only woman in the film. Interesting the other figures in the film appear genderless. The figures do not appear male or female because it is very difficult to distinguish their gender. It is by personal bias and experience that we fill in the blanks and attach a gender to the other figures in the film. For me, the natives are mostly men with the exception of during one line dance where they appear to probably be female. I think this represents a power issue because of how women are portrayed as dancers as well as the figure Bimbo. Bimbo is represented as a powerless figure and it is a certain male stereotype which can only men have power.
The ending of the film is curious as well because Betty ran off with Bimbo. At the beginning of the film, Bimbo was on his own in his boat, singing. This is to represent the general idea of natives, the explorers tend to steal one or two person from the natives to bring back home and exhibit them. Bimbo is stealing Betty to bring her back home with him as they are lovers. Betty did not put up a fight to stay back she just ran off with Bimbo.
I agree with Danny about how the women are portrayed, making women looking like they are only useful for sex and entertainment. It is interesting how he said, "Maybe had they made Betty Boop white they wouldn’t have made her do that scandalous dance." In other Betty Boop's films, she appeared white but not in this one. It is a filmmaker's decision to make her native to do the dance. I also think because of the motivation to do the tribal dance like the live performance in the beginning, the filmmaker needed a purpose for Betty to dance. If Betty was white, it would not make sense if she did the dance by herself. The dance is a race issue, whether or not it fits the story. If viewers only see this Betty Boop film, they may never have brought up the issue about her as native. If the viewers had seen her other films, then they obviously would question it like myself.
Catie Eller
Ta Steve Wetzel
Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle is an excellent example of what Fatimah Tobing Rony briefly touches on in his writing The Third Eye: Race, Cinema, and Ethnographic Spectacle, which is that often “the individual ‘native’ is often not even ‘seen’ by the viewer.” Similar to many films and cartoons depicting native islanders (such as King Kong) there is no individualism separated each member of the tribal group, or the “natives.” Rony states that “it is thus impossible to view the “native” with fresh eyes.” Preconceptions and stereotypes run rampant, especially at the earlier parts of exploration through film of ethnic groups not part of mainstream society (or at least Western ‘civilized’ society). What is particularly disturbing about this cartoon is the plain manufactured appearance of each “native.” This suggests that all of the islander races look alike, act alike, and are incapable of rising above primitive roots. The islanders are seen as ignorant servants, minstrels, and ill-tempered and poorly mannered savages. They turn on the character of Bimbo quickly causing the escape because of their supposed inability to act out of anything but weak instinct.
At the same time as minority, and native races are being subjected to these flawed assumptions for entertainment’s purpose, so too are women viewed in an unfortunate aspect. The most obvious example of women being shown as objects is the brief break from narrative into spectacle when Betty Boop (depicted not as her usual white self, but as an islander version of herself) breaks away for a hip centered dance sequence. Rony states that woman is “ …figure of eroticism.” This is evident to this cartoon in that Betty is the object of Bimbo’s desire, and the focus of the entire story once Bimbo washes up upon the shores of this dangerously inhabited Bamboo Isle.
In reading many of the responses to this cartoon by my fellow classmates I have noticed many similarities in how this film was interpreted. The idea of stereotyping the islanders as stupid, ignorant, temperamental, and a link between white man and ape are all very common. I chose to respond to Joe Otterson’s analysis of this cartoon. Joe stated that the Samoans are depicted as stupid because “Bimbo is able to fool them with such unbelievable ease, one can’t help but laugh at the “simple-minded” Samoans.” I agree that this is an example of stereotyping the Samoan people but I also want to point out in addition to that statement the stereo type it projects onto the white male; a clever and adventurous dominant species. As important as it is to recognize the negative stereotypes of minorities, it is just important to look at the reverse image stereotyped opposite of it. When thinking of how this cartoon not only idolizes the wit and cunning of the white traveler through comedy, it also demonizes him as manipulative and therefore evil for taking advantage of an indigenous tribe that showed him support and hospitality and then, stealing its seemingly only woman (and possibly destroying the tribe forever since there is no other woman to help with reproduction). This cartoon is a lighthearted attack the simplicity of native cultures but also a travesty for idolizing the destructive nature of the white man in the time of exploration.
Robert Francis Curtis
TA: Stephen Wetzel
While viewing this short animated film I was most aware of the number of assumptions and stereotypes made by its creators. These preconceived notions commented mainly on gender and race and seemed to be derived from a society dominated by white males. The first thing I noticed was the first display of Betty, strutting across the screen acknowledging the viewer by flirting a wink. It was also interesting to see Betty be converted to an indigenous character in this particular film. I saw it as a remark on the lack of concern for female individuality in terms of appearance. Although Betty is seen as “cute” no matter the color of her skin the underlying comment being made is that men are only intrigued by a woman's body. This could also be seen in the scene were Betty dances for the male character. She is shown to be more than happy to be made a spectacle while receiving cat calls and attention from not only the men of the tribe but inanimate objects as well.
Another interesting stereotype I saw in this film was the display of native cultures. They were introduced as simple creatures, not necessarily human, and vulnerable to deception. The disguise created by the male character in order to appear as one of the tribe was comprised of simple and natural objects, a bone for his hair and dirt to color his skin. The natives were impressed by his vocal display and for seemingly that reason alone they were intent on worshiping him and celebrating his presence.
They then turn savage in violent pursuit of Betty after her dance. The natives are displayed as animals more than humans in this film which today seems to be a stereotype which has been regarded as disgusting.
After reading some of the the other responses to this piece I was struck by a comment made by Chris Schasse. He noted how the stereotypes imposed upon the animated native tribe could be easily associated and imposed upon the Samoans in the beginning of the clip. I feel like this is a very important effect of this clip as it may have been the only knowledge some people would receive on the people of the Samoan Islands during that time period.
Nathaniel Winter
TA Laura Bennet
The cartoon portrays Betty Boop as a sex symbol, as are the few women presented in the clip. They are objectified, as indicated when Bimbo looks her over in the canoe. I agree with dannydacquisto with his point on there not being any white women in the cartoon creating difficulty in distinguishing gender stereotypes from racial ones.
While I don't see much to add to gendered roles, the film is classically emblematic of xenophobia during the 1930's. When Bimbo sees the Samoan tribe coming to get him, he freaks out, and, since they are obviously savages, must disguise himself in order to avoid being killed. And since they are obviously savages, they are obviously stupid, and begin to worship Bimbo as their king.
Megow made some interesting points on this. I enjoyed the remark he made about how the only white male presented in the cartoon, Bimbo, is the only character who is presented as being intelligent. (And able to sing)
Andrew Tolstedt
TA: David Wetzling
This cartoon uses some rather generic representations of Samoan life and also portrays some distinct statements comments about women as well. In 2008 this portrayal of island life can be viewed redundant and stereotypical, however, for the 1930’s these images may be some of the earliest representations of Samoan’s that individual’s have seen. The cartoon Samoan’s are portrayed barbaric and extremely primitive. They are carrying spears and shields and have piercing all over their faces. The only clothing is a small piece of hide that covers their privates and their backsides. All of these qualities portray a relative ignorance of modern Samoan culture and may not accurately represent the physical characteristics of these people. Even further, the Samoan’s are unable to notice that Bimbo is simply a white “man” in “black face”. This pulls at the intelligence of the native people, and also even more shows their stupidity in turning him into a king. However, the sing and dance must be respected because of the actual Samoan performers involved in the making of the program.
Betty is portrayed in a way that woman today still experience. She is an object of lust and beauty. Very quickly into the cartoon, Bimbo and Betty meet and rarely discuss much before their first kiss among the natives. It seems their bond grows only from physical attraction, and Betty is merely to be the pretty girl at Bimbo’s side. Betty’s character is also a tease. Throughout her hula-dance we see that her chest is merely covered by a small laie and her legs continue to pounce forward as her hips gyrate during her entertainment for the men. It’s clear this woman is portrayed as a seductress and object of lust, but can we assume the makers of this cartoon saw that for all women or possibly just for a native woman that Betty portrays?
