MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature

Portrayal of African Americans in the Media

Master‟s Diploma Thesis

Brno 2014

Supervisor: Author:

Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. Bc. Lucie Pernicová

Declaration

I hereby declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

...... Bc. Lucie Pernicová

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. for the patient guidance and valuable advice he provided me with during the writing of this thesis.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ...... 5 2. Portrayal of African Americans in Films and on Television ...... 8 2.1. Stereotypical Images and Their Power ...... 8 2.2. Basic Stereotypical Images of African Americans ...... 9 2.3. Stereotypical Film Portrayals of African Americans and the Arrival of the Talking Era ...... 12 2.4. Television Portrayals of African Americans ...... 14 2.4.1. The Increasing Importance of African American Viewers ...... 17 2.4.2. Contemporary Images of African Americans ...... 20 3. The Portrayal of African Americans on 30 Rock ...... 23 3.1. Meet the Jordan Family ...... 31 3.2. The Black Crusaders ...... 44 3.3. The Restrictions of the Entertainment Industry ...... 46 3.4. James and Tracy- “The Good” and “The Bad” ...... 51 4. Conclusion ...... 57 Summary ...... 61 Resumé ...... 62 Bibliography: ...... 63

1. Introduction

This Diploma thesis is concerned with stereotypical portrayals of African American

Americans in films and on television. Historically, African Americans have been assigned many stereotypical roles and many critics claim that “it is easy to still fit the vast majority of black media personalities today into these same old and well-defined categories” (Ginneken 110). Working with this assumption, the purpose of the thesis is to analyze the main African American characters on a contemporary comedy television series called 30 Rock (2006-20013) to discover in which ways the stereotyped images still survive today and to determine in which ways has the portrayal of African

Americans changed throughout time.

30 Rock is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from 2006 to 2013. It was created by Tina Fey who also stars in the comedy series as Liz Lemon, the head writer of a fictitious variety show which she created. Tina Fey has experience with creating a

TV comedy show since she formerly worked as a head writer and a cast member on

NBC‟s Saturday Night Live. 30 Rock provides its viewers with a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the fictitious variety show airing on NBC. The show takes place at

30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, the GE Building, where the NBC television network headquarters are situated, the name of the sitcom is derived from the address of the network‟s headquarters.

Tina Fey‟s character on 30 Rock, Liz Lemon, is in her mid-thirties and is a single woman who has no children and who is trying to “have it all” and to find time for her personal life. Liz is usually working long hours because she is responsible for a team of writers and for the cast of the fictitious comedy sketch show called The Girlie Show.

Liz‟s job is highly demanding as it is but she also has to cope with her new boss Jack

Donaghy (played by Alec Baldwin) who is the “Vice President of East Coast Television

5 and Microwave Oven Programming” and who hires a new staff member, an African

American actor and comedian Tracy Jordan (played by Tracy Morgan), who has bad reputation, into Liz‟s show and changes the show‟s name from The Girlie Show to TGS with Tracy Jordan (“Pilot”). Jack‟s decision to hire Tracy Jordan is unpopular with the current cast of the show as well as with the writers of the fictitious show and they all have to learn how to work together.

This comedy series was chosen for analysis in this Diploma thesis because it is a contemporary sitcom in which several African American characters are casted. Also, the focus of this thesis is put on the analysis of the dominant forces in popular entertainment—Hollywood production and broadcast television; therefore, this sitcom which aired on one of the biggest television networks represents a suitable material for the analysis. The analysis of 30 Rock in this thesis concentrates on selected episodes primarily from the first four seasons of the show.

The first chapter of the thesis provides a short historical outline of portrayal of

African Americans in early films and on television. The chapter at first aims to explain the power of stereotypical images and it introduces the basic stereotypical images of

African Americans, this section is supported by David Bogle‟s classification of five basic stereotyped images. The basic tendencies of filmmakers and television show makers to cast African Americans into very limited range of roles are discussed in this chapter. This chapter is also concerned with contemporary images of African

Americans and an explanation of why African American audiences are becoming increasingly important for producers of television shows, as well as for filmmakers and for advertisers is given.

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The focus of the following chapter shifts to the discussion of the portrayal of

African Americans on the comedy series 30 Rock. The ways in which this comedy series presents race and racial issues are commented on in this chapter. I claim that the series often demonstrates its awareness of the issues in its episodes. Consequently, the ways in which Tracy Jordan, the main African American character on 30 Rock, and his wife Angie Jordan fulfill the old stereotypical portrayals of African American men and women as well as the ways in which the series manages to move beyond these stereotypical portrayals are discussed. The Jordan family organization is also analyzed in the chapter. Furthermore, the only African American writer on the staff of the fictitious TGS is subjugated for an analysis in this chapter too. Tracy‟s and James‟ characters are compared and an explanation of why Tracy may be viewed as “bad” and

James as “good” by the dominant society are given. I argue that the series 30 Rock has vastly contributed to the discussion of the portrayal of African Americans on television.

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2. Portrayal of African Americans in Films and on

Television

2.1. Stereotypical Images and Their Power

Since the time of slavery in the United States, many stereotypes about African

Americans‟ behavior or abilities existed. According to some of the stereotypes, African

Americans possess negative personality traits—including stupidity, immorality, or dishonesty, and are low achievers (qtd. in Punyanunt-Carter 242). Early portrayals of

African American on television were influenced by these stereotypes and African

Americans have been portrayed in stereotypical roles.

It is vital to realize that stereotypes are dangerous because they are usually oversimplified and they “seldom correspond with the objective data” (Rinehart 137).

Moreover, several studies have shown that “stereotypes may arise without any basis in fact whatsoever” (138). Small children do not know the concept of stereotypes, they learn the meanings of stereotypes in interaction with others and the world around them

(140). Media represent a great part of the world around us and have the power “to shape and reshape the culture” (Entman, and Rojecki 3). The images media present have a vast influence on peoples‟ attitudes and their feelings towards minority groups; this claim is supported by Ford who asserts that “Television portrayals of African- Americans […] have been shown to influence whites‟ perceptions of those groups” (Ford 266). When

African Americans are portrayed as possessing negative qualities, it has a negative impact on the way the dominant society members see them. According to Entman and

Rojecki “the mass media convey the impressions [...] that Blacks are somehow fundamentally different from Whites” (6). Entman and Rojecki further claim that

“Whites expect the typical Black, if not a criminal, to be a member of the serving class”

(62). These negative expectations have their basis in the stereotypical media portrayals

8 of African Americans. The result of the negative images media present is that “African

Americans […] appear more threatening, less sympathetic than Whites” (94).

2.2. Basic Stereotypical Images of African Americans

A film historian David Bogle identified five basic stereotypical film roles of African

Americans in his book Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretative

History of Blacks in Films (2001). Bogle asserts that the five stereotypical roles: the tom, “the coon, the tragic mulatto, the mammy, and the brutal black buck. All were character types used for the same effect: to entertain by stressing Negro inferiority”

(Bogle 4).

The Tom characters are obedient and always do what is best for their masters, toms “keep the faith, n‟er turn against their white massas, and remain hearty, submissive, stoic, generous, selfless, and oh-so-very kind. Thus they endear themselves to white audiences and emerge as heroes of sorts” (6). Toms work perfectly for the system of racial domination because they do not question their position in the society, they are aware of their “„natural” inferiority” and are always willing to serve (qtd. in

Riggs).

Another stereotypical image is the coon which presented the African Americans

“as amusement object[s] and black buffoon[s]” (7). The main character traits of the pure coons were unreliability, craziness, and laziness1 (8). By portraying African Americans as lazy and unreliable, there was enough justification for the dominant society that

African Americans should remain in their subordinate position because they need

1 Images portraying African American men as “care free and irresponsible” and as “simple, docile, [and] laughing” men who were “quick to avoid work while reveling in the easy pleasures of food, dance and song” and whose lives were those of “child-like contentment” were called “the Sambo” and were popular in early 1900‟s songs and “became one of the classic portrayals of black men in film” (qtd. in Riggs).

9 supervision. These images suggested that African Americans cannot make it on their own since they are good-for-nothing. According to Bogle, there are two variants of the pure coon characters, the picaninny and uncle remus (7). The picaninny are child characters, they are “harmless, little screwball creation[s]” (7). These “brute caricatures of black children […] showed them as victims. Victims who evoked- not sympathy- but the feeling that blacks were subhuman […] there was a need to imagine black children as animal-like, as savage” (qtd. in Riggs). Uncle remus characters may be characterized as “harmless and congenial” and they distinguish themselves from the tom characters

“by [their] quaint, naïve, and comic philosophizing” (Bogle 8).

The tragic mulatto characters were female characters which were very likeable and popular “because of [their] white blood” (9). However, they usually ended up tragically and died because of the sin they bear with them- the mixing of races.

Different types of stereotypical female characters, according to Bogle, are the mammy characters and aunt jemina characters. A mammy is very independent and bossy and “is usually big, fat, and cantankerous” (9). Aunt jemina is “mammy‟s offshoot” and she is “sweet, jolly, and good-tempered—a bit more polite than mammy and certainly never as head strong” (9).

The last of the basic characters, the brutal black buck, was introduced in The

Birth of a Nation (1915). This film uses the “blackface” practice2; there are two main

African American characters in the movie, Silas Lynch and Gus who are both played by

2 The “blackface” characters emerged in minstrel shows, which were “a type of musical comedy variety show[s] that featured white actors impersonating blacks” (Benshoff, and Griffin 79). The first such character was brought to theatres in the late 1820‟s by T.D. Rice who “saw a crippled black man dancing an exaggerated Jim Crow dance” and who “took the man‟s tattered clothes and that night imitated him on stage.” This image was not a true image, “it was a devastating image” but it appealed to the audiences and it marked the beginning of the minstrel tradition which “emerged as America‟s first form of national popular entertainment” (qtd. in Riggs). The first “blackface” African American character appeared on screen in 1903 rendition of Uncle Tom‟s Cabin and the blackface practice continued to be popular during the silent films era (Bogle 3).

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Caucasian actors in blackface (Benshoff, and Griffin 80). This film was very effective

“at inciting hatred for blacks” (79). This film “was denounced as the most slanderous anti-Negro movie ever released” (Bogle 10). It portrays African Americans as “lazy, vicious, and rapacious” (Benshoff, and Griffin 80). Bogle divides the brutal black buck characters in this film into two categories: the black brutes and the black bucks (13). He claims that the “differences between the two are minimal. The black brute was a barbaric black out to raise havoc. Audiences could assume that his physical violence served as an outlet for a man who was sexually repressed” and the “bucks are always big, baadddd niggers, over-sexed and savage, violent and frenzied as they lust for white flesh” (13-14).

The black brute characters portrayed in The Birth of a Nation “articulated the great white fear that every black man longs for a white woman” (Bogle 14). The film also served as a justification of slavery. As Bogle asserts The Birth of a Nation “made it appear as if slavery had elevated the Negro from his bestial instincts” (13). Slaves are portrayed as happy and contented with their position and slavery is presented as a desirable state for African Americans because a “Negro as a naïve figure [is] incapable of comprehending the social dynamic of the world in which he or she lives” (13). The

Birth of a Nation was “used for decades as a recruiting tool by the Ku Klux Clan” and was “perceived by some as documentary truth and not manipulative Hollywood fiction”

(Benshoff, and Griffin 79). Benshoff and Griffin further claim that “even President

Woodrow Wilson, mistaking fiction for actuality, allegedly said it was „like writing history with lighting‟” (79-80). President Wilson‟s quotation is a reminder of how powerful the effect of images people watch on screen can actually be (80).

