Entry #10 Family Guy "Griffin Family HIstory"

Brian Gerker
Media Portfolio Entry #10
11-12-07

Family Guy “Griffin Family History”

1.Representation of the Item:

In the “Griffin Family History” The Griffin Family is trapped in a Panic Room because robbers came into their house. Peter then decides to tell the family their family history, from the evolution of dinosaurs to times of slavery to early 1900’s to World War II. Nate Griffin was a black slave, taken from Africa by a white poacher.


2. Intro and Why: Family Guy is a cartoon television series which tackles many big issues. In the episode titled “Griffin Family History,” one big issue that Family Guy writers take on is racism. As Nate Griffin, ancestor of the Griffin Family, is taken from his African tribe. Many other Africans are taken with him on a slave ship where they were all locked together. Nate Griffin is eventually put to work on a plantation where he is far underprivileged and falls in love with the white daughter of the plantation owner. The couple then live a secret life together and even have kids, but they are forced to run away when the plantation owner finds out about the slave and his daughter exclaiming they “will be thrown in jail.”
I chose this as a media item because Family Guy is one of my favorite televisions shows and they always confront major issues in their episodes. IN this particular episode they actually show stereotypes and privilege, but I am just going to concentrate on the racism and slavery issue.

3.Analysis: Family Guy is a hilarious television show that presents many of today’s controversial issues. The “Griffin Family History” in particular displays the problem of racism in early America. They show how Africans were taken from their homes and brought to America on slave ships and were forced to work on plantations. When the white man approaches Nate Griffin in Africa, Nate asks, “Hey, we have different colored skin, do you want to be equals?” The white man says nothing and throws a net over him and drags him off. This episode also gives an example of a slave falling in love with a white girl, and then both the slave and plantation owner’s daughter were both persecuted by the white plantation owner.
This relates to Howard Zinn’s “Drawing the Color Line.” In “Drawing the Color Line,” Zinn tells of how Africans were taken from their homes and brought to America by slave traders to work on plantations. This was a big issue in class discussion on how badly blacks were treated, and all because they had different colored skin. Family Guy shows a detailed example of how this happened.

4. Response: I think that Family Guy episodes could be used for class discussions. The “Griffin Family History” is just one example of how they attack big issues. Family Guy also offers stereotypes, of Asians, Germans, and Irish (for example), and also white privilege. Since Family Guy is one of my favorite shows, I have noticed that some things discussed in class are apparent in these shows.

Entry #9 Michael Richards Comedy Act

Brian Gerker
Media Portfolio Entry #9
11-12-07

Michael Richards in Stand Up

1.Representation of the Item:
Michael Richards, former “Kramer” from the Seinfeld series performs a stand up routine where he is heckled by a couple African-American guys. He then let’s them have it and throws out many words that are very offensive.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3RjiVcIlhY


2. Intro and Why: Michael Richards is one of the greatest comedian actors of the late 20th century. He is well known for his role as “Kramer” on the television series Seinfeld. After Seinfeld, he began doing stand up comedy and in one of his performances he became greatly juggled by some of the members of the audiences. A couple black males started to heckle him during his act. Having enough of it, Michael Richards let loose, throwing out many racial terms, the N word in particular. This also did not make the hecklers any less agitated, and then a huge conflict erupted. Richards made many controversial comments to the young men, and this huge argument also ended his act, as he walked off stage after the hecklers left.
I chose this as a media portfolio item because I am a fan of Michael Richards. After seeing so many of his Seinfeld episodes where he played the hilarious “Kramer,” I couldn’t believe this comedy act when I saw it. I thought his comments related well with some of our class discussions and therefore would be a good topic for this assignment.

3.Analysis: In his comedy act, Michael Richards called the hacklers N------s (to spare you the word) and stated that “fifty years ago [they] would have been tied down with a fork up their [you know the word].” This comment about them being tied down rpresents how racism still exists in America today. Also, Richards says these things with absolute fury in his voice, which sort of point out that he himself may have racist-like qualities. And the use of the N word alone is bad enough in today’s society because of what the word has come to represent, like racism and slavery. Also Richards later states, when the African-Americans are leaving and say “that was uncalled for,” that that is “what happens when you interrupt a white man.” In saying this, Richards is setting himself above them, announcing that white privilege allows him to say the things he says..
This situation relates to the movie Ethnic Notions, and Johnson’s “Privilege, Oppression and Difference.” Ethnic Notions showed images of hung black people, and referred to the N-word term. This relates to the comments the Richards made about them being N-----s and how they would have been tied up if they had interrupted him in society fifty years ago. His comments also relate to “Privilege, Oppression and Difference,” because “that is what happens when you interrupt a white man,” referring to white privilege Johnson talks about. He talked about how white people have access to special treatment because of their social rank. This situation which Richards created because of his act relates well to class discussion and how racism still exists today.