When reading another classmate’s response I noticed much of the same things were mentioned. However, the other response yielded the word “stereotype” much more, and seemed slightly more outraged at the ideas they found in this cartoon. However, we both expressed an idea I did not find in many other posts. We both mentioned the Samoan’s naivety or stupidity to the actions that were taking place. They were clueless that the man they worshiped was simply just a white man with dirt on his face. Yet, in the end the other student found much more offense in the realm of the woman portrayal while I seemed to have a more watered down view of the entire process.
TA: Laura Bennett
Mitchell Keller
In this clip of "Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle", there are some very racist stereotypes that are used in this cartoon to depict The Royal Samoans. The first example in this clip is when Bimbo is being chased by an animated group of The Royal Samoans, and he simply rubs dirt on his face, puts a bone through his hair and puts on earrings in order to disguise himself as a Samoan so that he won't be harmed. This is a terrible stereotype of Samoans and portrays their entire race as savages. The second example that can be found in this video is when Bimbo starts to sing and "act" like a Samoan in order to fool The Royal Samoans into thinking he is truly one of them. He starts to flail his arms and body around like a monkey and starts singing in what sounds like incoherent gibberish (Although he could actually be singing in Samoan, considering this is a cartoon, I highly doubt it). Also, even if Bimbo truly is singing in Samoan, he is depicting their race as one that acts like savages or monkey's, (based on his dancing) and he is also delving into the stereotype that all Samoans act and speak like this and that none of them are sophisticated, intelligent people from America who can also speak in English.
I thought Katrina Schwarz made a valid point when she said that the depictions of The Royal Samoans in the actual cartoon would be considered politically incorrect in today's society. She went on to back up her argument with quotes and sufficient evidence, that I completely agree with.
Connor Murray
TA: Katherine Brandt
In the cartoon Betty Boop is made to look like a Samoan native by darkening her skin color. However, I do not think the animators are prejudice by doing so or mean any harm by it. It is simply to add to the setting of the cartoon. On the other hand, Betty Boop is portrayed as a stereotypical damsel in distress when she and Bimbo almost fall over the waterfall in the canoe. Would it be impossible to allow Betty Boop to be the hero? She is also represented as a promiscuous yet seemingly innocent Samoan dancer capable of memorizing both Bimbo and the tribe. In this case it makes her powerful; even though it is through her looks not her brain, which is somewhat stereotypical towards women.
How the Samoan tribe is portrayed is stereotypical as well. They have minimal language skills – only communicating through grunts and chants. The tribe is dressed minimally with grass skirts and bone necklaces and is considered to be savage-like for when they are first introduced they appear angry with spears and shields. However, in the beginning of the cartoon the real Samoan people seem happy and friendly most likely to assure viewers that the tribe is not really how they portray them to be.
Though Dan Gorchynsky makes many excellent points, I would have to disagree when he states that the relationship between the racially different Bimbo and Betty Boop was unacceptable at that time and they hide it through the umbrella at the end. It may be true that relationships with different races were looked down upon but I do not think that the umbrella hiding the kiss was in relation to this cultural viewpoint. Because Betty Boop is much represented like the modest and innocent women of the 30’s, she only puts up the umbrella to persuade the audience to believe that she is a classy lady.
Alison Korth
T.A. Laura Bennett
I think it is rather obvious what the show is doing when portraying race. Bimbo, or the white male, represents some sort of dominance over the other race and that the other race is very primitive.
Bimbo EASILY out tricks them into thinking that he is some sort of god. The tribes people then hail him and pretty much serve him. A sort of white power, social darwin, scientific racist ideal right there. We then have the tribe trying to wage war on him once he is found not to be like them, but white instead. It is saying that they are so primitive that the only way they can solve anything is through war.
I think Carly Rieder explained what I am getting at very well. She added the part about how the native human population also looks like an ape and is very dark skinned. That is basically what scientific racism is. She also had great points when talking about Betty Boop as some sort of sex symbol. I completely got that from Boop laying at Bimbo's side. It completely reminded me of Princess Lea laying down by Jabba The Hut in Star Wars Episode 6 Return Of The Jedi. She is seen as very seductive and Carly hit that right on the nose!
In this cartoon we find Betty Boop in black-face or “Samoan-face” and some stereotypical portrayal of tribesmen. All are wearing grass skirts and don’t talk aside from grunting and some gibberish speak. They are also shown to be not that intelligent by being fooled into thinking that Bimbo is one of them by rubbing some dirt on his face. However, there is one thing that should be made clear about this cartoon. Bimbo is a dog, not a white male. He is a dog, that kisses Betty Boop. Where is the outrage over the bestiality content? Yes, Betty Boop is in “Samoan-face” and the Samoan people are shown to be ignorant savages. All of that is very wrong indeed. But, Betty Boop is kissing a dog! The creators of this cartoon seem to show Betty Boop at the highest possible level of attraction that men, dogs, and plants will fall head-over-heels in love with her upon sight. While considering Joseph Otter son’s comment that “The Samoans in the cartoon are literally portrayed as dark, wild, dogs, carrying spears and grass skirts as they prepare to savage Bimbo and Betty.” it made me realize that this cartoon is also sexist in that all males are portrayed as dogs and act in the same manner. This cartoon has the potential to offend everyone evenly.
Nathan Irish
TA Kate Brandt
I liked this cartoon, and I found it interesting that for it's time, there were racial and gender related tones to it.
It is pretty evident that Betty is exemplified as the perfect woman from her good looks. She is created as a stereotype for women.
Bimbo is the only white character portrayed in this film. The colored people on the island are dressed and act like savages. When Betty and Bimbo land on the island, Bimbo has to cover his face in mud to fit in with the tribe.
He tries to mimic the chant and walk of the tribe to appear as one of them.
I agree with some of Dirk McGreggor's points on the stupidity of the tribe and how Betty is the only one that is smart. The tribe is dumb enough to fall for Bimbo's disguise, and Betty seduces the tribe by dancing off her curvy body.
Kyle Probst
Laura Bennett
I thought this cartoon portrayed race like any other cartoon from this era. That any race, other than white, were depicted as the same. Although not as severe as others but still existent. Almost all the members of the Samoan tribe are identical, walk in synch and mumble the same “words”. Trying to mimic the way another race/culture speaks when it is not authentic, is pretty racist to me. That as well as Bimboo easily outsmarting the tribe into thinking he’s one of them and then escaping them easily infers that the tribe is unintelligent when compared to the white Bimboo. One thing that did puzzle me is what was on the shields of the tribe. It appeared to be a pair of dice. I’m not sure if they were inferring that the pair of dice or die. If they were going for the meaning “die” it would infer that the tribe is hostile to anybody who is not of their race.
I agree with Danny’s claim of the portrayal of gender in the cartoon. There are only two females and they are both seen dancing and wearing somewhat scandalous clothes. This is stereotyping woman as being only good for just that: dancing and looking good. Back then this cartoon was probably watched and enjoyed by many, not knowing of the ignorance of the portrayal of race which is much more evident in the now.
Douglas Mellon
TA: Steve Wetzel
The Betty Boop film presented in the original blog post shows some interesting social views on race and gender. The tribal Samoan natives are presented as foolish, by carrying around spears and shields, grunting, and falling for Bimbo’s simple trick of covering his face with dirt so that he seems like a native. Betty Boop is presented as an almost ignorant girl, not really doing very much through the film except following Bimbo wherever he went. She dances for the men on the island and eventually kisses Bimbo behind an umbrella. Betty seems to know that it is not socially acceptable for her to kiss a person of a different color skin, so she purposely hides when she kisses him. This seems a bit taboo for the time period, but this was a fictionalized cartoon where the characters can do more than actual actors could, since the cartoons were very fake, unlike real human actors.
I found Nathan Irish’s comment very interesting. He states, “Bimbo is a dog, not a white male. He is a dog, that kisses Betty Boop. Where is the outrage over the bestiality content?”. This is a really good point made by Irish. People are constantly talking about the problem with racial relationships (especially in the time period this takes place in), but how come no one mentions the bestiality aspect of this video. A woman kissing a dog in more than a playful manner would really be an issue to bring up.
