The reader comments on the Show Me The Mammy article were quite interesting.
I think that on any blog when you see reader comments, you can assume that one comment may be representative of thousands or millions of like viewpoints.
Here's what some people are thinking.
Oprah
“may be the greatest mammy of all time”
“Yeah, Oprah is the epitome of the modern mammy.”
“Oprah is a mammy because of the way she acts towards white women. Oprah always goes out of her way NEVER to upset her white female audience. Mammy isn't just about being overweight and being black. The stereotype of mammy is also the attitude of not offending whites and bending to their concerns. Over the years Oprah's show has gotten so white. But mammy Oprah also never discusses the friction between white women and women of colour. …she simply wants to make money off of white women so she won't offend them. Oprah is mammy because she soothes the prejudices of white women and she goes out of her way to "nurture" them and make them "feel good."
Queen Latifah
“Usually though Queen Latifah is the black asexual mammy in her films.”
Mo’Nique
“Mo'Nique… is a VERY good actress who could possibly be a "good" mammy in the future.”
Varying Definitions of Mammy
(on why Oprah isn’t a mammy) “A mammy would not be more successful than her 'master/mistress.” … She beat the white folk at their own game and now controls it. If that is a mammy, then God help the rest of us black women.”
“After all isn't the definition of a mammy a Black women who cares for and comforts Whites?”
“As for Mo-Nique, she may not kiss white peoples ass, but nowadays, 'Mammy' is also about the image you portray. Very overweight, black female, not that successful in her own right, will say/do anything to please 'the massa', etc. THAT is a mammy”
“The fact that someone is black, overweight and female does not render them an inhabitant of the mammy status. Otherwise, majority of black women in America can be called mammies, don't you think?”
“idea of what a mammy is. To me it would involve being in a position where you have to agree with and kiss the white mans arse.”
“a good mammy understands why she is doing what she is doing and is wise enough to always be above the caricature.”
“Mammy isn't just about being overweight and being black. The stereotype of mammy is also the attitude of not offending whites and bending to their concerns.”
“chick from General Hospital - she's the new millenium ‘mean mammy’”
Others Who Readers Consider Mammies
Sherri Shephed
Chandra Wilson (a/k/a Dr. Bailey on Grey's Anatomy)
“… let's not forget the fictional black mammies on TV such as Dr. Bailey also known as the Nazi on Grey's Anatomy. A lot of people don't realize Dr. Bailey is a stereotype of black female sexuality. Dr. Bailey has no love life a husband and child we hardly ever see. But whenever the white costars need a shoulder to cry on mammy Bailey is there.”
Diane Amos (the Pine Sol lady)
Actress on General Hospital
“Even on Tori Spelling's tacky reality TV show she has a Black Mammy that takes care of her newborn child.”
“… Madea, Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence… ”
“Loretta on Family Guy is a triple threat; she's a Sapphire … and a Jezebel … too!”
Hi The Black Actor,
“A mammy would not be more successful than her 'master/mistress.” … She beat the white folk at their own game and now controls it. If that is a mammy, then God help the rest of us black women.”
I don't believe that the amount of money someone earns disqualifies them as being a Mammy. In fact I think Oprah's wealth is an indication that she truly is the greatest Mammy in history.
Being a Mammy is a service and the fact the Oprah has made so much just shows how good she is at it.
The definition of a Mammy is "a stereotype of a black woman, depicted as rotund, homely, and matronly"
Anyway this is very interesting. Thanks for the post!
Posted by: Mes Deux Cents | January 02, 2008 at 12:37 PM
nice blog hon, just stumbled on u. do chk me out one da and happy nappy new year
Posted by: rawdawgbufalo | January 03, 2008 at 01:29 AM
Loretta on Family Guy a triple threat...hilarious comment, so true. I HATE her character thoroughly!
Posted by: invisiblewoman | January 03, 2008 at 11:01 AM
the crazy thing about Loretta on Fam Guy is she cheated with the most funny looking male ho on the cartoon, a white man known for infedelity & gave up a good man & home for Quagmire?
OK I know its just a cartoon LOL but I'm just saying ...
Posted by: Kimi | January 03, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Dammit. I never saw Family Guy. I don't know what's going on. :( LOL
Posted by: theblackactor.com | January 03, 2008 at 12:13 PM
@ Raw Dawg
Thank you. Will do!
Posted by: theblackactor.com | January 04, 2008 at 10:47 AM
Okay, first I’d like to say. I’m the type of person who likes to go against the grain and be the Devil’s advocate (even if I agree). I just think that it would be utterly boring if we all agreed and I think it would open more conversation. I do it on almost every blog I go to.
About Oprah, people always say this about Oprah that the show has gotten so White, not all Black people are alike and I think that is one of the issues in our community. Some of us expect Blacks to think the same, feel the same and act the same. I mean IMHO that’s just as bad as Whites who think all Blacks are the same and expect them to be. I don’t watch Oprah, but who’s to say that the show mostly caters to Whites? My friend loves Oprah and watches her show religiously…so she’s obviously is catering to her. Again I don’t mean to offend anyone, but I am offering a different perspective. Plus she’s doing better than most of the White people that she’s supposedly catering to.
As far as Dr. Shepard and everyone else, I’m taking a diversity class and the Whites in the class can name numerous stereotypes on many different aspects of TV shows in terms of White women, so can I about Black women or Black people in general, so can gays lesbians, overweight women etc. Which I can deduce as Hollywood is stereotypical in general. Soap Operas are EXTREMELY stereotypical when it comes to EVERYTHING. Everyone sees something different and view it in different ways no one is right or wrong because everyone sees things through their own eyes. I don’t see Mo’ Nique as a Mammy, why because I hardly see her interacting or speaking with Whites so I have no clue what you guys are talking about there. Just because she is Black and overweight doesn’t mean she’s a mammy. People can also say that Beyonce & Rihanna are catering to Whites with their music hair ( Beyonce) etc. but we don’t accuse them of being mammies because they don’t fit the mold. So are we only seeing mammies in overweight Black women? What about a Black woman who caters to Blacks, but she would have to cater to Whites right? Or what about A White woman that nurtures and cares about Blacks, but I think she would be called the great white hope? So what would be an accurate portrayal of that type of woman? A skinny Black Woman or a Skinny White woman would we still complain? I can understand the Dr. Shepard idea, but I also think it’s a combination of her race, age and weight. Probably her weight more than anything else. I’m pretty positive if that was Gabrielle Union she would have a love life on the show.
Posted by: Nikki | February 28, 2008 at 11:10 PM
@ Nikki
Nikki -- Thank you for adding value to this blog with your commentary. And we love it here when people express themselves. You feel free to do that here and you need not preface your comments with "I don't mean to offend". I welcome different perspectives here and I agree actually, that "yes men" do not enhance the discussion on blogs. And if you disagree with me -- or strongly disagree with me, you voice your opinion about it if you wish.
I dig people who go against the grain.
Great comment, btw!
Posted by: theblackactor.com | February 29, 2008 at 10:27 AM