The Maury Povich show is a television programmed that has been syndicated to networks since 1991, hosted by Maury Povich (IMDB). His most popular "theme" of his series is paternity tests for woman, or their man who is involved in a dispute surrounding the baby's father (Wikipedia). It is with this theme in mind that I will specifically discuss some of the images and representations of its black and ethnic guests, white guests, and the host (Maury Povich, Episode 57). Using ideas of cultural literacy, or looking at representations and images and seeing them as truth inside culture, these representations on the Maury show will be expanded upon for greater meanings, implications, and intent. The Black, female, and white guests will be examined for differences in representation as well as for classical re-representations. Finally, the importance of the audience will be discussed followed by conclusions about these examinations.
[...] of Ethnicity One of the most addicting and entertaining aspects of the Maury show is the intimate and complete intrusive view the audience has into matters which in normal circumstances do not leave one's closes circle of involvement. A black woman sitting, facing the ground, hands together with her fingers fighting, she's obviously uncomfortable. Maury starts, “Sholanda, this is your 4th time back to the show, the three men we've tested were not the father of your baby (baby's picture on the screen behind Maury and Sholanda), you say this man is for sure”. [...]
[...] The images of black men on Maury seem to mirror the classical sambo and the new sambo as identified in modern representation. Just like Spike Lee's Bamboozled, the modern sambo is the puppet of white corporate America, the gangster (Mos Def), the classic Sambo (man man), and the “white washed” black producer (DeLa). All reproductions of the classic image, they fit hand in hand with Maury's black male (another idea that is ridiculous, would Maury ever have these people as Picture the man dancing post-paternity information is the image we will discuss in depth as a comparison with the old and new sambo. [...]
[...] The Representation of the White man The representations of white people on Maury show much more variation than those of the black “guests”. Many white people on the paternity tests shows seem very similar to the black guests described earlier. Yet, some are portrayed more humanely in another portion of the paternity test show. On this portion of the show, the woman comes out with a secret for her husband. She has cheated on him and the baby that they have together might not be his. [...]
[...] This idea is portrayed by DeLa's father in Bamboozled, saying that people laugh with him (black people know what he means, they share the same context, know when he is kidding and exactly what about), as apposed to at him (don't get the joke for what it means). The real audience of the Maury show is definitely mixed in terms of race, not all black as the show's studio audience portrays. So then, is this really people getting the joke and laughing with the Is there [...]
[...] Maury relies on the other being an ethnic other, with a culture and style that is different and in this case, a complete mockery of anything Picture C is the producers of Maury with two Black drag queens on the show. This picture really embodies the idea of Maury's show as selling other”. Yet, Maury's show acts like the Black breast in bel hook's essay. It isn't a representation out of context; it is a representation with 400 years of slavery, murder, and white dominance over black. [...]
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