Mark Scholbrock
TA: Kate Brandt
This cartoon like many from the time period is a comedic representation of a native people in which their beliefs and customs are severely overshadowed by stereotypes in order to create a generic character that is the uncivilized tribal society. They are shown as being savages who wear loin cloths and head dresses and carry spears. They hunt down and kill anything that is different, in this case Bimbo. In the cartoon, they are actually illustrated in a sort of ape-like form that suggests they are less than human. In reality, the Samoan people were smarter than they are given credit for. They had a strong sense of aesthetics when it came to music and dance. They had developed similar instruments to our guitar and drums, however in the cartoon, none if these instruments are present. During the dance that takes place in the cartoon, the only instrument that is depicted is a large man's stomach that is used as a drum. The Samoan people in the cartoon are also depicted as being gullible and less intelligent. With a bone on his head, earrings, and some dirt on his face, the Samoan tribe’s people accept him as one of their own and even become their leader.
Upon reviewing the post by Garrett Katerzynske I found it interesting that since Bimbo was able to become the leader of the tribe, it suggested that the Samoan tribes people were easily controlled by the more intelligent and civilized white person represented by Bimbo.
Jack Kirby
TA Laura Bennet
When viewing this film, early stereotypes were clearly shown to exemplify both race and gender. First Betty Boop is shown as a piece of work to be gazed upon by Bimbo, and later is shown dancing for the men to look at. Also the women of the tribe are shown as the dancers in the cartoon. The cartoon shows men as the warriors, fighting to catch the clever Bimbo, and leading with aggression always associated with males. On the idea of race, it’s clear to see the uncivilized manner in which non-whites behave. This stereotype around the time of this film is only pushed further when the cartoon literally takes the tribe out of society and puts them on their own island in a jungle. Personally I don’t think this cartoon could have gotten any more stereotypical, and after reading many other blogs I found that general people thought from the same viewpoint as I did. I saw a point about race being mixed in relationships and found it interesting to pick up on that someone would realize that Betty Boop and Bimbo were commonly frowned upon for actions of this sort. Maybe that’s why they only did this on a far away island. Only question remains as to why Betty Boop’s head is so disproportioned to her body.
Matt Prekop
TA:Kate Brandt
Well, first of all, Betty Boop is obviously a sexist character. She is made out to be an attractive woman with little intelligence and only cares about making herself look good. There is the scene where she is doing the overtly sexual hula dance for the natives and all of the scenes in which Bimbo tries to make moves on Betty. Although this cartoon is sexist in its nature, it is also harmless cartoon entertainment. Many of the jokes and situations within this cartoon are inherent to the cartoons of the time period, and just happen to feature a character that has been made out to be a stereotype.
I understand what Kirk Mccamish is saying about how it is racist for Betty Boop to always be white and that the cartoonist is trying to branch out to other cultures through changing her skin color, but I do not agree with this. It seems more racist to me to change her skin color, because that makes it seem as though the character can just be any race without even understanding the different culture. I do not think that Betty Boop being white all of the time is racist in the least, this is just the vision that the cartoonist saw for Betty and that is how he wanted to create her.
Charlie Ripple
T.A. Kate Brandt
I believe that this film show’s what the early filmmaker’s depicted native cultures to be like, it’s obvious to me that they weren’t token seriously and I say this because looking at the dance of the woman in the beginning of the clip and the dance that Betty does and the people of the island, it looks kind of foolish. The illustrator draws Betty shaking her waist constantly and moving her head in circles while her eyes roll around all at the same time, but the way it’s been drawn is patronizing. It seems like their saying “this is the dance that those island people do”, because of the coordination of the dance seems disorientated in a sense. It doesn’t look like a real ritual dance that you would see if you were on a island with native people. The women in the beginning of the film also possessed this same idea, her dance and overall behavior seemed to be purposefully idiotic. It looks like the director told her to just make up some type of dance and try to look exotic which in this case, seems to be different almost “savage-like” even. Also the grass skirts and the hair and supposedly wardrobe of these indigenous people looked more like a costume which also speaks about the mentality of early filmmakers.
Making the usual white Betty, a different race I guess could be perceived as satisfying the thought of sexy, exotic women; because a lot of time women of different cultures are perceived as exotic. Her being a different race kinda downgrades her as more of a damsel in distress because she ends up getting “rescued” by Bimbo who is white. Which implies that her new life will be better than her life on the island was because that life was filled with “scary” and “dangerous” people. However if that were true shouldn’t she be scary and dangerous too?
I agree with Steven Ball’s comment on the limited knowledge that the people of the early 20th century had on other cultures. He says that people got their info on other cultures from books and short films, and I believe that because of this a lot of white filmmakers and authors would interpret other cultures in an ignorant way and depict it in a biased presentation like this cartoon for example. Also the fact that this is a cartoon sets up a brewing pot for more ignorance among the younger generation which puts other cultures in a tight spot because they now have a certain image an association with a specific group and chances are the rest of their community will probably build off of these ignorant and maybe even innocent ideas. I say innocent because the filmmaker of this film probably believed that this cartoon was harmless or actually true to the Samoan culture.
I found this cartoon very interesting, because in similar in todays society the female body is often idolized, although we are seeing more and more ads also idolizing the male physic. This portrays Betty Boop as having a seemly perfect body that a male would be attracted to. You see this when the character Bimbo is flung into the same canoe as Betty. He looks her body up and down until she pulls his eyelid down, a polite way of telling a man to behave himself and not get too excited. She reflects the curves and the beauty of a beautiful woman but like most cartoons it does exaggerate things like her head. The male character is represented as a dog like figure, his personality I feel resembles what a human male would be when he is called a dog. When he only cares about the woman’s looks disregarding the person within.
As far as racial matters I feel the cartoon is trying to resemble the culture its trying to portray and the views the people have on the indigenous people. Although it has a not very connect depiction as it makes them seem animal like making noises instead of talking. Their physical appearance probably resembles their culture, take away the natural changes that cartoons normally have. I think it presents the idea how we fear things we don’t understand. Bimbo is startled by the events going on around him and when he sees the tribe approaching him he assumes they are out to hurt him. He fears them because he doesn’t understand their culture so he tries to blend in. Once his race is revealed I feel that he is chased away for the same reason because the tribe doesn’t understand his race. It seems as though that Betty’s race doesn’t factor into it because her beauty out ways her racial background.
I agree with Danny D’Acquisto with his views on the gender roles. The cartoon focuses on their physical features more than anything above else. This supports my argument on race. That Betty’s features are over amplified to give her that extra sex appeal. Reading through the rest of my classmates responses they seem to agree. One thing I don’t agree with is the possibility of it being a matter of race behind the dance. Yes it is the reasoning behind that particular dance but Betty Boob I feel is represented in the same way in all the cartoons as being the ideal female.
Zachery Holder
Laura Bennett
I really enjoyed this video because it seems to bring me back to a more simple era. It seems to me that the presentation of race seems to be more controversial than the presentation of gender in this video. Our first impression of the Samoans is that they are completely unruly. Somewhat because of what they are wearing, but mostly due to the way they are acting. They are shown running with spears through the forest chanting and yelling with no real purpose. This makes them seem very uncivilized. Another interesting point to bring up is the way that Bimbo came to the conclusion that the only way he could fit in with the tribe was to rub mud on his face so he looked like the same race. This implies that Bimbo felt he would not be accepted because he was of a different race. Also, it's interesting that the Samoans immediately turned on Bimbo when they realized his true identity because it implies that they only accepted him because of his race, just as Bimbo had expected.
Although the way race is presented does seem to be more interesting, there are a few points where the presentation of gender takes on it's own persona as well. One of these points is when Bimbo is comforted by Betty Boop after their boat goes over the waterfall. This contradicts the normal stereotype that the male always has to be the "tough guy". Matthew Prekop also makes a good point when he describes how Betty Boop is objectified not only by Bimbo but also by the Samoans. The way Bimbo gazes up and down Betty Boop is very stereotypical and the way she is shown as a "piece of meat" can be seen as sexist. Although I agree with Matthew Prekop when analyzing the way Betty Boop is objectified, I don't really agree with him when he says that this video could not have been more stereotypical. Yes, there are a lot of stereotypes in play but I think it's to broad a statement to say that there is no more room for any others.