4. Response: I was shocked when I first saw this clip. I have always been a fan of Michael Richards, and thought he was a hilarious comedian. I love him in his role as “Kramer” and his one Tonight Show appearance as a fitness trainer. I could not believe that a man as prestigious as him could come up with something like this in his act. It is also sad to see that these racist type things are still in society in the 21st century.

Entry #8 Eminem's "White America"

Brian Gerker
Media Portfolio Entry #8
11-11-07

Eminem’s “White America”

1.Representation of the Item:

Lyrics by : Eminem
Link: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eminem/whiteamerica.html


2. Intro and Why: “White America” is a song that was written and performed by singer Eminem. In this song, Eminem explains how and why he is as renowned as he is. He explains that he is only in the position he is in because he is white, if he was black things would be different for him, as he says. The title itself could be very controversial, as white America could refer to a couple different things, depending on how you view it.
I chose this song as an item because I used to listen to Eminem all the time when I was in Junior High School. White America never really became one of my favorite songs but I am fairly familiar with it. After reading the lyrics I have found that this song represents a view of being black versus being white. Eminem is saying that since America is the way it is, he has prospered and benefited more because he is white than he would have if he was black.

3.Analysis: “White America” is a very strong media item to be used for analysis. The name of the song itself causes conflict. IN this song, Eminem raps about how he has benefited more in his career because he is white. He says “If [I[ were brown, Shady lose, Shady sits on the shelf.” And he says “look at my sales, let’s do the math, if I were black, I would’ve sold half.” These lines are saying that since he is white, not brown or black, he has sold more copies of his music. Because America likes whites more, Eminem is saying, he has profited more because the white people of America love him more. Also, if he were brown, essentially Mexican I’m guessing, he would be worthless, just sitting on a shelf not benefiting and not selling any records. He says in “White America” basically that he is taking advantage of white privilege, which is something we have discussed in class. This has been discussed because of Johnson’s “Privilege, Oppression, and Difference.” In this writing Johnson talks about how white people have certain advantages in society. For example a white man would get a better deal on a car than a black person would, because of privilege and their social rank among the people. Eminem is more or less explaining this same process in “White America.” He has simply gained more in profits and social status because he is white.

4. Response: Personally, I was pretty excited about this one. I used to be a huge Eminem fan when I was younger, but that fad sort of wore off for me. When I was younger and listening to the song I didn’t really think it meant anything, it was just a good song. But now, and after taking this class I see that he is actually saying how American has manipulated him into being a richer and more prestigious person than he could have been if his skin color was different. I never rally would have noticed anything beyond the title before but now after this class, I see that there are underlying issues to the lyrics.

Entry #7 My German-ness

Brian Gerker
Media Portfolio Entry #7
11-11-07

Stereotypes, Germans

1.Representation of the Item:

This item introduces a stereotype of a German person, and since I am German through my ancestry, I would like to tackle the stereotyping of this photo.



2. Intro and Why: This photo identifies a German person. As you may notice he is wearing the attire you would typically see a German or Irish person wearing in a movie or on television, or even in a picture like the one displayed. The man also appears a bit overweight giving him sluggish and rugged features. The main accessory as to the man’s inventory is the light brown mug of ale in his right hand. As many may know the German people are renowned for being able to consume large quantities of alcohol and practically love beer.
I chose this item because for the sake of the topic, I just Google searched stereotypes and this picture showed up. Since I have a German background, I thought this image was both relevant to me and our class material.

3.Analysis: This item clearly shows the stereotype of a typical German person. The German likes to wear the clothing that represents the wilderness, with it’s green and browns. Also the mug of beer is the huge kicker. As all people know, Germans and the Irish like to drink beer. That is what is shown everywhere that depicts Germans. They are always at a bar or an occasional event like Octoberfest. At least that is what is always seen on television, the movies, newspapers, magazines, and even talked about on the radio. This item also relates to the art work known as “The Faces of Cleveland.” This art work took the Cleveland Indians mascot Chief Wahoo and depicted the stereotypes of many types of people, like the Italian had a chef hat on, a Japanese man had squinted eyes, and a Mexican face wore a sombrero. There was also an Irish face shown as a drunk with very ragged features and the same hat that the German man has on in the photo I found. Being German by ancestry, I don’t get why Germans are seen as drinking all the time. I am German and I’m not any different than Joe or Bob or Jack, or even Mary in many ways. This picture shows many stereotypes that are absolutely relevant to class discussions.

4. Response: I personally do not really understand stereotypes given to people. How an Asian is smarter than everyone or an Italian is a great chef or that a French person is a good artist, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. All people are better in some areas and worse in others, it doesn’t matter who your ancestors are or what color of skin you have as to that matter. I love to cook but I’m not Italian. I do well in school but I’m not Asian. But of course, I’m German so I love beer.

