Brer Rabbit

[sonia_dyer@hp.com]

     The characters are mimicking black people's speech and behavior - 
     which makes them seen as "black people" (although being rabbits etc.). 
     Is this in itself offending?
     
     My point is that the context the stories now would be published in (if 
     they were) is much different from the original context. Is it possible 
     for a child who reads the stories now, to see that they once pictured 
     a race of "lower value"?
     
     And in a similar way, "Hiawatha" stories (or any stories with Indians) 
     are banned in the US, just because Indians could be offended by seeing 
     comic characters mimicking Indians.
     
     It just doesn't make sense to me. I do understand that both black 
     Americans and Indians have a tough history behind them, but have this 
     weakened them to such extent that they can't bear to see a black or an 
     Indian comic character? I would appreciate an answer to this.
     
     
                Hi Jorgen-
     
          I understand your perspective.  Perhaps in another hundred years 
          the Brer Rabbit and Hiawatha stories can be told in the USA in 
          the original form, and be accepted in their historical context.  
          In the interim, while many members of a previously discriminated 
          against ethnic group may not be so "sensitive" about it, others 
          are.  One on-going example is the loud objections by some native 
          americans to American sports teams like the Braves or the Chiefs 
          being named in reference to indians, even though the names are 
          meant to imply courageous warriors. Similarly, in the original 
          Uncle Remus/Brer Rabbit stories, the rabbit was a very very 
          clever and inventive fellow.  Go figure!  I guess you have to 
          have walked a mile in their shoes for it to make sense.  I can 
          only say that the majority of my black friends still feel they 
          are discriminated against, just not as openly as in the past.  
     
                      Sonia