Nick LaVake
T.A. Laura Bennett
This cartoon was very typical to the cartoons of the time periods, Many of them drew their humor from extremely general stereotypes. This cartoon portrayed African Americans in a very animalish way that would be frowned upon by today's standers. The even drew them like animals (other than Betty), there faces seemed to be more dog like. Another thing that caught my eye is that as soon as the natives saw that Bimbo was white they immediately attacked him. They also stereotypes girls in a way most TV shows did. Instead of Betty being a main character she was seen more as a object and a spectacle (the dancing).
I liked a lot of the stuff Dan Gorchybsky had to say about the How Bimbo was shown as the perfect white male. He had the best voice and was constantly going out of his way to save the dame. I also found the end kiss idea interesting. I don't know if the film maker portrayed it like that. But them hiding because its unacceptable at the time does make sense.
^
Zach Cosby
TA Laura
I think anyone these days would have a hard time looking at this Betty Boop short and not seeing the ridiculous nature in which it portrays both race and gender. Betty Boop is obviously an over the top example of the fulfillment of men's sexual desire. She is awkwardly proportioned and when she dances she does so with evocative swings of her hips as the men cheer her on. The natives are perhaps portrayed even worse. They are the classical example of the savage. They run in a pack with lust, both for blood and for Betty, clearly on their mind. As Jack Kirby pointed out earlier they are "illustrated in a sort of ape-like form that suggests the are less then human." I would agree with this statement. Like I said earlier you'd have to be pretty ignorant not to see all of these horrible stereotypes. Still there is one key area where I disagree with Jack and pretty much every other blog I glanced through.
This is a cartoon. The whole thing is ridiculous. Again I'm not denying that the makers had clear prejudices but I think this kind of academic review of things like this threatens to make people read into things a bit too much. for example: Yes the natives look like monkeys. Yes caucasians have often referred to people of darker complexion than them as being primate-like in the past. Yes this cartoon is a clear evocation of this idea. But Bimbo, the character most viewers are viewing as being "white", is a dog. Not only is he not human he's not even primarily white. Maybe the cartoon is about how monkey and dogs don't get along. Or maybe the natives are supposed to be smarter than Bimbo since in real life monkeys are indeed smarter than dogs. Maybe Bimbo's actually the minority here, since he's the only one of his kind we see. Maybe his people are being oppressed by the monkey people.
I am of course being a bit facetious, but I think it's very important when trying to asses something to be aware of the lens through which you are looking at it. As Americans we see images like these and immediately make connections with long stressed ideas that are a part of our social conscious. We are making assumptions, assumptions that may very well be true, but that are assumptions just the same.
-John Olsen
Kate Brandt
I will say what needs to be said and then I would like to comment on some other things that went through my mind while watching this eight minute cartoon.
There were, in this film, racial and sexist stereotypes and undertones. They don’t need a magnifying glass to see. They all are based on misconception of cultures and women and indeed were not appropriate things to be shown on film. Back then, in that time period, pieces like this showed up in abundance. An interesting fact to note is that the main character, Bimbo, was a character of great dispute. Bimbo is a dog, just thought I would throw that out there. He is not a male human. (Dogs don’t have blatant segregation upon their races like humans do but having the dog change his face color in the cartoon gave him that segregation) So, because he is a dog, in 1933 he was kicked off of the show because of the Production Code censorship law. (It is also known as Hays Code and was abandoned in 1968) The law would not allow the love between a woman and a dog to be shown on screen and Bimbo the dog was booted from the show. I just wanted to raise this issue because it doesn’t seem like anyone has touched upon this point yet. I agree with many of the other blog posting people on the stereotypes presented in this film. However, it is important to note the beginning of the film when The Royal Samoans and the dancer Miri appear on set. They provide a more authentic look at a culture than the animation does. It confuses me but it also makes me wonder about their intent and “genuine” nature.
The other thing that I wanted to point out in this “historic” piece is that animation like this does not show up in mainstream culture anymore. When I say “animation like this” I don’t mean to bring up the issues presented by the animation, I want to talk about the actual animation, ink and paper. The last I saw an animation with such supreme examples of “squash and stretch” was when I was a kid in the 90’s watching Tiny Toons. You also rarely see roto-scoping anymore. Animators weren’t necessarily being paid well back then to produce such good animation. Ok, I’ll give Pixar ‘props’ but you have to miss good old pen and paper animations. They just don’t show up that much anymore.
TA Kate Brandt
Kyle Jenkins
In the Betty Boop and the Colonialist Spectacle, Betty Boop is portrayed as a perfect woman for the time period in which it came out. With her hair and flawless looks, and beautiful figure that even a dog is attracted to her.
But when the black tribe comes by, and isn't speaking english or any language for that matter, just jiberrish. So Bimbo takes a bone and puts it through his hair, and puts dirt on his face. Symbolizing that black people are dirty. He also just mumbles and makes up words so they black tribe will think that he is one of them. It is not until the rain comes that they notice he is white, and then they are mad. Also showing that they are unintelligent, because they couldn't spot someone else. Almost saying that they are like animals.
Zach Cosby was talking about how the black natives are portrayed more like dogs, and animals than people. That is something I didn't think of when writing this, but I don't know how I missed it. But its little things like that, that are used to undermine an entire group of people
TA: Kate
Marco Cannestra
The film Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle is an extremely interesting film to view when discussing race and gender portrayals in film. Because Betty Boop was already established as a famous cartoon character, she speaks in the film, while all the other characters of her race are only heard in grunts and gibberish. Also, the other characters of her race are throughout the film shown to be unintelligent. They immediately accept Bimbo because he has added jewelry and mud to his face, therefore he blends in. These people are not people at all but ridiculous stereotypes and racists as well, in that they immediately hunt Bimbo after his true identity is revealed. Interestingly, the beginning of the film shows “actual” Samoans singing while a female performs a dance, similar to the one Boop performs in the film. This real Samoan female and Boop are both portrayed as nothing but sex objects, dancing for the pleasure of the men they surround.
I thought Katrina Schwartz’s ideas about the portrayal of the faces of the natives were very interesting. By making the native people’s faces look less than human, the film , again, dehumanizes them.
Lisa Casper
TA: Steve Wetzel
In "Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle," Samoans are presented in a very primitive manner. They are shown dancing, chanting, and generally not doing anything productive. And they are wearing giant bones in their hair. This seems like a disrespectful, inaccurate portrayal of the inhabitants of the Samoan Islands. But then again, this is only a cartoon... How offensive can it possibly be to a Samoan viewer? This cartoon, and so many others, obviously do not strive to be realistic. We all know that the North American land mass cannot move at will to allow little boats to pass through unhindered. So why would we assume that the cartoon is attempting to provide any insight whatsoever into the Samoan culture? Well, distorting a map of North America and distorting one's culture are two totally different concepts. Even if it is meant to be comical, it is inexcusable to dumb down a particular culture for entertainment value.
I agree with Carly Rieder that Betty Boop is a sex symbol. Boop is clearly the object of attraction for pretty much every male character who is shown onscreen. However I don't think that she is depicted as a slave. She seems to be enjoying herself throughout the entire cartoon. When she is dancing for the tribe of native people she is constantly giggling. Betty Boop may be an object of beauty, but she certainly doesn't seem to mind.
Eric Grycan
TA: David Witzling
The movie Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle by the Fleischer brothers brings up some issues about race and gender. Unlike most renditions of Betty Boop, the character of Betty herself was portrayed as a woman of color. Her 'friend' Bimbo was not however of the same race as Betty or the villagers on the island. When Bimbo hid his true racial identity from the villagers, they worshiped him as their king. But the minute the rain washed away his mask and his secret was revealed, suddenly they were chasing after him trying to seek their revenge. It seems as though they didn't appreciate that someone different from them was in their midst. In this movie, it also seemed as though Betty wasn't the focus of attention and when she was, she was portrayed as a sex symbol. Bimbo was the one that held the power and she was simply his sidekick. The one thing that struck me though was that when the villagers were after them in the beginning, Bimbo was the one that was scared and he had to jump into Betty's arms to feel protection and not the other way around.