Stereotyped images of African Americans in films and on television served to ensure the maintenance of the menial position of African Americans in the American

11 society. These controlling images of African Americans were “designed to oppress” both African American women and men (Collins 118). As Bell Hooks claims: “control over images is central to the maintenance of any system of racial domination” (Black

Looks: Race and Representation 2). The stereotypical images worked well for the system of racial domination because they presented African Americans “as either a nitwit or a childlike lackey” (Bogle 4). None of these images did anything which would harm the system of racial domination because none of them seriously criticizes or tries to change the system, they work perfectly for the dominant society because these images “reinforce the status quo” in the society (Larson 29).3

2.3. Stereotypical Film Portrayals of African Americans and the

Arrival of the Talking Era

African American actors were presented with more roles during the talking era4 of the film industry than in the silent era. The talking era brought “music, rhythm […] singing, dancing, [and] clowning” into movies and the increase of parts for African Americans in the era of sound is based, according to Bogle, on the popular “American myth” which suggests that African Americans are very “rhythmic” and “musical” (26).

However, although the number of parts was increasing, the quality of the representation was not as African American actors were casted only into certain roles and under the supervision of the dominant society members. These representations of

African American culture could in no way be considered valid representations (Bogle

27). During 1930‟s African Americans were presented mainly as domestic servants (35).

3 Even businesses made profits from the public‟s affection for the stereotypical images of African Americans as African Americans appeared on various product labels ranging from pancakes, beans, syrup, tobacco, oysters, or different home decorative items (qtd. in Riggs). 4 The talking era in film industry started with the release of The Jazz Singer (1927), which is a film that makes use “of the minstrel tradition at its sentimentalized, corrupt best” (Bogle 26).

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The reinforcement of the Production Code5 in 1934 led to fewer African

Americans being casted in Hollywood films (Benshoff, and Griffin 82). The Motion

Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, was adopted in 1930; it was believed that it is vital to supervise the content of movies which were made because the entertainment industry has a great influence on the nation‟s life. One of the general principles of the Code was that: “No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.” Amongst particular applications belonged that: “miscegenation (sex relationships between the white and black races) is forbidden” (qtd. in Bynum). Hollywood producer tried “to get past the Code‟s miscegenation taboo;” therefore, a Caucasian actress, Jeanne Crain, was casted to play a light-skinned African American woman who is in a relationship with a Caucasian man in Pinky (1949) (Benshoff, and Griffin 86). Several other films casted Caucasian actors and actresses with dark make-up on to play African American roles, this practice can also be observed in The Imitation of Life (1959) for instance.

American cinema and television helped maintain dominant cultural attitudes since it “for the most functions under the dominant ideology of white patriarchal capitalism” (Benshoff, and Griffin 78). Early movies did not reinforce critical commentary on race and most films produced with all African American casts during the classical period in Hollywood (1930-1945) “were produced, written, and also directed by white men” who tended to present a “romanticized” vision of African

American lives and culture, these films were filled with the stereotyped characters “now commonly viewed as derogatory” (84).

Throughout the 1940s the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement

5 The Production Code was forced on Hollywood by The Legion of Decency (Ginneken 110).

13 of Colored People) “and other concerned groups petitioned Hollywood […] to make more diverse, less stereotypical representations of African Americans” which did not prove to come on solid ground because films which portrayed African Americans as happy and docile servants continued to be made (Benshoff, and Griffin 85).

2.4. Television Portrayals of African Americans

Television as a new communication medium won over the USA in the 1950s (Benshoff, and Griffin 90). In the early part of the decade African American actors and actresses were casted in supporting roles in several shows and again “played only certain roles, genres, and stories” (Larson 24).

First television sets were available in department stores in the United States in

1938 (Black, and Jennings 320). At its beginnings, the medium of television was seen as an educational and informational device and was supposed to make it possible for its audiences to see all the true diversity that exists in the United States through the images which appear on the television screen (Johnson 166-7). The Communication Act of

19346, which was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and which created the

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)7, was supposed to ensure that broadcast television stations would be “licensed based on their service in the best interests of the public that each served” (Johnson 166-8). Nevertheless, television grew “faster than the

FCC could regulate it” (Black, and Jennings 322). Television became a market-driven medium and it “often appears to value only the audiences and interests that are the most

6 The Communications Act “regulates U.S. telephone, telegraph, television, and radio communications” (Justice Information Sharing). 7 FCC is an independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress and it “regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories” (Federal Communications Commission).

14 profitable— generally representing a narrower audience of middle-class and upper middle-class urban professionals who are predominantly white” (Johnson 168).

African American “characters who populated the television world of the early

1950s were happy-go-lucky social incompetents who knew their place and whose antics served to amuse and comfort culturally sanctioned notions of whiteness, especially white superiority and paternalism” (Gray 75). The most popular show with all-African

American cast in the 1950s was Amos „n‟ Andy (CBS, 1951-3). The show was an adaptation of a popular radio show which was created by two Caucasian comedians

Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll who imitated African Americans on their show

(Benshoff, and Griffin 90). When the show moved from radio to television, African

American actors were hired and Amos „n‟ Andy became the first prime-time program with all-African American cast (Johnson 177). The African American actors hired for the parts on the show “had to be coached to act stereotypically and to speak with heavy dialects like the whites who had mocked them on radio” (Larson 24). The show showcased negative stereotypes about African Americans but was “hugely popular among both white and black audiences of the early 1950s” (Benshoff, and Griffin 90).

The critics of the Amos „n‟ Andy show also claimed that it “misrepresented the lives of

African Americans by portraying the central characters as buffoons” (Johnson 177-8).

Victoria Johnson further asserts that the characters on the show “were disempowered in relation to dominant cultural ideology. Seen as incapable of attaining the American

Dream, African American characters in early television comedy stood as symbols of what not to do and be” (172).

It was only during the 1960s and 1970s when television shows began to integrate

African American characters into their casts and “television became more aware of race and racial issues” (Benshoff, and Griffin 90). New images of African Americans began

15 to appear on television. The so-called “black and white buddy”8 shows also started to appear on television screens, I Spy (1965-8)9 introduced Bill Cosby and Robert Culp as international street agents (90). Another new image of African Americans can be observed in modern situational comedy Julia (1968-71) which introduced the first central African American female character. This show “entered into a dialogue with a larger social and cultural struggle over „what it meant to be black‟ and „what it meant to be white‟ at the end of 1960s in America” and the social and cultural issues which Julia dealt with created a great tension in the USA (Johnson, 174).

A wider range of African American characters on television came with Norman

Lear‟s shows, such as Good Times (1974-9), or The Jeffersons (1975-85). These shows

“dealt with topical issues” (Benshoff, and Griffin 90). The premiere of the television mini-series Roots in 1977 is considered “by far the most important television event of the 1970s centering on America‟s understanding of race” (90). The broadcast of Roots became a “national event watched by millions of Americans. The compelling drama put a human face on the tragedy of slavery, and afforded Americans the chance to contemplate the terrible institution” (90-91).

However, after Roots, the images of African Americans are said to have dropped and seemed to be of a much lower quality again. Many shows with African American casts were canceled on television or were scheduled at wrong viewing times. There was a great demand for programmes which would offer characters to which African

Americans could relate (qtd. in Beacham). The change came in the 1980s when The

Cosby Show (1984-92) was created by Bill Cosby who expressed his disappointment with the former representations of African Americans on television:

8 The “buddy” practice also translated into films. In the “buddy” films African American actors “played side kicks to the white males in 1980s detective stories and to white women in 1990s.” (Larson 24). 9 The first African American couple kissing each other on television was seen on I Spy in 1967, they were Bill Cosby, Jr. and Janet MacLachan (Larson 29).

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Run down what you saw of black people on TV before the Huxtables. You had

Amos „n‟ Andy, one of the funniest shows ever, people say. But who ever went to

college? Who tried for better things? In Good Times, J.J. Walker played a

definite underachiever. In Stanford & Son, you have a junk dealer living a few

thousand dollars above the welfare level. The Jeffersons move uptown. He owns

a dry-cleaning store, lives in an integrated neighborhood. Where are the social

writings about this? (qtd. in Gray 80).

The Cosby Show presented new images of African Americans as it centers on a modern upper-middle-class professional family. Herman Gray claims that “Under Bill Cosby‟s careful guidance the show quite intentionally presented itself as a corrective to previous generations of television representations of black life” (80).

2.4.1. The Increasing Importance of African American Viewers

In the late 1980s, a change in demographics occurred when the Fox Network was launched by Rupert Murdoch‟s News Corporation. This resulted in “The Big Three” television networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC10 experiencing a decline in viewership

(Johnson 176). The reason why “The Big Three” networks experienced a decline in viewership is that “the Fox Network built up its audience by targeting typically underserved viewers—particularly, youth and urban African American audiences”

(176). This change meant that the “Commercial television network executives, program makers, and advertisers were forced to define their audiences ever more precisely in terms of demographic characteristics such as income, class, race, gender, and age”

(Gray 58).

10 ABC, CBS, and NBC are called “Three major networks” because they “have dominated commercial television” (Black, and Jennings 324).

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The television networks and advertisers are deeply interested in obtaining the information about “who is watching” the show, whether the people watching the show also “watch the commercials” and whether they are willing to actually buy “the products which are being advertised” (Black, and Jennings 332). TV ratings represent a vital part of the making of television shows because larger audiences guarantee larger amounts of money from the advertisers. Ratings represent a kind of feedback for television networks as well as for the advertisers because they measure “the effectiveness of product consumption” (329). Ratings originated already in the early days of radio when there was a demand for measuring audience acceptance. The firm which dominates television ratings research nowadays is the A.C. Nielson Media

Research Group. It is important to note that “Nielsen research is not perfect; for example, the Rocky Mountain states have long been underrepresented, out-of-home viewing is weakly represented, and a lower frequency of compliance by minority viewers typically requires tenuous statistical adjustments” (329). Nielson‟s ratings use different methods of collecting data, they are audiometer, diary and People Meters. All of these methods have their restrictions too (330). Nevertheless, there are billions of dollars invested in advertising time and the amounts money spent on advertising time are based on the Nielsen ratings and Nielsen‟s “measurements are accepted as valid by the networks” (329). When, for example, “Market surveys revealed that black people buy more Pepsi than other soft drinks […] suddenly we see more Pepsi commercials with black people in them” (Black Looks: Race and Representation 28).

The television industry has become aware of the fact that African American audiences are “ready-made, already organized, and exploitable market niche” (qtd. in

Gray, 67). African American audiences are becoming increasingly important for the television networks and the advertisers according to a report published by Nielsen in

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2013: “With a current buying power of $1 trillion […] the importance of connecting with African-American consumers is more important than ever” (The Nielson

Company). The study also claims that African Americans are “more aggressive consumers of media and they shop more frequently” (The Nielson Company). African

Americans therefore represent very significant demographics and the networks as well as advertisers should take their needs and interests into consideration more than ever before.

