***It's lyrics like that which make it hard, especially out of context of the time period, to not see some inherent racism in the anti-racism song. Which I think for this character works just fine, as it would for almost any person of the time (or now even) because "we're all a little bit racist". You can be recognizing racism and rallying against it while also having some slanted ideas or "problematic" wording to your well-intended points.***
I absolutely agree, and it works especially well for Cable because he is -- as he himself is pointing out -- the product of a highly racist upbringing.
On a related note, I haven't read Hammerstein's intro to CARMEN JONES in about 40 years or more, but I distinctly remember some statements in it that I think many people today would consider racist, even though from a positive perspective -- something like, "the American Negro has rhythm in his body and music in his soul." This from a man justly famous as a fervent anti-racist, but he was still a product of his time. |