I found my classmates views on the movie different than what I initially thought. Others thought that tribe was seen as not so intelligent because they didn't catch that he was in disguise. I don't really agree with that statement. Just because someone doesn't see the truth in someone doesn't make them unintelligent. I think we all want to believe we can trust those around us and sometimes that clouds our better judgement. The tribe believed Bimbo was being truthful to them and they saw what they wanted to see but that doesn't make them less intelligent than anyone else.
Sara Nesbitt
Kate Brandt
In “Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle” the Samoan people are portrayed in a racist and stereotypical way. To start the clip off, the real Samoans are portrayed as foreign, but as an American may imagine an “islander” to be. The woman moves her body in ways that are suggestive, and she is encouraged by hoots and hollers from the men behind her. She is dressed as an American might view a typical islander, with a grass skirt and a skimpy top. All the Samoans are clean, however. Portraying the Samoans in this way—Americanizing them but keeping an American view of “foreignness”—is a stereotypical and racist way they are portrayed in this film. Also, this portrayal of women is demeaning and exploitive.
The Samoans in the cartoon are also portrayed in a racist and stereotypical way; however, the portrayal is different than in the real people clip. The natives in the cartoon are portrayed as animalistic—they don’t talk, and they use spears to communicate, it seems. As the film progresses, the “white” Bimbo eventually controls them and they succumb to his wishes, giving viewers the premonition that the Samoans are lesser than a white person. When Bimbo paints his face dark with mud it is clearly shown that skin color is very important. Like the real people part of the film, the exploitation of women (Betty Boop) in the cartoon is present and obvious. She wears revealing clothing and is essentially helpless; in need of a rescuer (who turns out to be white). Later, she becomes a hula girl in revealing clothing—similar to the girl in the real people clip—and the men hoot and holler over her as if she was not human.
In response to Kyle Probst’s comments on the film, I would have to say that I disagree with his view of the film’s point. While I agree that Betty Boop is portrayed as attractive, I do not think that she is portrayed as “perfect” or as a “stereotype for women.” Rather, I think she is portrayed as rather dumb and helpless. I agree with Kyle’s statement that the colored people in this film are portrayed as “savages;” however, I do not believe that Bimbo covered his face in mud in order to “fit in with the tribe.” I think he wants to control the tribe, and he successfully does this for a time.
Bryn Unger
TA: Laura Bennett
In this Betty Boop cartoon, there are some very obvious examples of racism, or identification of "the other," but there are also some that are implicit, and can gives us some insight into the hegemony of 1930s America. The film clearly separates "colored people" from white people by making the protagonist, Betty Boop, black. Of course, this isn't the normal way we see Betty. She is on an island, away from everything: separate. She is on an island both literally, and metaphorically. Along with her is the group of black savages, who roam the island away from civilization and "culture". Along with the obvious comes the subtle, less visual forms of racial stereotyping. The black people are savage, they roam in packs, they chant unintelligibly, and they eat their own kind. As soon as they find out that Bimbo is indeed white, they attack him viciously. These behaviors imply that "the other" is a savage, brutal, violent race.
Chris Schasse brings up another good point: the natives are used mainly for spectacle. They sing and dance and do weird, exotic things (and erotic things - the hula dancing is made out to be very sensual). Also, disturbingly, footage of real Hawaiian natives is shown at the beginning, followed by a cartoon depicting them negatively... it's like a freak show.
This film portrays the woman, Betty Boop, as a damsel in distress as Bimbo constantly tries to rescue her when they are in danger. The creators of this cartoon may be trying to illustrate the idea of women being fragile creatures through this idea. The Samoans enjoyed Betty Boop dancing so this might mean women are highly valued in their culture. This cartoon depicts women to be valuable, beautiful, desirable beings. Betty Boop has sex appeal and the Samoans are enamored with her sensual charms as she dances for them. Also, the idea of tension between different races is predominant in this film. Bimbo disguises himself as a Samoan so that he would fit in with their culture yet once the paint washed off, they chased him away. This portrays the notion that most people are more comfortable within their own race or ethnicity.
Sara Nesbitt established an intriguing point about Betty Boop and Bimbo each being of two different races and in a relationship. Once the Samoan tribe discovered Bimbo's real identity, the conception of Betty Boop and Bimbo in a relationship was not accepted. Racism is a key theme in this cartoon as Bimbo is not welcome among them because he is of a different color, as Nesbitt quotes "It seems as though they didn't appreciate that someone different from them was in their midst."
One statement I see this cartoon making about race is that the differences between races are skin deep. When Bimbo changes his skin color by covering it in mud, he is instantly able to assimilate himself into the natives’ society. Betty Boop has also had her skin color changed. This is the only change we see in her, however. Her features, hair, voice, and way of speaking are all identical to the usual “white” Betty’s. By making these changes to Betty and Bimbo, the cartoon focuses on skin color. Instead of focusing on differences in culture, religion, or values, the cartoon makes a shallow statement that skin color makes all the difference.
It’s a little harder to find gender biases, but there was one thing that came to mind while I was watching the cartoon. There’s a strong similarity between Betty in this cartoon and the pin-up girls of the 40’s and 50’s. Not only are her looks reminiscent of the stylized glamour these girls portrayed, but also in her behavior and placement in the cartoon. She seems to be there simply for display value. Whether she’s sitting at Bimbo’s feet, kissing Bimbo, or dancing on the beach, she is there simply to look at. She’s also the only woman in the cartoon, isolating her in the “beauty pageant” spotlight even more.
I like what Travis Torok said when he quoted Rony about the natives being a part of the landscape and the jungle mise-en-scene. This cartoon offers a good, rather literal example of that: The natives look remarkably similar in style and behavior to the singing trees Bimbo comes across in the beginning. I think it’s significant that the natives really do look like the landscape. They follow the standard stereotype of the times, the “wild jungle savages.” This cartoon really reminded me of Abbot and Costello’s Africa Screams, which has a similar storyline as well as the jungle native stereotype.
Bethany Davey
TA: Kate Brandt
The early cartoon “Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle” presents a very racist view of Samoans and a slanted view of women’s roles as well. Betty Boop appears scantly clad throughout the whole movie and is presented as an object that is kept around for its visual pleasure. This can be seen when Bimbo is riding in the boat with her and there is a scene where we see Betty in the reflection of his eye, which results in her closing it. Her action also shows how women were always thought to be the ones that taunted and teased men. The racist view of the Samoans starts before they even appear through the depiction of where they are located. When Bimbo and Betty fly over the waterfall, bimbo is terrified of the wild surroundings. When the Samoans do appear, they appear as a primal troop that is easily taken over by Bimbo who wins them over with a simple dance and song. The cartoon then shows the Samoans as being completely submissive to the white Bimbo and even performing a whole dance for his pleasure. When the rain washes of the mud that Bimbo used to disguise himself, the Samoans are shown to be very angry and violent as they chase him and Betty away.
Eric Grycan made the interpretation that most people will understand that this cartoon is an inaccurate representation of the Samoan people used for comedic purposes and that it is there for ok. He did in the last sentence say that it was inexcusable but it was not very convincing. Well adults are able to recognize the slanted viewpoint; children are not and often accept what they see on TV as fact. We also have to recognize that this cartoon was made in 1932 when there was not a lot of information on other cultures and cartoons like this or other short films would be a primary source of information about the world for people of all ages.
Lanae Smith
TA: David Witzling
The cartoon "Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle" would definitely would not be seen as politically correct today. When they reach the island the 'people' on the island do not even look like they could be human. Betty Boop has this perfect look to herself, but then the darker natives look very animalistic. They also have the natives acting crazy throughout the cartoon.
Like said above even the real Somoans are portrayed in stereotypical ways by making them wearing grass skirts and shouting the native tongue. Also having the 'hula dancer' wearing barely anything.