African American culture has become appropriated by the dominant society and has become highly profitable, Scott and Shade claim that “the current absorption with black culture is most dramatically displayed in the extensive borrowing by „African

Americanized‟ white teenagers of the alternative styles of music, speech, and dress associated with the black youth street culture of rap music, graffiti, and breakdancing known as „hip-hop‟” (12). The hip-hop culture has earned an extensive economic success in the USA and it reaches a wide spectrum of audiences. Caucasian suburban adolescents who “are known as „mall rats‟ […] provide the largest audience for hip-hop music and economically sustain its existence” (12). The so-called “„gangsta‟ ghetto look and lyrics […] sell well among the youth of all colors when properly packaged” (12).

Hip-hop has expanded into various types of media, including movies, television, video games, advertising, or merchandizing.

Even though some elements of the African American culture have had a great impact on the mainstream culture and have become highly profitable, the struggle for accurate and complex representation of African Americans in the film industry and on television continues. Many critics claim that “although the quantity of African

American representations on television has increased, the quality of these images has not” (qtd in. Punyanunt Carter 241). A filmmaker Spike Lee criticizes the way African

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Americans are depicted in films and on television. Lee “wrote and directed Bamboozled

[2000] in response to what he felt was the ongoing racial stereotyping of and institutionalized discrimination against African Americans within the US television industry” (Benshoff, and Griffin 98). According to Spike Lee, “the same old” stereotypes or caricatures portraying African Americans as the “noble savage” or the

“happy slave” are still being recreated (qtd. in Gonzales). Bell Hooks is concerned about American viewers and she asserts that “Many audiences in the United States resist the idea that images have an ideological intent. This is equally true of black audiences”

(Black Looks: Race and Representation 5). She further claims that most African

Americans “do not want to think critically about why they can sit in the darkness of theatres and find pleasure in images that cruelly mock and ridicule blackness” and insists that African Americans “have learned to cherish hateful images of

[themselves]”(6).

2.4.2. Contemporary Images of African Americans

Herman Gray in his book Watching Race: Television and the Struggle for “Blackness”

(1995) suggests that “contemporary images of African Americans are anchored by three kinds of discursive practices” (84). He calls these practices assimilationist (invisibility), pluralist (separate but equal), and multiculturalist (diversity).

The assimilationist television discourses are those which “treat the social and political issues of black presence and racism in general as individual problems,” these discourses marginalize the social and cultural difference and make it appear that everyone is universally similar. These programs, according to Gray, “erase the histories of conquest, slavery, isolation, and power inequalities, conflicts, and struggles for justice and equality” (85). They also promote color blindness and racial invisibility, the

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African American characters on these programs accept the dominant society‟s ideals and are separated from the African American social life and culture (85-86). According to

Larson, this is a very common practice since “filmmakers assume their black characters don‟t need cultural background or references” (24). African American “characters are usually shown in the context of their relationship with whites rather than with each other” and the African American characters tend to “appear „raceless‟” (25). Gray names some of the programs which belong to this discourse, they are, for example,

Designing Women, L.A. Law, Night Court, or The Golden Girls (85).

The pluralist “discourses situate black characters in domestically centered black worlds and circumstances that essentially parallel those of whites.” In these programs, the African American characters find themselves in the same “situations, and conflicts as whites except for the fact that they remain separate but equal” (87). These shows

“seldom, if ever, critique or engage the hegemonic character of (middle-class construction of) whiteness, or for that matter, totalizing constructions of blackness”

(88). Gray put programs such as Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Jeffersons, or What‟s

Happening!!, into this category (87).

The last but not least, there is the multiculturalist discourse to which belongs

The Cosby Show, Franks‟s Place, or South Central. According to Gray: “The Cosby

Show constructed black Americans as the authors of and participants in their own notion of America and what it means to be American.” The multiculturalist shows provide more complex representations of African American life (89). These programs also

“represent questions of diversity within blackness more directly, explicitly, and frequently, and as central features of these programs” and “the experience of otherness that derives from subordinate status and social inequality are recognized, critiqued, and commented on” (91). I would suggest that the television series 30 Rock, which is

21 analyzed in this thesis, belongs to the multiculturalist discourse as well, reasons for this suggestion are discussed in more detail in the following chapter.

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3. The Portrayal of African Americans on 30 Rock

30 Rock, based on Hermann Gray‟s classification of contemporary images of African

Americans, belongs to the multiculturalist discourse because this television series questions and comments on the position of African Americans in the society and their representations on television. The issues of racism, discrimination, or white guilt are examined in the series. African American characters on the show are not one- dimensional as the show manages to present varied African American characters who are shown in the context of their relationships to each other as well as in their relationships to other non-African American characters on the show. The series does not practice the “separate but equal” policy as the characters learn how to co-exist and how to get along with each other.

Tracy Jordan, the main African American character on the show, is not separated from the African American social and culture and is shown in the context of his community. Tracy is always followed by his entourage, which is comprised of his two childhood friends Grizz and Dot Com. Tracy also regularly attends his African

American friends‟ parties, he leads a very active social life and is even hosting hip-hop music awards, The Source Awards, in one of the episodes of the first season of the show. Tracy is also not excluded from socializing with his work colleagues, he and the staff of TGS meet every week for drinks on an occasion they call the “Thursday Night

Thunder” (“Khonani”). In this way, 30 Rock‟s African American characters distinguish greatly from the assimilationist or the pluralist discourses.

Although the head writer on the fictitious TGS Liz Lemon states that “You can‟t do race stuff on TV” because “It‟s too sensitive,” (“Rosemary‟s Baby”) racism, together with white guilt, are commented on in the series on various occasions and neither are

23 they treated as invisible nor are they viewed only as an individual problem. The head writer of TGS Liz Lemon is called racist on numerous occasions on the show. She is called racist by her former boyfriend Denis in The Break-Up episode in season one, for example, when Dennis tells Liz a story of how his cousin Teddy was “running from some black guys who pulled a gun on him” and Liz assumes that the “black guys”

Dennis is talking about were muggers, while they actually were police officers. Liz‟s assumption that the muggers were African American demonstrates the series‟ awareness of misrepresentation of African Americans on television. Entman and Rojecki explain that only a limited range roles is assigned to African Americans, these roles include

“crime and sports” (8). Also, African Americans are prevalent in crime news on television. This prevalence makes African Americans look more dangerous than the

Caucasians (94). Therefore, Liz‟s suspicion about the role the “black guys” played in

Dennis‟ story is a sign of media‟s influence on people and of how easy it is to make stereotypical assumptions.

Liz Lemon‟s inclination to believe what she watches or reads is revealed in an episode in which she comes to an assumption that Tracy Jordan is illiterate. Liz blames the educational system in the United States for Tracy‟s illiteracy because of an article she thinks she read. She states: “We spend all this money in Iraq, but meanwhile, our inner-city graduation rates are lower than they are in the Sudan. That doesn‟t sound right. Maybe it was Sweden. Maybe it was teen pregnancy. I gotta read more.” Liz‟s statement manifests how quickly can people misinterpret the information the media send them and it also projects the feelings of guilt among Caucasians for the treatment of African Americans when Liz blames “the system” for their misfortunes (“Jack-Tor”).

Tracy Jordan, offended by Liz‟s assumption that he cannot read, manages to take the situation into his advantage and pretends that he in fact is illiterate and exploits Liz‟s

24 white guilt. According to Julie Ellison, “White guilt and liberal guilt emerged as synonymous terms during the civil rights movement” (345). It comes from the assumption that “White Americans know that their historical advantage comes from the subjugation of an entire people” (qtd. in Ellison 351). This guilt can be felt by

Caucasian people for the treatment of African Americans in the past. White guilt is associated with the “beliefs in the existence of White privilege, greater estimates of the prevalence of discrimination against Blacks, and low prejudice against Blacks” (Swim, and Miller 500). Liz, as a Liberal, clearly feels some responsibility for Tracy‟s lack of education and Tracy lets her do so. Liz Lemon tends to think about herself as an unprejudiced citizen but it is proven to be the opposite on numerous occasions on the show.

Liz‟s view on white guilt is that it should “be used only for good, like over- tipping and supporting Barack Obama” (“Jack-Tor”). But her white guilt is being exploited and turns against her again when an African American man, Steven Black, with whom Liz is on a date, calls her racist. Liz does not think that her and Steve would make a good match because both of them have very different interests and tastes and when she tries to tell him so, he pulls off “the race card” and tells Liz that he understands the real reason she does not want to go out with him again is that he is

African American. Although this is not true, Liz feels offended by Steven‟s statement and agrees to see Steve again out of her white, or liberal guilt. Liz and Steve‟s following date ends in a disaster and Liz does not want to feel bad for not wanting to see him anymore so she explains to him that she does not like him “as a human being” and that the color of his skin has nothing to do with it (“The Source Awards”).

30 Rock‟s discussion of racism is quite complex. The series is not blind to the fact that racism is still alive in the USA, as it is stated in the series “Race is a huge issue

25 in this country” (“The Source Awards”). When Barack Obama‟s Presidential candidacy is talked about, the female star of TGS, Jenna Maroney asks Liz Lemon about Obama‟s ethnicity: “Obama, what is he? Hispanic?” and Liz informs Jenna that he is an African

American to which Jenna answers: “And he‟s running for President? Good luck” (“Hard

Ball”). This scene demonstrates the series‟ characters‟ awareness of racial attitudes in the United States. Entman and Rojecki comment on the position of African Americans in the US society and they state that although materially the position is definitely better,

“Politically, Blacks are depicted as sources of disruption, as victims, or as complaining supplicants” (3-8). And 30 Rock is not promoting color blindness or racial invisibility and deals with the issue of racial attitudes in its episodes.

In Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter episode of the fourth season, the effect of

Obama‟s Presidency on racial relations in the USA is questioned when Tracy Jordan blames Obama‟s Presidency for bringing the “old-school racism” back. This statement is considered illogical by an African American writer on the show who asks Tracy

“How can racism be back when we elected a black president?” Consequently, a conclusion is made that the old-school racism is back because “white people no longer feel sorry for [African Americans]” (“Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter”). No longer feeling sorry for them, the Caucasians can openly start criticizing African Americans without feeling guilty about it11.

Tracy Jordan is right in his assumption that Obama‟s presidency did not end racism in the United States. Barack Obama‟s Presidency was considered to be a great success as 43 percent of Caucasian voters voted for him, no other Democratic candidate

11 Entman and Rojecki make a similar remark about the effect of The Cosby Show. They contend that the Cosby family‟s success had the dominant society members thinking that if some African Americans are unsuccessful, they only have themselves to blame because The Cosby Show sent the message that African Americans “could actually make it if they worked hard enough” (146).

26 received more votes since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 (Wise 9), and many people believed that Obama‟s election would end the “systemic racial discrimination and profound inequity of opportunity” (8). However, according to Tim Wise, an American anti-racist writer and activist, the opposite is true because Obama‟s election “signal[s] the emergence of an altogether new kind of racism” which he calls “Racism 2.0” (9). In

Wise‟s view, Obama‟s Presidency cannot be looked on as ending racism because the

President is viewed as an exception, Wise explains that Barack Obama is viewed “as having „transcended‟ [his] blackness in some way” (9). Wise‟s “Racism 2.0” is described as a “form that allows for and even celebrates the achievements of individual persons of color, but only because those individuals generally are seen as different from a less appealing, even pathological black or brown rule” (9). This statement supports the idea that many African Americans are still considered inferior to the members of the dominant society; therefore, a similarity between Tracy Jordan‟s and Tim Wise‟s statements can be found. Wise also claims that “Obama has issued a challenge for black folks to be more responsible for the problems in their communities” (12) which is a statement similar to Tracy‟s utterance he made about Caucasians no longer feeling sorry for African Americans.