Entry #6 Housing Discrimination, the Whispering Woods

Brian Gerker
Media Portfolio Entry #6
11-11-07

Housing Discrimination vs. FHA

1.Representation of the Item:
[Author Affiliation]
By Melody Deniece Moore
CHRONICLE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Indexing (document details)
Author(s): Melody Deniece Moore
Document types: General Information
Publication title: Michigan Chronicle. Detroit, Mich.: Sep 5-Sep 11, 2007. Vol. 70, Iss. 51; pg. A1, 2 pgs
Source type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 1346028711
Text Word Count 474
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1346028711&Fmt=3&clientId=3340&RQT=309&VName=PQD




2. Intro and Why: This article I found is one that shows housing discrimination against blacks. I found this article from Ethnic Newswatch, and it was published in the Michigan Chronicle. Over a fifteen year period it was found that the owner of a Livonia apartment complex did not lease apartments out to blacks. This company even left vacancies in some apartments in refusal of selling to blacks. They did not provide actual numbers but they said the ratio of selling to blacks and whites was greatly in favor of whites. Eventually, the owner of Whispering Woods Apartments was sued for discrimination, once the Fair Housing Commission got involved. They were sued in the amount of $725,000 which was dispursed to the United States government, and the 21 blacks that were discriminated against.
I chose this article because it relates to class discussions. We had a class in which we discussed the fairness in housing. Also we discussed the discrimination factor in not renting places to colored people. It relates to Wu’s article, where the FHA and GI Bills were introduced.

3.Analysis: This Media item relates to the Frank Wu article “Yellow.” In the Frank Wu article, Wu discussed the housing discrimination of blacks and Asians after World War II. After the war, returning GI,s needed to rent places to live. Often times, blacks and Asians would not be able to obtain housing because a white returning GI would get it before them. Thus, the Fair Housing Act was formed to prevent this discrimination. The Act states that “All persons, under the Fair Housing Act, have the right to obtain housing wherever they desire regardless of their race and without having to suffer discrimination.” However, in the Whispering Woods case, discrimination did happen. The lawsuit filed against them by the government was just in 2002. This article matches up very closely to what Wu presents. Blacks were discriminated against again, even after 60 years, and were treated unfairly in obtaining housing. This issue causes great concern. And it is terrible to see that an issue which was supposed to be solved 60 years ago still remains.

4. Response: In my beliefs, housing discrimination should never happen. Everyone needs a place to live, so let them. Also, since there are many laws and agencies that should stop housing discrimination, it is rather disappointing to see this still happening. At this point in time discrimination against colored people just should not be a part of society. The housing discrimination we learned about from Wu seemed bad enough after the war and all, so I would like to think that things should have completely changed after those issues.

Entry #5 Sergeant Major Johnson from Halo

Brian Gerker
Entry #5
11/11/2007

Sergeant Johnson, Halo’s Savage

1.Representation of the Item:

Sergeant Johnson Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hakAXRQj_1w
From the Halo video games, Sergeant Johnson is the only African-American in all three.


2. Intro and Why: Halo is a video game series which is set in the 26th century of human existence. In these games, humans have butted heads with an alien species, the Convenant. Also, the humans discovery that there are numerous Halos that exist across the galaxy and each of which are designed to eliminate all living beings, so it becomes up to the humans, and eventually the Covenant to destroy these rings before they are fired by a Covenant Prophet.
In these games, Sergeant Johnson, who is the only African-American character in the game is a Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. He is very brutal and just wants to blow up and kill everything that moves. When a human space craft was attacked by Covenant forces, Johnson told his marines that the he would “. . . rip [the Covenant’s] skulls from their spines, and toss ‘em away laughin.’” Throughout all three games, Johnson shows attitude toward nothing but fighting and slaughtering all of his enemies.
I chose Johnson because the Halo game series is one of my favorites. I have noticed while playing the game that he was the only black character, and also his attitude and brutality were a bit disturbing.

3.Analysis: One thing we have discussed in class that Johnson relates to is how blacks during and before the Civil War were looked at as being brutal, crazed savages. This is coming from I believe, the movie Ethnic Notions. In Ethnic Notions, they say that because of the slavery uprisings and revolts, white people spread about stereotypes that blacks were savage beasts because of this, and to keep them in line. Johnson clearly displays his brutal attitude as he wants to tear the Covanent apart, literally. The mere fact that he would “rip their spine form their skull” shows that Johnson has some savage instincts, and being that he is the only black person in the games, there is a clear under representation of the multi-cultured world we live in. It is obviously shown in Halo that Johnson is given savage-like qualities that match the stereotypes given to African-Americans in the 19th century.

4. Response: When I first played Halo I did not even realize that Sergeant Johnson displays qualities of the stereotypes that were given to blacks in the era of the Civil War. Our class material and discussions have opened my eyes to realize that even though it’s been around 150 years since these stereotypes were given, they still exist in society today. And since Halo is set in the 26th century, these stereotypes will apparently still exist even 500 years from now. I was a little shocked when I realized that one of my favorite video games mirrored something that we discussed in class.