I think it is very interesting that they did have Betty and Bimbo kiss in the end. I feel that with having them kiss would have been very controversial for that time period. Considering that Betty Boop had darker skin and was kissing a white man. Even though they did somewhat try to hide it with the umbrella.
Amber Blanchard
TA: David Witzling
In the cartoon “Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle”, many obvious gender and racial stereotypes are present. The representation of women is very sexist. Betty Boop is presented as a woman with the “ideal” look of what was thought to be desired by most during that time. Her behavior is shaped by how women were expected to act during that time. Betty Boop is very clearly a sexual figure but it was not acceptable for her to be shown as taking pleasure in anything sexual. An example of this is when Bimbo and Betty are seen kissing after the smoke from Bimbo’s cigar disappears. It can also be said that this is because Betty is shown to be a colored woman and Bimbo as a non-human, white male. Another example is when Betty is shown dancing to the members of the tribe and Bimbo as their temporary “king”. She is heard to say “Oh dear…” perhaps to show her as hesitant toward the dance she is doing. The colored people in the cartoon are clearly portrayed as savages. This is made clear by the way that these people act, walk, chant, and, more generally, by their appearance. This is very stereotypical of the way people in “uncivilized, exotic” places in the world were believed to act. Bimbo dresses up in black-face in order to take advantage of the situation that he is in. It can also be argued that the cartoon implies that he puts on black-face in order to “protect” himself from the “savages”.
As Zachery Holder says earlier, “I think it presents the idea how we fear things we don’t understand. Bimbo is startled by the events going on around him and when he sees the tribe approaching him he assumes they are out to hurt him”. Zachery bases his argument on how Bimbo is afraid of the people in the tribe because he doesn’t understand or has basically never been exposed to their (the tribe’s) lifestyle. These people are represented as uncivilized because people don’t understand the differences in culture from the audience of the cartoon to whatever people the tribe in the cartoon is supposed to represent. This made stereotypes, like the ones in the cartoon, a lot easier to be accepted and believed to be true.
Marisela Rodriguez Gutierrez
TA: Steve Wetzel
Kevin Witkowski
TA David Witzling
Personally, I don’t see anything racist or sexist in this short skit. There are some dog people on an island, but that doesn’t mean they’re suppose to represent African Americans or some other race. As for being sexist, Betty Boop is just a depiction of one kind of woman. She doesn’t represent all women in the world so I don’t think that’s sexist.
In Dan Gorchynsky’s response, he believes that the tribe in the film is suppose to be African Americans and that Bimbo is suppose to be white. Now maybe it was because the screen was kind of fuzzy, but I don’t believe any of that to be true. I thought that both Bimbo and the tribe on the island were both dogs or some other kind of animal. I don’t think they represent a particular race but instead are depicted the way they are for entertainment purposes.
Kevin Witkowski
TA David Witzling
I found it comical how the white dog (or whatever animal it was) was driving around the waters surrounding North America in a boat, and everything seemed to work out just fine for him. As soon as he landed, the boat turns into an immediate shelter and the motor becomes a dog to look after him. Landing in new undiscovered-by-white-man land was not easy, but it seemed there weren't too many troubles for this pup.
It was quite different to see Betty Boop as a woman with darker skin, and even though it's just the way Betty is, I couldn't help but feel she seemed like a dumb blonde and ignorant. Probably because she also acted "sexual" with her dancing--which was something that was often noted by foreigners when coming to a land and watching the natives live their everyday life. Her sexualness also comes through in her way of dressing as well.
It was also not plausible as to why Betty would know the same language as the vistor (in this case, English) and not speak her native tongue--although the native men didn't seem to talk much either.
It is an interesting look at the way people of the thirties perceived things. I don't think any of this should be taken too harshly or considered racist, as this was back in the thirties, and we are more racially accepting (or so we hope and try to tell ourselves).
Mallory Davidson
TA: Kate
The Betty Boop cartoon addresses the issues of race and gender in the underlying themes of the story. Betty Boop, even though she’s the title character, is seen as an object by all the other characters. Her role in the story is to service the male characters, especially Bimbo. She comforts him when he’s scared of the trees, she sits at his feet when he’s been given the chief’s chair, and she performs her hip-shaking hula dance when he needs entertainment. She acts as a dutiful, proper wife figure she seems to be modest; when Bimbo checks her out in the boat, she pulls down his eyelid like a shade and looks shy. Whenever he kisses her, they need to be covered up; she even asks if anyone is looking before she’ll kiss him. She plays the role of the perfect housewife; submissive and proper, yet sexy. She doesn’t wear a shirt at all, she’s only covered by a lei. The men objectify her by whistling and yelling when she’s hula-ing.
The race issues in this cartoon are not as pronounced as the gender issues, but they are still present. I don’t think that the makers of this cartoon we trying to say anything in particular about race, they just wanted to have Betty Boop hula dance and Samoa was a place that they do that. The Samoans, however, are portrayed as less intelligent than Bimbo and he easily tricks them. The most prevalent display of racism is Bimbo’s supremacist attitude. He not only accepts the position of authority and worship readily, but he sits on that throne like he was meant to be there. He accepts their gifts and their service; he’s waited on and uses a Samoan to light his match off. He also steals their woman, Betty Boop without question. Another point is that all of the men in the cartoon look like dogs, including Bimbo, but the Samoans look uglier and fiercer.
I think Sarah Nesbitt makes a good point about how it’s the Samoans who are intolerant of another race and violently pursue Bimbo when they find out that he’s not one of them, I hadn’t thought about that. However, now that I’ve thought about it, I think that any group of people would have that reaction when they’ve found out that they’ve been tricked and manipulated. Another good point that she makes is about how it’s Bimbo who is afraid of the trees and jumps in Betty’s arms, and not Bimbo protecting Betty. But it fits the story of how Bimbo is the visitor and Betty is a native to the island.
Megan Linner
TA: Laura Bennett
In the Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle film it was made for its time. Like most films it includes the ideas and morals during that time, and place. Like in the intro here the women is scene as a icon you may say dancing for all of the roaring men behind her. The women in this tribe is shown how the women were seen, as an object. Another thing portrayed here is the stereo type of how the tribe are almost not human. they are shown as savage beasts how are not dressed properly, and are attacking the "white man." they are roaming through the jungle with spears and wearing clothes hunting down this outsider.
The only real thing about gender is that both girls shown are shaking there hips dancing in skimpy dresses. Like they are there only for the mens entertainment
After reading most of my peers ideas about the cartoon. Lots of them seem to see the same thing that i noticed. I think Danny D’Acquisto brought up a good point about the end of the film. Wear the rain washes off the dirt on the impostors face. then the samoans themselves actually are racists turning on him the second they find out. They don't even give him a chance to speak they just go right back to hunting him down like wild savages.
In this cartoon the dark colored cartoons were perceived as caveman like. Except of course for Betty who was only a helpless bimbo. Unfortunately most cartoons of this era do the same thing. It’s hard to tell if they are really meant to be offensive or if they really just wanted to diverse their characters. However I think the dark colored characters are even drawn more like dogs than the rest. Giving them more of an animal feel to them. Also when the dark colored characters figure out that the hero is white they try to kill him. It’s hard to believe that no stereotyping went on here. I think because of the time this cartoon was made the cartoonist were not worried with stereotyping their characters. It’s hard to believe that racism can even enter the cartoon world.
I like what Jack Kirby said in mentioned in his stance. He not only points out the stereotypes of Samoan people but also actually disproves them by giving examples of their intelligence. He defends them by saying that the Samoan people have a diverse culture when it comes to song and dance. He even point out that they have invented their own instruments.
Matthew Axberg
TA: Katherine Brandt
The film "Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle" accurately depicts some racial and gender stereotypes that existed back when it originally came out. Betty Boop has always been portrayed as a sort of sex symbol, with her short dresses and curvaceous body... but this cartoon took it farther than any other Betty Boop cartoon I have ever seen. One of the first things bimbo does within seconds of meeting Betty is to check her out from head to toe like she is some piece of eye candy. Later on when Bimbo is acting as the "chief" of the native tribe Betty is seen sitting on the ground next to him while he sits on his throne. She then goes on to do a seductive hula dance, similar to the woman we saw at the beginning, while wearing a grass skirt and barely anything on top.