Affirmative action, the practice to include more minority groups in the workplace, is commented on in the series as well. The only African American writer on the staff of the fictitious TGS, James Spurlock, has suspicion that his presence on the staff is tokenism12 because his pay checks are of a different color than other writers‟.

His suspicion turns to be right when the head writer of the show tells him that his

“salary does not come out of [the show‟s] budget” and that James “provides[s] a point

12 Tokenism is also a common practice in films, non-Caucasian characters are placed “into a film in order to deflate any potential charge of racism. Token characters can often be found in small supporting roles that are peripheral to the white leads and their stories” (Benshoff, and Griffin 52).

27 of view that is essential to keeping the diversity guy from bothering [the show]” (“Lee

Marvin vs. Derek Jeter”). James is outraged about this revelation because he believed that his presence on the show‟s writing staff was based on his abilities and talents, not on his ethnicity. According to Wise, African Americans “have long worried about being tokenized” (11). James‟ outrage and his decision to quit the show are therefore understandable because he as a Harvard graduate should not be working in a position which only serves to ensure that the diversity quotes are fulfilled. Liz Lemon, the head writer on the fictitious TGS, undermines the issue and views affirmative action in a positive light until she herself discovers that the network chose to produce her Girlie

Show only to repair its reputation after the airing of an action drama series called Bitch

Hunter which was followed by a wave of criticism from feminist groups. Liz comes to understand the real meaning of affirmative action and feels that she should not be on the show because she did not actually earn her place and is now able to understand why

James felt offended (“Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter”).

African Americans‟ political preferences are commented on in the series as well when Jack Donaghy tries to persuade Tracy Jordan to vote for the Republican Party and to become a celebrity face of the GOP. Tracy agrees to do so at the beginning but realizes that he would “be turning [his] back on [his] people to support it” and that

African Americans “are gonna always vote Democtat[s]” (“Subway Hero”). The reality in the United States is that African Americans have been and still remain identifiers of the Democratic Party (qtd. in Mangum). One of the reasons why African Americans do not identify with the Republican Party may be that the New Right helped in deepening the stereotyped images of African Americans. According to Gray “the new right‟s strategy [was] constructing the representation of „blackness‟ as threat and menace and

28 therefore undeserving of state-protected entitlements” (30). Therefore, African

Americans‟ identification with this party‟s policies is not common.

30 Rock kept holding the mirror to the hypocrisy of the society when the series kept bringing up racial issues. The history of slavery is not erased in the series, it is brought up for a discussion when Tracy Jordan discovers that he is Thomas Jefferson‟s descendant. During slavery, “Rape was a common method of torture slavers used to subdue recalcitrant black women” (Ain‟t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism 18) and on 30 Rock, it is not denied that sexual intercourse between Caucasian slave owners and African American slaves was a common practice. Thomas Jefferson is described in the series as the Caucasian man who “was into black chicks” (“Fireworks”).

30 Rock enters into a debate of what it really means to be Caucasian or African

American when Tracy‟s DNA test reveals that he is “genetically mostly white”

(“Fireworks”). However, although being genetically mostly Caucasian, he is only viewed as African American by the society. Wise explains that the racial identity of

“biracial persons in the United States […] is often ignored” and that “a person so designated will typically be seen as a member of whichever group is lowest in the racial hierarchy” which results in that “to be black and white […] is to be black” (14). The hypocritical limitations of race are up for a discussion in 30 Rock.

The issue of what race actually means is being questioned on the show and it is quite interesting to observe how race is thought of by different characters on 30 Rock.

The GE executive, Jack Donaghy, does not see race, he sees social rank. In Believe in the Stars episode he states that white men are in the most difficult position in the society because they have to “make the unpopular, difficult decisions.” Jack‟s statement is opposed by Kenneth, a Caucasian NBC page who says that he is also “a white man” to

29 which Jack responds that he is not because “socioeconomically speaking [he is] more like an inner-city Latino.” In Jack‟s interpretation, “white men” are not only those men whose color of the skin is white but those who are in managerial positions and who hold economic power. The concept of whiteness is questioned in this scene as much as the concept of blackness.

30 Rock is not afraid to cross boundaries when the series brings the history of blackface into several of its episodes. First blackface is presented in the second episode of the third season of the show Believe in the Stars. Tracy Jordan engages in an argument with the co-star of the fictitious TGS with Tracy Jordan Jenna Maroney

(played by Jane Krakowski) over the issue of who has it more difficult in the society, whether African American men or women. To prove their point, Tracy and Jenna make their “social experiment”—Jenna comes to work dressed as an African American man with her face blackened and Tracy dresses as a Caucasian woman and whitens his face.

Jenna‟s blackface is offensive to African American employees at the studio but at the end of the episode, Tracy and Jenna reconcile. This is not the last time we watch Jenna in a blackface, Jenna darkens her face repeatedly when she dresses for a costume party as an African American football player Lynn Swan because her cross-dressing boyfriend dresses as Natalie Portman in Black Swan. Together, Jenna and her boyfriend make the

“two Black swans” (“Christmas Attack Zone”).

The final blackface in 30 Rock appears in the nineteenth episode of the sixth season Live from Studio 6. In this episode, 30 Rock returns to the tradition of live television shows for the second time13. On this show, the past of television shows is discussed and a short sketch is performed in which Tracy plays alongside Jon Hamm who is in blackface. One character from the show, an NBC page Kenneth Parcell,

13 Most shows were performed live in the early years of television (Black, and Jennings 322).

30 introduces the sketch by saying: “NBC had the first two black characters on TV, sort of.

For Alfie and Abner, NBC hired one African American and one Caucasian because they thought two black people on the same show would make the audience nervous. A rule

NBC still uses today” (“Live from Studio 6H”). In the sketch, the character in blackface, Abner, represents a very stereotypical character as he plays a buffoonish

African American man who only needs playing banjo and eating to lead a fulfilling life and who believes he can “catch a rainbow in his hat.” Tracy‟s character, Alfie, is more serious, he thinks about the social positioning of African Americans, he fought for the

US country in WWII, since he is a former Tuskegee airman, and is extremely annoyed by Abner‟s foolish behavior. This sketch looks back into the racist past of television and presents its viewers with stereotyped images of African Americans; a parallel can be drawn between the Alfie and Abner sketch and between Amos „n‟ Andy.

30 Rock also manifests its awareness of the fact that the representation of

African Americans could always be better when the whole NBC is called racist by an

African American congresswoman Regina Bookman in the third episode of the fifth season, Let‟s Stay Together. The series‟ awareness of the racial issues that exist in the

American society and its examination of them is one of its biggest contributions.

3.1. Meet the Jordan Family

Some of the old stereotypes of African American men can be traced in the analysis of the Tracy Jordan character. Tracy‟s character traits resemble very much those of a coon since he is often presented as a child-like character who can do nothing but entertain and who is crazy, unreliable, and lazy. The black buck image can be traced in Tracy‟s character as well because Tracy is often portrayed as over-sexed, and as having violent tendencies. Throughout the episodes of 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan is described as “a strange

31 man who can‟t be taken seriously” (“Gavin Volure”), “a buffoon” (“Lee Marvin vs.

Derek Jeter”), a “horny child” (“The Collection”) and “a ridiculous, unstable human being” (“Mamma Mia”) who is “always bananas” (“Tracy Does Conan”). Tracy‟s intelligence is also often undermined as he is called “a fool” (“Dealbreakers Talk Show

#0001“), “an imbecile” (“The Aftermath”), or an “idiot” (“The Baby Show”).

Similarly to the coon, Tracy Jordan often demonstrates his craziness. The whole staff of the show Tracy is about to join remembers him for his ridiculous actions of the past. Tracy, for instance, was running on a road wearing nothing but his underwear, holding a sword and screaming he is a “Jedi” (“Pilot”). In the very first episode when the viewers have the chance to create their initial expression of Tracy, he is introduced as insane and mentally unstable and he tells to the head writer of the show, to Liz

Lemon, upon their first meeting, that he has “got mental health issues” (“Pilot”).

Tracy‟s disease has no real name but it can, according to his doctor, be described as

“erratic tendencies and delusions brought on by excessive notoriety” (“Tracy Does

Conan”). Tracy‟s disease serves to demonstrate Tracy‟s inability to cope with his fame.

Tracy Jordan is compared to a child in several 30 Rock episodes. Tracy‟s wife

Angie calls him a “horny child” who “needs constant adult supervision” (“The

Collection”). Tracy demonstrates his need for adult supervision through his poor work ethics. It is difficult for the head writer Liz Lemon and the staff of the fictitious TGS to keep Tracy at work because he has tendencies to run away. Tracy prefers partying and fooling around to working and is amazed that the show he is now part of takes place every week and that he has to be present at all the rehearsals (“The Aftermath”). Tracy resembles the “cartoon-like creature only interested in drinking and having a good time” which was a popular representation of African American men in the 19th and early 20th century (Black Looks: Race and Representation 90). Tracy does not read the cue cards

32 and improvises and his laziness makes the work on the show more difficult for everyone else.

Tracy‟s irresponsibility and his constant late comings for rehearsals at the studio force the staff of TGS to develop a system which would make Tracy come to work on time. The members of the staff treat Tracy like an irresponsible child when they set his clock to different times so that he would come to rehearsals earlier, they also lie to him about the times at which the rehearsals take place, they usually tell him an earlier time so that he would be present sooner. Tracy finds out about this practice one day when he is late for the rehearsal again and is confused about what time it actually is. He calls the staff “a bunch of racists” for “treating [him] like a child.” However, Liz Lemon reminds

Tracy that it was him who taught the staff to be treated this way. Liz uses Oprah

Winfrey‟s words to support her statement: “Oprah says you teach people how to treat you. And this is what you‟ve taught us because you are always late and you take no responsibility for your actions” (“The Natural Order”). But Tracy is not willing to take the responsibility and he constantly requires special treatment from everyone around him and needs to be accommodated to the show.

Tracy has the need to be treated differently and needs to feel special all the time and his two close friends, and his entourage members, Grizz and Dot Com, support him in it. They encourage Tracy‟s childish behavior when they laugh at Tracy‟s repetitive jokes, when they let him win in video games and in basketball matches and when they try to make him feel like a “king” (“Hard Ball”). When Tracy discovers that Grizz and

Dot Com have been giving him this special treatment, he ask them whether they have

“been doing this the whole time, treating [him] like a child” and he feels offended and tries to do everything on his own and to live without them. However, Tracy is unable to function without his entourage. He does not know to turn on the television in his

33 dressing room and is not able to do without their protection (“Hard Ball”), which again demonstrates Tracy‟s need for adult supervision and supports the idea of him reinforcing the coon image.