The racism in the cartoon is pretty obvious as well. While the "white" Bimbo is portrayed as an intellectual guy with a great singing voice and all, and the natives seem almost inhuman savages in comparison. Bimbo easily deceives the natives tricks them into worshiping him in no time.
I like how many people mentioned the flower hiding from Betty's dance toward the end. I didn't really notice it until the second time I watched it, but my peers make a very good point of how the flower seemingly had to hide itself by burying its head in the ground so as not to see the "dirty" dance that was going on.
Dan Gorchynsky brought up some things that I thought about while watching the video and forgot about while I was writing my post. One thing that he brought up and I remembered that I had thought of during the video, was that Bimbo uses the native like a trash can while smoking the cigar and dipositing the used match into the native's mouth. Bimbo is treating him badly in my opinion, even though he is a guest in the natives' land. But this refers back to when the new white settler came to America and how they treated the Native Americans.
I do agree with how Dan said that Bimbo was protrayed, both as superior and a scaredy cat, but didn't think of this when watching the video.
I also noticed that to blend in, Bimbo smeared dirt on his face, as Dan had said. This can be considered racist in a way, as sometimes people may think of people with darker skin as "dirty". When the rain cleans Bimbo's face, he becomes "clean" once again too--he becomes white, which is often considered a "pure, clean" color.
Mallory Davidson
TA: Kate
Archaic motion pictures, especially cartoons, are full of racial stereotypes. I'm quite familiar with Betty Boop and other cartoons of the era. They were my grandma's favorites, and what she referred to as "good shows", instead of more contemporary cartoons that exhibited acts of violence and 'supposed' drug use. The Bamboo Isle gives us a look into the general public's view of non-white cultures. The Royal Samoans in the beginning are depicted as a 'spectacle', something exotic and perverse that should be viewed with a sense of awe. This sets up the audience for Betty and Bimbo's adventure. Betty is portrayed as a south pacific native with a dark skin, opposed to her more popular caucasian counterpart. Her friend Bimbo is some sort of dog, I gather. The natives are savages. Their rituals are primitive. They are intimidating. I suppose that the idea being stressed here is that foreign cultures should be regarded with the utmost reservation. I also do not want to overlook the detail of Bimbo painting his face to resemble one of the natives. Blackface performers were commonplace in the early days of Vaudeville and film. The average viewer was not taken aback at all by these one-sided and uninformed depictions of non-caucasians. I believe that the stereotypes shown in these types of films fully supported and progressed the cultural stigma.
Katrina Schwarz brings up a good point in reference to the animation itself. The natives are drawn as something even less than human; Betty is the only somewhat 'normal' looking character, and she must be so. Otherwise it would not be Betty Boop. I didn't take such a close look at the actual illustrations of the natives until she pointed that out.
One other note: I don't remember if Betty Boop was ever really into bestiality... I could be wrong, but one subtle message I also read from this was that the 'dark-skinned Betty' was only good enough for a dog. Ouch.
TA: Steve Wetzel
Gender is a major focal point in this clip. Betty Boop was and still is considered to be the ideal woman in our society. The Fleischer Brothers exaggerate her features by making her eyes unusually large. It is because of these features, she is sought after by Bimbo when he enters the boat. This is noticeable when he looks at her and we see her image in one of his eyes. In addition, she becomes the center of attention when she is dancing for the tribe. Because she is female, is lower in status and made to be seen as an unintelligent person. At this point, Bimbo has also become the new leader of the tribe, possibly because he is male. Another topic seen in the clip is the "reversed roles" between her and Bimbo. She asks him if he is okay when they enter the forest and has a scared look on his face.
Displays of affection also play an important role. The flower covers its eyes and then buries itself in the ground when it sees Betty Boop dancing. In addition, at the end of the clip, she and Bimbo appear to kiss, yet the view is obstructed from view by an object. These two examples support the idea that displays of affection were not tolerated at that time, regardless of gender. Also, the tribe appears to be all male and are perceived as being aggressive and not kind. Yet, you do not hear them talk which means they were thought of as being not smart.
Race also has a place in the clip. The tribe is dark skinned. This may have meant that they were thought of being barbaric because of their skin color. Once Bimbo changed his appearance, he was accepted into the tribe. He was now part of their culture and became normal to them. Because Betty Boop and Bimbo are lighter than the tribe, they were shown as being more educated, especially and ironically, Bimbo. He helped get them out of trouble when they were surrounded by the tribe, which, in this clip, means males are better at getting out of situations. He figures that if he puts the bone in his hair, the tribe will accept him. Furthermore, when he enters the boat he takes the oars and rows while she plays the music. This may mean that she is just a sidekick and can only do minimal jobs. I have to agree with Dan Gorchynsky when he states that the end scene can be seen as a racial conflict at that time. He is darker than she is. However, I am not sure that was the meaning behind it. I think that it was simply a matter of being forbidden because it was displaying affection in a public place and not based on race. This is supported by the example I gave before about the flower going in the ground because seeing her like that was taboo.
Erik Wagner
T.A. Steve Wetzel
I heavily disagree with the portrayal of the bamboo isle natives(blacks) and i use the word blacks because i believe the term African Americans is a racist over assumption. And the majority of black people really aren't black they're more brown, but if i say browns, people won't know what i'm talking about. Just like white people aren't white. Anyway, though I don't agree with the portrayal I feel as a people from a free nation I don't believe in censoring it. I just see it as i have the right to not watch, or to respond with action. I do however believe the portrayal of blacks as natives is horrific thing just as portrayals of irish as drunken bums, the Italians are still shown as ignorant peasants and gangsters, the Polish are still shown as less than intelligent, and lest not leave out all those buxom women in the cartoons. Let us leave racism out of it and review on the fact that it's a cartoon. Not unlike any other political satire of a time when people just couldn't get along. It's not gonna change unless people change. I believe we should just prove them wrong, do something different then just rant and rave. More opportunities are offered today than anytime in history.
Nicholaus brings intelligence to the table. most of the posts i read before his were very one dimensional. He made me realize i was just fuming from the FCC's restrictions of freedom. The increase in government control, and societies we can end racism if it's non- confrontational ideology. That's bullshit, it only creates closet racism and outbreaks of violence. We need to be forward about it. We need to educate instead of tip toe around the carpet this has tried to be swept under.
In the Betty Boop cartoon, Betty is seen as more of a sex object than a person. When Betty and Bimbo are in the canoe together he blatantly stares at her and her legs. At the end of the cartoon Betty does a provocative dance for the tribe and Bimbo’s viewing pleasure. On the basis of race, the cartoon paints the islanders as unintelligent because they are easily fooled by Bimbo painting his face with mud. The tribe is easily impressed with Bimbo and begins to worship him immediately because of his singing voice. They are also portrayed as being uncivilized, as they only grunt and make noises and wear grass skirts and bones in their hair.
I disagree with the thoughts that some of my classmates shared about how the kiss at the end between Bimbo and Betty was looked down upon because of the characters being of different race. I think that Betty asked if anyone was looking because she is portrayed as being demure and ladylike so Bimbo obliges and puts the umbrella over them.
Tanisha Richter
TA: David Witzling
1) I personally was surprised that the video didn't have gender play a bigger role in the actual story. It did have its moment but it wasn't as prominent as i was expecting it to be. however the samoans were potrayed as being almost savage like. This is what most people thought of that part of the world, they were able to have ceremonial dancing and carried spears and other weapons.
2) I found Sara Nesbitt's comment very interesting because I never did notice how little Betty Boop was featured in this video. She did have her one big moment but other than that scene she was really not as featured as she normally would have been. Maybe this was because she was a woman of color? It is interesting that when she is featured as a woman of color then her time featured on the video is shortened. This may be another result of the mentality at the time, most people believe that these Samoan civilizations were not as developed and advanced as other countries (Particulary the United States) So this may have been the easiest way for the creators to portray the Somoan civilization through stereotypes and generalization, It isn’t clear if this was intentionally portrayed like this to make it easier for the viewer to watch or if it was because that was how the people of the united states thought about other countries during that time period. Either way the racism and sexism is there whether intentional or not.