Tracy‟s unreliability is clearly visible in his relationships to his family. Tracy and his wife Angie have two sons together but Tracy is not a particularly caring father, he does not attend his son‟s birthday party because “There was a better kid's birthday party up the street” (“Dealbreaker Talkshow #0001”). He also picks up his children from soccer practice after a whole night of partying (“The Source Awards”) and when he is asked to pack his sons lunch for school, he packs mayonnaise and a pack of cigarettes (“The Bubble”). Tracy also lives under the impression that his two sons are going to kill him, Tracy misinterprets his sons‟ attempts to have more contact with him as their attempts to get rid of him. According to Tracy, his sons “have been acting really weird lately” and he does not want to go home to be with them (“Gavin Volure”). One of Tracy‟s sons confesses to him that he “keep[s] having a scary dream. [He] dreamed that [Tracy] would get so rich that [he] would leave [them] and get a new family. And never come back.” Tracy‟s sons do not wish their dad to leave them and they love him and Tracy would know it if he was around more and if he tried to talk with his children more. However, Tracy loves his son too, which he tells him but he also threatens him immediately and says: “If anything ever happens to me, you and your brother are going to go to jail” (“Gavin Volure”), which is not something a responsible father should say to his children.

When Tracy comes to his wife Angie with a wish to have another child, Angie tells him that she is “not gonna raise another child by [herself]” (“Dealbreaker

Talkshow #0001”). Angie gives Tracy an ultimatum as she tells Tracy that they will have another baby if he buys Christmas presents for the family. However, Tracy does

34 not manage to do so and buys a present for himself instead and tells Angie that he “got something better than presents for [Angie] and the kids,” he bought them “all this

„EGOT‟ necklace” for himself (“Dealbreaker Talkshow #0001”). All the responsibility for taking care of the family is therefore upon Angie. Despite this fact, towards the end of the Dealbreaker Talkshow #0001 episode, Angie agrees to have another baby with

Tracy although Tracy himself admits that he “won't be around a lot” and will not therefore participate in the upbringing of their new offspring. Once Angie is expecting their new baby, Tracy persuades an NBC page Kenneth to take care of Angie because there are some complications during the pregnancy and Tracy has hard times taking care of his wife (“Khonani”).

Tracy bears with him the “life-long scarring of an absentee father” (“Gavin

Volure”). He grew up in a single-mother family because his parents were separated and his father did not live with them and did not visit Tracy. Some of Tracy‟s “acting out” is attributed to his father‟s absence during his childhood. In Rosemary‟s Baby episode, for example, Jack Donaghy tells Tracy that the only thing he cannot do is dog fighting. And although Tracy himself views dog fighting as “repulsive and hideous,” he is willing to engage in it because who is Jack to forbid him to do something when he clearly is “not

[Tracy‟s] dad” (“Rosemary‟s Baby”). Tracy‟s unresolved relationship with his dad projects into his relationship with his own children. Never knowing his father, Tracy is incapable of acting like one and he basically is a third child in the family.

African Americans‟ capabilities of having functional families have frequently been questioned. According to Dyson, “Historically, black men are seen as having large sexual appetites and being ultra endowed to perform sexually, but psychologically too immature to have meaningful relationships” (qtd. in Brown 75). The existence of the

“matriarchal system” within African American communities, which is “caused by an

35 absent father” or by the presence of an “overpowering Black woman” who stands in the opposition to the patriarchal society of the United States which expects men to be the heads of their families (Bush 49), was marked as one of the reasons for the instability of

African American families. It was believed that African American men are not “real men” when they cannot take care of their families and be their leaders. The woman figure, the “Matriarch,” was labeled as “the source of problems in the African American community” and the “overbearing female head households [were held] responsible for the breakdowns of the family” (Carpenter 267). Also, this perceived matriarchy among

African American families was viewed as an “obstacle to assimilation [of African

Americans] within a dominant patriarchal culture” (267-8).

Tracy Jordan‟s frequent absence from his family and his wife Angie‟s nurturing of her family suggests that the Jordan family is matriarchal. Angie Jordan is the care- taker of the Jordan family and she practically has to raise her and Tracy‟s children on her own because Tracy is frequently absent from home. Angie Jordan‟s character can be linked to the image of the mammy because similarly to the mammy, Angie “is a controller of her own people” and also a controller “of the males in her society” (qtd. in

Riggs). Angie proves to be extremely controlling when she is following her husband

Tracy on every step at his work and when she wants Tracy “not to leave [her] sight for one second” (“Jack Gets in the Game”). Tracy agrees to Angie‟s monitoring of him at work because he does not want to lose her and it is Angie‟s condition for their reconciliation after an argument they had. Tracy is under Angie‟s absolute control, women who usually do Tracy‟s make-up cannot do it now because Angie cannot stand it when these women are near Tracy and talk friendly with him. Angie‟s goal is to make sure that her husband behaves the way she wants him to.

36

Angie‟s influence on Tracy is good, when she oversees his every step, Tracy comes to work on time and even comes up with useful ideas for the sketches for the show, which he usually does not do. However, once Angie abates her supervision and leaves Tracy to go for her hair appointment, Tracy uses the situation into his advantage and disappears into a strip club. Although the head writer of TGS, Liz Lemon, tries to stop Tracy from leaving work, she fails to do so and Tracy‟s irresponsible behavior wins, as Tracy himself states: “This is who I am. You can‟t ask a bird not to fly. You can‟t ask a fish not to swim” (“The Collection”).

When Angie finds out that Tracy disappeared from the workplace during her absence, her control at the studio becomes overbearing, she is not only willing to oversee Tracy, she is also willing to make the decisions concerning the show as she wants to be the decider of which roles Tracy will perform on TGS. Angie Jordan‟s character and her temper is described as “controlling,” “manipulative,” and “loud”

(“The Collection”). Her overpowering presence makes the work of the writing staff on the show rather complicated. Angie feels betrayed by Liz Lemon and starts to be extremely argumentative and is not easy to deal with. Angie‟s behavior resembles very much that of a Sapphire, who was a character on Amos „n‟ Andy and who became a popular stereotypical image of African American women. Sapphire is “nagging, emasculating, shrill, loud, argumentative, and a master of verbal insults” (qtd. in Jones

Thomas, McCurtis Witherspoon, and Speight 429). As a prototypical Sapphire, Angie

“assume[s] that the only way to be heard is to be aggressive, loud, or rageful” (qtd.

429). Angie is outraged and demands “new writers for Tracy, or he doesn't do the show”

(“The Collection”). She is offered a consultant credit on the show but refuses it, as a

Sapphire, she is “obnoxious, and never satisfied” (qtd. 429). At the end of the episode,

Tracy has to be the one who intervenes and who resolves the situation although he is

37

“the immature one,” he is forced “to act like an adult.” He tells Angie that her behavior is not acceptable and they start making love in his dressing room (“The Collection”).

The claim that Tracy is a “horny child” supports the idea of both his increased sexual appetite and his psychological immaturity to have children. Tracy, although he is married and has two children, spends an enormous amount of his free time, respectively

“eight times a week,” at strip clubs (“Black Tie”). Even for Tracy‟s first meeting with the female head writer of The Girlie Show Tracy chooses a strip club because the environs of these establishments are very appealing and comfortable for him.

Tracy is said to be sexually aggressive and has a reputation of being a ladies‟ man and is known for attending wild parties and for his “fooling around” with different women. When Tracy walks into the writers‟ office for the first time and sees a young, blonde and beautiful assistant named Cerie, he immediately mutters: “Don‟t just sit there, come here and give me some sugar […] if you ever want to piss off your parents, you come see me” (“The Aftermath”). In one of the episodes, Tracy is even served with a paternity lawsuit and is accused of having an illegitimate child (“Fireworks”). Tracy is also encouraging one of his co-workers, Pete Hornberger, the producer of TGS and a married man, to cheat on his wife and to “embrac[e] his power” as a man. Tracy is portrayed as a voice of a devil in a bathroom scene where he is telling Pete that he should commit adultery (“Black Tie”). Entman and Rojecki assert that sexual intemperance is one of the most common negative stereotypes about African Americans

(41). There is a long history of portraying African Americans as sexually loose, it was by the eighteenth century when “the sexuality of the black, male and female, [became] an icon for deviant sexuality” (Black Looks: Race and Representation 62). The

Caucasians “saw themselves as proper and monogamous, and others as debauched and polygamous” (Ginneken109). One of the reasons why African Americans became to be

38 seen as sexually loose and deviant was the difference in dress codes among African

Americans:

The dress codes of Europeans originating from moderate climates often became

the implicit norm for judging others living in warmer tropical climates. If they

[Africans] lived primarily in dense and shadowy forests, they were often half

naked or minimally dressed, which was taken as a sign of their shamelessness

and therefore probable promiscuity” (108).

Tracy Jordan demonstrates his tendency to under-dress quite often as he is fond of taking his shirt off whenever possible.

Tracy is also very open about his sexual practices, he likes to tell his stories from strip clubs and other wild parties. Both Tracy and his wife Angie are portrayed as sexually very active and loose as they have sexual intercourse even at Tracy‟s workplace when there are people around. They seem to be unable to escape their urges,

Tracy and his wife make love publicly in several episodes, this can be observed in The

Collection, or Senor Macho Solo. According to Jones, “black sexuality is often represented by the dominant culture as animalistic and carnal with a lack of intimacy and true humanity” (qtd. in Brown 75). Tracy‟s and his wife‟s behavior support “the dominant culture‟s perception of African Americans as sex-crazed buffoons who are on public display” (Brown 76).

While African American men have often been portrayed as “sexual predators”

(Larson 30), African American women have been presented as “sexually available and licentious” (Black Looks: Race and Representation 65). Bell Hooks argues that

“contemporary films continue to place black women in two categories, mammy, or slut, and occasionally a combination of the two” (Black Looks: Race and Representation 74).

The portrayal of African American as “sluts” is common in the stereotyped image of

39

Jezebel who uses her sexual power and who “is perceived as seductive, manipulative, hypersexed, animalistic in desires, and unable to control sex drives” (qtd. in Jones

Thomas, McCurtis Witherspoon, and Speight 429). The character of Angie Jordan also bears the characteristics of Jezebel when she is portrayed as unable to control her sexual urges.

Tracy Jordan‟s connection to the brutal black buck image is demonstrated in

Tracy‟s violent tendencies and in his inclination towards committing crime which are revealed in several 30 Rock episodes. In Tracy Does Conan episode, Tracy is portrayed as an unpredictable and a violent man. Tracy Jordan is about to make an appearance on

Conan O‟Brien‟s talk show but the host of the show feels uneasy about it because

Tracy‟s former appearance on the show ended in a disaster as Tracy tried to stab Conan, the host of the show, in his face for no reason. Tracy was claiming he is “a stabbing robot” and that he will stab Conan. This performance did not put a good light on Tracy and Conan compares Tracy to a “loose canon” because people never know what to expect from him (“Tracy Does Conan”).

Tracy is portrayed as quite prone to committing crime. In the twentieth episode one of the first season he is portrayed as stealing a television from a store, which he does only “Because the Jets lost” (“Cleveland”), in the thirteenth episode of the fourth season Tracy claims that he is trying to break into Beyonce‟s house because she is not answering to his letters (“Anna Howard Shaw Day”). In the Ludacristmas episode of the second season of the show, Tracy is ordered to wear an alcohol monitoring ankle bracelet because he appeared drunk at court. He was only supposed to “sign his community service papers” there but since he was under the influence of alcohol because he made a “stop for a breakfast first,” he has to wear the bracelet. Tracy seems

40 incapable of staying sober one day and although he is forbidden to drink alcohol by the court, he breaks the court order and has “couple of drinks” (“Ludachristmas”).

Tracy is served with the paternity lawsuit in season one and in the third season of the show, Tracy is sued again. In the Do-Over episode, the co-star of the fictitious

TGS, Jenna Maroney, is suing Tracy for not compensating her for the voice acting she did on Tracy‟s pornographic videogame.

The issue of violence in the hip-hop community is discussed in the sixteenth episode of the first season in which the hip-hop music awards, the Source Awards take place. An African American hip-hop producer Ridikolos is disrespected at one of Tracy

Jordan‟s parties, because he is not let in, and threatens Tracy that he “is going to eat

[Tracy‟s] family” (“The Source Awards”). To settle their dispute, Tracy agrees to be the host of the Source Awards which Ridikolos is producing although Tracy is not particularly willing to be hosting the awards because “shooting people at the Source

Awards is a tradition.” However, Tracy feels like he has no other choice because if he does not “go, Ridikolos is gonna kill [him]. And if [he does] go, someone else is gonna kill [him]” (“The Source Awards”). The African American community is presented as extremely violent in this episode but 30 Rock makes a parody out of the issue of violence in the African American community when the one who shoots at The Source

Awards is not an African American man but a Caucasian woman— the head writer of

TGS, Liz Lemon.

However, none of the other characters on the show is being sued or has trouble with law or is inclined towards committing crime as much as Tracy Jordan‟s character is. Portraying African American men as prone to acts of crime is considered demeaning and stereotypical because these portrayals point back to the Brutal Black Buck image which portrayed African American men as violent and savage. These portrayals of

41

African American men portrayed as violent were very popular in the era of blaxploitation films, which “were firmly rooted in the traditional genre formulas- gangster, crime thriller, [and] horror movie” (Benshoff, and Griffin 88). These films presented images of African American men as hustlers, gangsters, drug dealers, and

Caucasian cop killers became popular at the time when African American civil rights movement became more violent and when the Black Panther Party with Malcolm X as their leader “advocated violence against the system where necessary” (88). These films are called blaxploitation because they “exploited African American audiences in that they took money out of African American communities to fill white Hollywood‟s bank accounts.” These films projected negative images of African Americans (89).

The violent images reinforce the notions of bestiality of African American men.

Cooper claims that “The bestial black man images […] lead to the hypercriminalization of black men” (876). The accusation of African American men‟s bestiality dates back to the sixteenth and seventeenth century when “Europeans alleged blacks were both part of the animal kingdom—they interbred with apes—and animal-like” (877). In the colonial times, “whiteness became associated with positive meanings such as life, superiority, safety, and cleanness, and Blackness became associated with negative meanings such as death, inferiority, danger, and dirtiness.” These images were translated into popular culture and transmitted through newspapers, film, radio, and television and persistent till the present day (qtd. in Brown 67).

It is important to understand that the issue of violence in the African American community is a widely discussed issue in the United States. In 2012, stormy debates aroused when an African American teenager, Trayvon Martin, was shot. President

Obama delivered a speech about the event in which he pointed to the fact that the

African American community‟s outrage over the ruling of the case must be viewed in

42 the historical context and that the case evokes “a lot of pain.” In this speech, Obama comments on the reality in which young African American live and also comments on the society which views them as threats and as perpetrators of violence. Obama claims that:

There are very few African American men in this country who haven‟t had the

experience of being followed when they were shopping at a department store,

that includes [him]. Every African American man has the experience of walking

across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happened

to [him], at least before [he] was a senator (“President Obama Speaks on

Trayvon Martin”).

President Obama also reports on women in elevators who hold their purses “nervously holding [their] breath” in the fears that their belongings might be stolen when an

African American man is in the elevator with them. And although the statistics bring attention to the fact that African American men “are disproportionally involved in criminal justice system,” it is vital to understand that “Some of the violence that takes place […] is born out of a very violent past of this country. And the poverty, and dysfunction that we see in this community can be traced to the history,” which is a fact that is sometimes unacknowledged and which increases the tension in the African

American community (“President Obama Speaks on Trayvon Martin”).

African Americans are also often portrayed as “takers and burdens on society”

(Entman, and Rojecki 8) and are, predominantly the underclass, “bombarded by messages that [they] have no value, are worthless” (Black Looks: Race and

Representation 19). Entman and Rojecki make an interesting point when they state that while media use the term “white trash” to label poor Caucasian people of lower social

43 class and of lower moral standards, no such term as “black trash” exists (XXV). This statement is later explained by stating that for the members of the dominant society “the prototype of the Black person is a lower class or „under‟ class individual of little economic attainment or status” (53), which is actually an equivalent of the term “white trash”. When African American “men are viewed as threatening, it is easier to pass social policies that contain [them] through means such as consignment to the lower- classes” (Cooper 875-6).

The issue of African Americans being viewed as an underclass is brought to life in 30 Rock when Tracy Jordan gives the head writer, Liz Lemon, advice on how to get rid of a potential buyer of a flat she is willing to buy for herself. Tracy tells Liz that the easiest way to scare off buyers is to make an African American move in. Liz considers

Tracy‟s advice a good idea and pretends in front of the potential buyer of her desired flat that she has an African American ex-boyfriend who is threatening because he is

“unreasonable,” “angry” and who will “be coming by all the time, getting‟ jealous [and] takin‟ things out of context” (“Sun Tea”). Entman and Rojecki assert that physical traits are very important and that African Americans are in general viewed as dangerous, even if they in fact studied at Harvard, or dressed nicely (52).

3.2. The Black Crusaders

Tracy Jordan‟s stereotypical behavior does not go unnoticed and he is forced to leave the show and the city of New York and goes into hiding because a group of prominent

African American figures is going after him in the twentieth episode of the first season of the show. Tracy Jordan is being followed by a fictional group of influential African

Americans called the “Black Crusaders” who monitor him because they claim that

“Tracy Jordan has made a career out of exploiting black stereotypes” and that “he is an

44 embarrassment to African-Americans.” According to Tracy, the “chief mages” of this group are Bill Cosby and Oprah Winfrey who want to get rid of his public persona

(“Cleveland”).

The “Black Crusaders” group is a parody of a group called the “Dark Crusaders” which, according to an anonymous author, is a group of powerful African American, whose members are Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, Bill Cosby, Whoopi

Goldberg, Robert L. Johnson, and Oprah Winfrey, who allegedly targeted an African

American comedian David Chappelle who “reinforce[d] negative stereotypes and need[ed] to be censored” and forced him to leave the entertainment industry, this conspiracy theory is called “The Chappelle Theory.” This theory “offers no concrete evidence and could be someone‟s zany joke on America‟s thirst for conspiracy theories”

(Carpio 114).

Nevertheless, the “Black Crusader‟s” claim that Tracy Jordan became famous by reinforcing racial stereotypes is valid because some of the films which made Tracy rich and earned him the status of a celebrity were exploiting the old stereotypes. A film

“Honky Grandma Be Trippin”‟ for example presented Tracy in a cross-dressing character (“Pilot”). In “Honky Grandma Be Trippin‟” Tracy appears in drag to play a female character, which reinforces the old exiting stereotypes. African American men were emasculated during slavery and were denied “the social ability to be viewed by society as men despite their biological sex” (Bush 49). African American men have been emasculated because they “have historically been blocked from enacting both the traditional African and traditional American mainstream gender roles of provider and protector” (Lawrence-Webb, Littlefield, and Okundaye 628). Any African American

“man who wanted to stand up and be a man—according to the Western patriarchal definition, meaning leadership—was isolated, killed, beaten, or ridiculed” (Bush 50).

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Therefore, dressing as a woman may be viewed as shameful and as undermining

African American men‟s masculinity14. The only African American writer on the fictitious TGS, James Sperlock, informs Tracy that dressing as a woman is demeaning for an African man because it evokes the stigma of emasculation African American men had to overcome in the American society. James tells Tracy that “drag is a way for

Caucasians to emasculate you and make you seem non-threatening” (“The Break-Up”).

Historically, young African American men “were seen as a possible threat” and only when they were portrayed as “constantly laughing and clowning, or when [they were] contained to the worlds of entertainment and sports, they were easily accepted” by the dominant society (Ginneken 109-10). Therefore, entertaining audiences by dressing as a woman is a good way of making Tracy seem non-threatening. Tracy also starred in a movie called “Black Cop/White Cop” which directly points to the “black and white” buddy practice of the 1990s. Tracy Jordan‟s filmography further contains titles “Who

Dat Ninja,” “Black Cavemen,” “Fat Bitch,” or “Death Bank.”

3.3. The Restrictions of the Entertainment Industry

In the fourteenth episode of the first season of the show the GE executive Jack Donaghy invites Tracy to join him on a GE charity golf tournament to secure a place on the

CEO‟s team because Tracy is the CEO‟s “grandchildren‟s favorite movie star” (“The C

Word”). Jack‟s plan seems to be well-thought out but Tracy starts asking the CEO, Don

Geiss, about the small number of African Americans being present at the event: “how come you don‟t hire more black people around here? Black people can‟t make light

14 However, African American male actors appearing in drag is quite a popular and profitable practice. According to Dunn “Hollywood added Mammy‟s alter ego—the emasculating matriarchal image of a „bitchy‟ black woman […] which these days has been appropriated with huge financial success by cross- dressing actors Eddie Murphy (Norbit), Tyler Perry (Madea) and Martin Lawrence (Big Momma‟s House)” (Dunn 51).

46 bulbs?” Tracy expresses his disappointment over the lack of African American presence by remarking that there are only two African American men present at the event, him and “Carlton15”. Don Geiss feels offended by Tracy‟s remarks and Jack Donaghy loses his much wanted place on the CEO‟s team.

Tracy‟s behavior embarrasses Jack who tells Tracy that he “wanted [him] to entertain these people, not publicly humiliate them” (“The C Word”). Tracy starts to realize that Jack invited him at the tournament only because Jack wishes Tracy “to just be a funny black man who says funny things.” Tracy decides to give Jack what he wants and starts to behave as the stereotyped character which Jack sees him as and asks the bartender to bring him “Mustang Melon and a bag of barbeque chips” and later goes on to say that he “studied fried chicken at the school of hard knocks.” Tracy is aware of the image Jack wanted him to present in front of the executives and is deeply offended by it so he is bringing the exaggerated stereotyped version of this character to life. When

Tracy is referring to “Mustang Melon” and “fried chicken” he is pointing to very old stereotypes which survived till the present day. African Americans are said to love watermelons and fried chicken. According to Claire Schmidt, the myth of African

Americans loving fried chicken “started with Birth of a Nation [sic]” in a scene in which “[A] group of actors portraying shiftless black elected officials acting rowdy and crudely in a representative hall […] Some of the legislators are shown drinking. Others had their feet kicked up on their desks. And one of them was very ostentatiously eating fried chicken.” According to Schmidt, this “image really solidified the way white people thought of black people and fried chicken” (qtd. in Arit). Theodore Johnson explains why watermelon are stereotypical: “Just as the undesirable leftovers of farm

15 Tracy is making a reference to Carlton Banks character from NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-6). Carlton‟s character is known for being puritanic and “straightlaced” as it is explained by Jack Donaghy (The C Word).

47 animals, such as pig intestines and feet, are linked to the slave diet, watermelon is the food most associated with the 19th and 20th century depictions of blacks as lazy simpletons […] lazy blacks, and watermelon still remain today” (qtd. in Arit).