Nick Aldrich
TV Steve
The only thing that really it me as offensive was the fact that the natives thought of the "white" man as different and only liked him when he seemed to be the same. However when the dirt came off they all hated him. That to me shows the greatest amount of racism to me. Not even the main guy in the film was too racist. He was judgemental of the other natives because he ASSUMED that they wouldn't like him becasue of his skin color which is racist but he turned out to be right so can you blame him.
Next this cartoon is sxist because it portrays woman as merely something to look at and entertain you. which is not true.
I disagree when people say that the main cartoon is displayed as racist because he is merely creating a disguise to fit in and not get killed basically not because he sees them as dirty.
David Witzling
Eric Adolphson
The tribes in the 1932 Betty Boop cartoon, “Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle” are portrayed as savages that will attack any white character without any qualm. They are also rather easily deceived apparently as Bimbo can simply smear dirt on his face and that’s all he needs to convince them that he’s one of them. The cartoon also objectifies Betty Boop as a beautiful woman without a real personality, she’s just dances, sings, and looks pretty. Although she is generally portrayed as white or caucasion female she is altered to be a tribal woman from where ever the story takes place for the sake of the story.
I liked Kirk McCamish’s interpretation of Betty Boop’s role in the story. He claims that Betty holds the power in the situation as opposed to my view of he being objectified. He cites Bimbo’s obessesion over her as one of the main reasons as well as when Bimbo jumps into Betty’s arms so she can protect him. He did not go very in depth about the how the natives are portrayed, though he did agree with my viewpoint that they were easily deceived by Bimbo simply smearing his face with dirt to pass as a native
Nelson Schneider
TA: Kate Brandt
IN the cartoon, the natives all seem very stupid, like when the little character rubs dirt on his face they cant tell. And even in the little character rubbing dirt on his face to look like the other race in iteslf is racism. It says that the other tribe is just dirty looking and all you to do to look like them is rub dirt on yourself. Regarding Betty, in all of her other films, she is presented as white, but in this one she appears to b a native of this island. She is also wearing no top in this cartoon, the only thing that is blocking her breasts is a lay. This is raceist because it is making a stereotype of islanders, and what they wear.
I read Andrew Megow's interpretation of this cartoon and agreed with him on every level. I completely agree when he talks about how Betty was a sex icon in the 20s and 30s. This is also a important fact because that is why she is presented topless and then fits the male fantasy of a "sexy island babe" (Megow)
TA- Kate
1). In the 1932 Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle, race is depicted in the most stereotypical manner of the 1930’s. The indigenous people of the Pacific Islands, have darker skin tones and certain customs that were, of course unfamiliar to the Fleischer Brothers, the creators of Betty Boop. Like any stereotype, the Fleischer Brothers took the only knowledge that they had regarding the Native people of Hawaii and exaggerated it for entertainment purposes. Betty Boop is also presented in a stereotypical manner. As a attractive female, she is placed in the category of entertainer. The physicality of her body and attractiveness is presented as she Hula dances for the native tribe’s people of the animated Hawaiian island. Again, she is inconspicuously objectified. However, for the time period, her character is seen as sweet and her sexuality is seen as innocent.
2). Although Betty Boop personifies the female typecast of the time; she is not completely without appeal. Her character is trendy and fashionable. She is also confident and adventurous. She embodies many of the qualities of successful women, during any time period. Men see her as the ideal, with the body and advantageous personality. Women see her as someone who gets what she wants. In both cases, she is a sought after individual. The dynamics of her and Bimbo’s relationship is witty and comfortable. She recognizes his attraction to her and she employs as entertainment. Although Dan Gorchynsky presents a similar arguments to my own; recognizing that Betty Boop is a sexual character, his ideas provoked a counter argument to his and my own argument.
Betty Boop’s Bamboo Isle has some levels of racism and gender stereotype, even though the subject matter seems harmless enough. Betty, pictured as a native, is seen as an object of beauty, but not really much more. She dances seductively and it’s understood that her status as a sort of goddess exists only because of the way she looks. She’s an image of perfection, too good to be true for any standard, white or Samoan. These views of gender seem connected to the time though, as women were seen by many to have little purpose outside of pleasing and taking care of others. In regards to race, I had a similar observation with the mention of the 1933 King Kong. The natives in that film were portrayed as lower and not very smart, even silly as they mimicked what might have been a traditional dance. It’s a stereotype based on perception; what some people think natives must do, and not necessarily on truth. Similarly, the native Samoans with Betty Boop aren’t made to be intelligent. The accepted view of them at that time was tied to their ritual dancing. Another point with King Kong is the portrayal of women. Fay Wray, the leading actress, portrays a woman afraid of most everything, screaming for most of the film. She is defenseless and is in constant need of saving. This is a view that has certainly changed over the years. Betty Boop is an important figure because of the historical context we can now understand and analyze.
Cassie Hutzler
TA Steve Wetzel
The way in which race were portrayed in the film is somewhat appropriate. One is able to see the character differences of Betty Boop, Bimbo and the tribe. The tribe often came across in a way that emphasis cultural beliefs and traditions. The tribe perform their dances which are seen as just entertainment and fun by Betty Boop and Bimbo. The part in the film where Bimbo began to mimic the tribes way of dancing is important because it gives them some kind of respect in the long run. The film makes it clear that Betty Boop and Bimbo play the role of a tourist invading the space which belongs to the tribe. One is able to see the reactions of the tribe when they spot both Boop and Bimbo. Besides Betty Boops appearance as the perfect looking American girl, the interests that Boop and Bimbo have about the tribe and its land is similar to a typical American when one encounters a different world or lifestyle. I feel what Cassie says about the tribe being portrayed as non-intelligent is not as important in this short film. The films purpose in this short is too show what people think is attractive about 3rd world countries and tribes. The dancing is just a common attraction that is always used in the entertainment world to peek into the lives of others that survive in a uncivilized world. I believe there is more potent information not explored about the tribes lifestyle that can make them seem more intelligent or human like. In films like King Kong or this particular film the audience is only allowed to judge the tribes by how they catch their prey (food) or dance to attain their sanity. I feel there are many options one can explore or research to show that these people are intelligent just like any other group or race of people.
Dee Griffin
TA: David Wetzling
This short film basically sums up the general prejudices that are associated with race and gender. On one hand, we have Betty Boop, who is clearly the stereotypical fantasy-woman. She has long legs, long eye lashes, a pretty face and can belly dance very nicely. She has dainty aspects to her, a some what helpless feel. Obviously Bimbo is going to be attracted to her. I'm sure, given the times, this film wouldn't have been very accepted if Betty was an ugly, hard working, strong woman.
As for race, pretty much the same. The "darker", native race is shown to be slow-minded and barbaric. They are easily tricked up Bimbo, and proceed to play a lot of drums and partake in some random chanting. The fact that Bimbo is white, I'm assuming American, shows exactly what state our society was in during those times. Obviously Bimbo is going to be able to take advantage of the natives, and steal their prized girl along the way. I think we could compare this to the slave trade. Americans went to a foreign land and took their most worthy citizens for own personal gain, not once thinking about the consequences for the native island.
In response to Danny D’Acquisto's post...
He corrected another post that referred to the natives as "African-Americans", saying that they were in fact Samoan. Now, this is true, but to me, it's way besides the point. It doesn't matter where they are from or what culture they may actually live in. We can relate this film to any form of discrimination on one level or another, but definitely with the type of discrimination that occur(ed/s) in America. One thing he said is that even though the natives are presented with spears and shields and seem primitave, that doesn't mean it is racist, because they may actually live that way. But in response to that, I say that it is quite clear this film portrays that culture, however accurate it may be, as less important than Bimbo's culture.
Garrett Hopkins
TA Kate Brandt
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