Later in the episode, Jack Donaghy explains to Tracy that he did not try to use him and that Tracy should “play the game with [him].” Jack explains to Tracy how the dynamics work and tells him that men like Don Geiss are important because they “run everything” and therefore, Tracy should consider calming his temper down and being more friendly with Geiss and not get into any quarrels if he wants to be successful and be offered more roles in movies (“The C Word”). Bell Hooks observes that becoming successful usually brings a great amount of sacrifice for African Americans, she states that “One of the tragic ironies of contemporary black life is that individuals succeed in acquiring material privilege often by sacrificing their positive connection to black culture and black experience” (Black Looks: Race and Representation 19). This is exactly what Jack Donaghy asks Tracy Jordan to do. In order to be more successful,

Tracy has to sacrifice his commentary on the underrepresentation of African Americans in the GE managerial positions.

At the end of the day, Tracy understands Jack‟s point and gives a serious speech on diabetes in front of Don Geiss and other important people at the tournament to earn their respect. Although Tracy‟s speech is made up, it achieves its goals and Don Geiss asks Jack and Tracy to join him on his team. Jack Donaghy is satisfied with the way

Tracy presented himself to the executives and tells Tracy: “Welcome to the grown-up world” (“The C Word”). Jack‟s remark indicates that he viewed Tracy‟s former behavior as childish and that a grown-up man should know how to present himself.

Ernest Cashmore in his book The Black Culture Industry (1997) observes the dynamics of the relationship between African Americans and the entertainment industry

48 and he claims that African American “culture has been converted into commodity, usually in the interests of white-owned corporations” (1). Cashmore explains that “What was once disparaged and mocked is now regarded as part of legitimate culture” and that

African Americans “have been permitted to excel in the entertainment industry only on the condition that they conform to white‟s images of blacks” (1). At the golf tournament, Tracy is asked to conform to his bosses‟ images of him and is forced to realize that his role is to entertain people and not to point at their mistakes or faults.

Tracy is asked to give up his dissatisfaction with the social positioning of African

Americans in the interests of succeeding in the industry.

Tracy Jordan is a commodity himself in fact. It is important to note that even the reason for hiring Tracy to the fictitious TGS was based on him “bringing the black back to NBC” (“The Aftermath”). Tracy is hired into the cast so that The Girlie Show can increase its viewership. Jack Donaghy is the one who makes the decision about hiring

Tracy since Jack is the one who represents the power figure and is the one who makes most of the decisions concerning the show. Jack Donaghy‟s main concerns are the TV ratings and to make TGS profitable because his market research on The Girlie Show revealed that the show is missing male audiences between the ages of 18 and 49 and therefore, a new cast member was needed to improve the ratings (“Pilot”). Tracy Jordan is not an employee of the show, but a “product” to be sold because when Tracy Jordan became a cast member of the show, the whole “Tracy Jordan business” joined the show as well (“The Aftermath”). And the Tracy Jordan business is built on a certain image

Tracy has created for himself and which he was forced to create in order to become successful.

The problem is that the entertainment industry refuses to take Tracy seriously.

After Tracy discovers he is Thomas Jefferson‟s descendant, he is willing to make a

49 serious movie about Jefferson‟s life but is not able to obtain funds for the movie to be made. Don Geiss, the CEO of GE, would be willing to sponsor the movie only in case it would be a comedy, not a drama. When Tracy tells Geiss about his intentions in the first place, Geiss is excited about the project thinking that Tracy is willing to make “the movie version of The Jeffersons” but is disappointed to find out what Tracy‟s real intentions are and tells Tracy to make “Fat Bitch 2” comedy movie instead (“Corporate

Crush”). Tracy is a “subject to narrow casting by the dominant culture who still constructs comfortable images […] as well as stereotypical images of black men to feed white society‟s fear of black masculinity” (Brown 81). The industry is willing to see

Tracy as the comedian who is “shucking and jiving [his] way in the society” (76) rather than a serious and a respectable man.

The whole staff‟s tendency to undermine Tracy‟s competences and his intelligence is revealed frequently. For instance, in the twenty-first episode of the fourth season, Tracy introduces his illegitimate son Donald to his co-workers who all come to the conclusion that Donald is too old to be Tracy‟s son and that he is only using Tracy to give him money. The staff assumes that Tracy is not aware of the fact that Donald is actually older than him and that he cannot be his son. However, Tracy reveals, to everyone‟s surprise, that he has known this the whole time and he states: “I may hug people too hard and get lost at malls but I‟m not an idiot.” Tracy is only trying to help

Donald because he reminds him of himself. Tracy never forgot where he came from and by giving money to Donald, he is helping the underprivileged people from the community. With Tracy‟s help, Donald is able to open a community center for urban children (“Mamma Mia”). However, nobody thought Donald‟s and Tracy‟s intentions were good and Tracy‟s capabilities were undermined because everyone views Tracy as the “funny black man who says funny things” (“The C Word”).

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3.4. James and Tracy- “The Good” and “The Bad”

James Spurlock, whom everyone calls “Toofer […] because with him you get two-for- one—he‟s a Black guy and a Harvard guy” (“The Aftermath”) and Tracy Jordan are the only two African American members of the staff on TGS but they do not get along well and cannot find a common ground and are not even “speaking the same language.”

James does not think very highly of Tracy and calls him an “imbecile.” Tracy, too, does not show much respect for James and voices his doubts about whether James is aware of his heritage when he asks James whether he actually is an African American (“The

Aftermath”).

Although James clearly is an African American man by his physical appearance, he attempts to conform to the dominant society and presents himself more as the

“Harvard guy” (“The Aftermath”). Tracy points out that James is ashamed of being

African American and James in return tells Tracy that he embarrasses him “Because there are racist people in this world, and when they see [Tracy] act like a fool, they assume […] all [African Americans are] fools” (“The Break-Up”). James is aware of the fact that Tracy‟s behavior is very stereotypical in many ways and given to the fact that

Tracy is a celebrity and therefore is being constantly watched and judged by the society,

Tracy does not bring a good light on African American people. When Tracy acts foolishly, he creates an uneasy position for other African Americans because people can then assume that all African Americans are the same. Entman and Rojecki explain that

“People tend to see members of other groups as pretty much the same” (55). Entman and Rojecki point to the prototype theory, which was developed by Eleanor Rosch, to support their ideas. Although prototypes are “often formed swiftly and inaccurately” they “encode habitual ways of thinking that help people make sense of a complicated and uncertain world” (60). Entman and Rojecki further explain that “people think in

51 categories” and the “most representative members [of a group] are called prototypical”

(61). Therefore, James‟ concerns about Tracy‟s behavior are legitimate. Although James is an African American man who has “achieved a status” and who “attempts[s] by dress, grooming, and other communication behavior to signal [his] acceptance of mainstream norms and strive[s] towards similar cultural ideals as Whites” (62), he may still be viewed by the members of the society differently because some African American men, such as Tracy, are viewed as the prototypical African Americans.

Cooper asserts that “popular representations of heterosexual black men are bipolar. Those images alternate between a Bad Black Man [...] and a Good Black Man”

(853). “The Bad Black Man” is the one who is portrayed as “animalistic, sexually depraved, and crime-prone” whereas the “The Good Black Man” may be characterized as the one who “distances himself from black people and emulates white view” (857).

Cooper states that these “myths about heterosexual black men […] structure the very way that whites think about [African Americans]” (875). Based on Cooper‟s classification, Tracy Jordan represents “The Bad Black Man” and Toofer is a representative of “The Good Black Man”.

The image of the “Good Black Man has a long history,” and it can be traced back to the “figure of the Uncle Tom” (Cooper 880). Tracy Jordan calls James “Uncle

Tom” because of James‟ conformity to the dominant society. James‟ attempts to assimilate to the mainstream society have led to losing his “blackness” and James is said to be “just afraid of black people” (“The Aftermath”). James associates himself with Caucasian friends exclusively and is not even willing to go out on a date with an

African American woman his cousin set him up with on Valentine‟s Day. James states:

“My cousin set me up on a blind date for Valentine‟s and I just found out that the girl is, well, urban.” This statement is followed by a question from the head writer of the show

52 who asks: “Are you saying she‟s black?” to which James responds that “[He doesn‟t] know how to get out of this” (“Anna Howard Shaw Day”). James fits the description of the Good Black Man because he “distances himself from blackness and associates with white norms” (Cooper 853).

Not much is known about James‟ background, his family, or his personal life, his character misses the connection to his origins and culture. James seems to have lost his “double consciousness” W.E.B. Du Bois wrote about in his essay Of Our Spiritual

Strivings. This “double consciousness” is described as “twoness,—an American, a

Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder” (45). What

Du Bois highlighted was that African Americans have to aim at preserving both sides of their personalities, they have to be African as well as American: “He [an African

American] would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American” (45). And James in Tracy‟s eyes failed to attain both the African as well as the American side when he accuses

James of wishing he was Caucasian (“Fireworks”).

Nevertheless, although James is trying to fit into the dominant society, his attempts are usually laughed at and he is made fun of most of the time. 30 Rock challenges the view of “Good Black Man” and as opposed to The Tom, Toofer is not viewed as a hero of a sort nor is his obedience applauded. James‟ pride over being a

Harvard graduate is a target of jokes quite often and James is laughed at for bringing up the fact that he went to Harvard extensively: “Oh, really? Did you go to Harvard? Cause you haven‟t mentioned it in like three hours” (“The Baby Show”). Harvard graduates are also viewed as not “cool” by the cast on TGS (“Lee Marvis vs. Derek Jeter”). Also,

53

James‟ conformist style of dressing is frequently commented on: “Hey, look, Sherlock

Homo is here to solve the case of the gay sweater” (“The C Word”). James‟ attempts to assimilate are seen as a joke in the eyes of the staff on the show.

Even though Toofer himself firmly believes in his own goodness and thinks that he is a descendant of an African American soldier “who had achieved an officer‟s rank during the Civil War,” it is revealed that his ancestor was in fact a Confederate officer

(“Fireworks”). By making Toofer a descendant of a Confederate officer, 30 Rock challenges the view of Toofer‟s goodness once again.

Tracy Jordan, as opposed to Toofer, does not distance himself from the African

American community and he embraces his heritage. Tracy‟s style of clothing, his way of speaking and his behavior bear sings of “blackness”. Tracy identifies himself with what can be called “hip-hop black masculinity” which places Tracy “in conflict with the dominant culture” because “hip-hop black masculinity is counter-cultural and resists conforming to dominant culture” (Brown 69). Although Tracy gained economic success and is a member of the middle class and has some privileges due to his status, he still presents “an image that retains lower-class signifiers and the mentality of the hood”

(69). Tracy works hard at preserving his image of a dangerous and unpredictable celebrity. He is outraged when a magazine calls him “normal” which is, according to him, a “character assassination” and therefore he decides to have his face tattooed to maintain his “bad boy” image. Tracy needs to maintain this image to earn “street cred”

(“Jack Meets Dennis”). As quoted in Brown, “For most young black men, power is acquired by stylizing their bodies to provoke fear in others,” this stylization “is a form of self-identification and resistance to the dominant culture” and it is this “unique stylizing, posing, clothing, and dialect that signify a hip-hop black masculinity” and the

“hip-hop black masculinity is a way for young people to exercise power” (76-8).

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Tracy grew up in a poor neighborhood in Bronx, he dropped out of school, married young and had children. After he was discovered at the Apollo theatre, Tracy rose from rags to riches. He claims his childhood was filled with painful memories as he

“watched prostitute stab a clown,” his “basketball hoop was a rib cage,” or how he

“slept on an old dog bed stuffed with wigs” (“Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land”). In such a rough neighborhood, respect means everything and it is earned by being tough.

But Tracy‟s toughness and his attitude is being “viewed with suspicion from both the dominant culture and older African Americans” because it is “an oppositional identity that is reified as a sign of a strong black man” (Brown 77-8).

However, Tracy‟s image of a tough “gangsta” is not entirely true. Instead of being a violent man, Tracy actually is a “sensitive artist” (“Kidney Now!”). Tracy never was as tough as he presents himself to be, during Tracy‟s high school years, Tracy was asked to dissect a frog but was not able to do it because he felt sorry for the animal and he started crying in front of his whole class. After this incident, he decided to leave school because nobody respected him there anymore, even one of Tracy‟s closest friends, Grizz, admits that he “had to deny being friends with him” (“Kidney Now!”).

Also, Tracy‟s reputation of a promiscuous man is revealed to be fictitious in the nineteenth episode of the third season. Tracy confesses to be a faithful husband to his wife when he speaks to Jack Donaghy, Tracy states that in “twenty years [he has] known her, [he] never cheated on [his] wife” and that “the partying is just for show”

(“The Ones”). Tracy is only pretending to be unfaithful so that his public image is not harmed. Tracy is afraid that the public would get to know the truth about him, when one of his voicemails which Tracy recorded for his wife and in which he asks her about the type of curtains he should buy and in which he is presented as the loving husband he actually is when he says: “Oh, you‟re calling me on the other line. I can‟t wait to talk to

55 you. I love you” leaks, Tracy is seriously considering having an affair so that his reputation would not go away because it is his image which earns him great amounts of money. Tracy is also willing to go into extreme lengths in order not to lose his public face when some women he claimed to be intimate with “came forward to say [Tracy] didn‟t have sex with them” (“Don Geiss, America, and Hope”).

According to Brown, African American “men in general live in a cultural site of struggle between the dominant culture and African American culture” (68). This struggle is clearly visible in Tracy Jordan‟s character. The society views him as the “bad guy” because of his identification with the “hip-hop black masculinity” but Tracy is not a bad person, he is only maintaining a certain image to be respected in his community; the image also ensures him great amounts of money since the way he behaves and his connection to the hip-hop culture are profitable.

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4. Conclusion

Throughout history, the roles assigned to African Americans have been influenced by the dominant society‟s stereotypical views of what Africa Americans are like or of how they behave. African Americans have been compared to the Caucasians and were believed to possess more negative qualities than the members of the dominant society who saw themselves as more moral, intelligent, or hard-working in comparison to

African Americans. It is important to understand that the stereotyped images of African

Americans have ideological intent and that they served as a form of oppression of

African Americans. Early films and television shows functioned under the dominant ideology and did not reinforce critical commentary on race. African American actors and actresses were casted into a limited range of roles and were forced to play stereotyped characters which portrayed them as either conformists who are contented with their menial position in the society and who do not question the social order or as characters who were seen as threats and menace to the society because they were lazy, had violent tendencies, had lower mental capacity, or were sexually aggressive.

A more complex or accurate portrayal of African Americans which would show more diversity was missing for a long time. The history of slavery or of the struggle for equality was erased and African American characters were often portrayed in isolation from their culture and appeared “raceless.” A wave of change came during 1960s and

1980s when television shows began to be more aware of racial issues and when a wider range of African American characters could be seen on television screens. Moreover, in

1980s a significant shift in demographics occurred and the television networks started to realize that African American audiences are becoming increasingly important for them.

However, many critics nowadays claim that the complexity is still missing in the

57 portrayal of African Americans and that the tendency to reconstruct the old stereotyped images is still alive.

Some of the old stereotyped images may be observed in 30 Rock‟s characters as well but the series manages to move beyond them and projects a rather complex view on race and racism in the United States. 30 Rock challenges the old categories when the conformist character of James Spurlock who identifies with the dominant society‟s ideals and who lives in isolation from his community is not viewed as the ideal to which

African Americans should aspire but is mocked for his attempts to fit in. James‟ character can be viewed as a parody of the Uncle Tom character who was viewed as the

“good” character and who was appealing to the Caucasian audiences.

Tracy Jordan‟s character represents the struggle of an African American entertainer. Tracy works for an industry which is driven by profit and Tracy is asked to preserve a certain image. In some ways, Tracy may be viewed as the contemporary version of the coon whose primary objective is to amuse the audiences and who demonstrates his craziness, laziness, and unreliability on numerous occasions. But this is not who Tracy really is, Tracy is not the ridiculous and incompetent man, he is a self- made man who was able to succeed despite his underprivileged background but he stands in a difficult position in the society which is not willing to take him seriously.

30 Rock is not avoiding the discussion of complicated issues and manages to cross the boundaries of the stereotyped categories and makes a parody out of them. The series makes fun of the stereotypical and prejudiced depictions of African Americans when Tracy finds out that he actually is a descendant of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and when he discovers that he is “genetically mostly white” (“Fireworks”). The series is thusly demonstrating the irony of the stereotyped images and the hypocrisy of the society.

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The stereotypical portrayal of African Americans as hyper-sexual is also mocked when Tracy‟s alleged promiscuity is revealed to be something Tracy does “just for show” (“The Ones). Tracy Jordan and his wife Angie actually are one of the most stable couples on the whole series. 30 Rock keeps making the stereotyped portrayals a parody when it keeps breaking their boundaries time and time again. The parody of the show is clearly visible when the “Black Crusaders” are going after Tracy or when Tracy acts as an exaggerated stereotyped version of the chicken and watermelon loving coon at the

GE golf tournament.

The series presents various issues, 30 Rock demonstrates how easy it is for an

African American entertainer to be viewed as a brute when the series showcases Tracy‟s inclinations towards committing crime. The series is aware of the fact that the issue of violence in the African American community is a complicated one. The so-called “hip- hop black masculinity” is African American men‟s oppositional identity which developed as a response to the emasculation of African American men and is Tracy‟s way to gain respect in his community but also makes him look dangerous in the eyes of the dominant society although he is not actually a violent man at all or a menace to the society. In fact, Tracy donates money to help the underprivileged people in his community because he remembers where he came from.

30 Rock recognizes racial issues as it widely questions and comments on the position of African Americans in the society. The series acknowledges the fact that although African Americans are nowadays doing materially better than they did in the past, their position is rather complicated. 30 Rock refuses to stay blind to the fact that racism is still a big issue in the American society. The series also manages to provide commentary on the history and the present state of television portrayals of Africans and

59 demonstrates its awareness that television could always do better when it comes to the representation of African Americans.

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Summary

This Diploma thesis deals with stereotypical portrayals of African Americans on television. Historically, African Americans have been assigned many stereotypical roles in films as well as on television. Basic stereotyped image of African Americans are introduced in the first chapter of the thesis and a limited range of roles which were assigned to African Americans is discussed as well. This chapter is also concerned with contemporary images of African Americans and the reasons why African American audiences are becoming increasing important are presented in this chapter too. The aim of the thesis is to trace the progress of the portrayal of African Americans. The second chapter of the thesis is concerned with the analysis of African American characters on a contemporary comedy television series called 30 Rock (2006-20013). This comedy series represents a suitable material for the analysis because there are several African

Americans characters casted on this sitcom. Also, the fact that the series aired on one of the biggest television networks in the United States is another reason why 30 Rock was chosen for the analysis. The focus of the thesis is put mainly on the first four seasons of the television series. I argue that 30 Rock has greatly contributed to the discussion of the portrayal of African Americans on television.

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Resumé

Tato diplomová práce se zabývá stereotypním zobrazováním Afroameričanů v televizi.

V minulosti byli Afroameričané obsazováni do stereotypních rolí jak ve filmech, tak v televizi. V první kapitole této práce představuji základní stereotypní zobrazování

Afroameričanů a zabývám se tendencí obsazovat Afroameričany pouze do určitých rolí.

Soudobé zobrazování Afroameričanů je v této kapitole diskutováno také spolu s důvody toho, proč jsou diváci z řad Afroameričanů čím dál tím důležitější. Cílem této práce je vypátrat, jakým způsobem se zobrazování Afroameričanů v průběhu času změnilo.

V druhé kapitole práce se zabývá analýzou Afroamerických postavy v soudobém televizním komediálním seriálu pod českým názvem Studio 30 Rock (2006-2013).

Tento komediální seriál byl vybrán pro účely této práce, jelikož se jedná o soudobý komediální seriál, ve kterém je obsazeno několik Afroamerických postav a jelikož byl seriál vysílán na jedné z největších televizních stanic ve Spojených státech amerických.

Práce se zaměřuje především na první čtyři série tohoto seriálu. V práci tvrdím, že tento seriál významně přispěl do diskuze o stereotypním zobrazování Afroameričanů v televizi.

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30 Rock Episodes Used and Cited:

“Anna Howard Shaw Day.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 11 Feb. 2010.

Television.

“Believe in the Stars.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 6 Nov. 2008. Television.

“Black Tie.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 1 Feb. 2007. Television.

“Christmas Attack Zone.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 9 Dec. 2010. Television.

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“Cleveland.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 19 Apr. 2007. Television.

“Corporate Crush.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 12 Apr. 2007. Television.

“Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 3 Dec. 2009.

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“Don Geiss, America and Hope.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 18 Mar. 2010.

Television.

“Do-Over.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 30 Oct. 2008. Television.

“Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 13 May 2010.

Television.

“Fireworks.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 5 Apr. 2007. Television.

“Gavin Volure.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 20 Nov. 2008. Television.

“Hard Ball.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 22 Feb. 2007. Television.

“Jack Gets in the Game.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 11 Oct. 2007. Television.

“Jack Meets Dennis.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 30 Nov. 2006. Television.

“Jack-Tor.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 16 Nov. 2006. Television.

“Kidney Now!” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 14 May 2009. Television.

“Khonani.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 22 Apr. 2010. Television.

“Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 22 Apr. 2010.

Television.

“Let‟s Stay Together.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 7 Oct. 2010. Television.

“Live from Studio 6H.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 26 Apr. 2012. Television.

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“Ludachristmas.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 13 Dec. 2007. Television.

“Mamma Mia.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 7 May 2009. Television.

“Pilot.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 10 Oct. 2006. Television.

“Rosemary‟s Baby.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 25 Oct. 2007. Television.

“Senor Macho Solo.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 8 Jan. 2009. Television.

“Subway Hero.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 17 Apr. 2008. Television.

“Sun Tea.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 19 Nov. 2009. Television.

“The Aftermath.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 18 Oct. 2006. Television.

“The Baby Show.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 4 Jan. 2007. Television.

“The Break-Up.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York.14 Dec. 2006. Television.

“The Bubble.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 19 Mar. 2009. Television.

“The Collection.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 18 Oct. 2007. Television.

“The C-Word.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 15 Feb. 2007. Television.

“The Ones.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 23 Apr. 2009. Television.

“The Natural Order.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 30 Apr. 2009. Television.

“The Source Awards.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 1 Mar. 2007. Television.

“Tracy Does Conan.” 30 Rock. NBC. WNBC, New York. 7 Dec. 2006. Television.

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