Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Responses to Julia
Discuss the range of viewer responses to Julia described by Bodrohkozy's article. Based on your viewing of the pilot and our discussion of television and race in the 1960s, why do you think the show was interpreted so many different ways? Why, for example, would some critics refer to the show or the character Julia as “white?”
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As noted by Bodrohkozy’s article, the “fan mail” generated by Julia was largely divided. On the more positive side, white viewers tended to praise the show for displaying that black people were like “normal” (aka white) people too, and that Julia would help “all of us to understand each other” (149) better. Positive mail from black viewers, on the other hand, tended to display a “participatory quality in their engagement with the program” (157), such as suggesting new characters and storylines the program could feature.
ReplyDeleteAs per negative responses, the main two criticisms were either that the show did “not portray the life of the typical probing Black woman” (159) and that Julia was essentially a white woman with black features, and that the program lacks a consistent adult black male character. After viewing an episode of Julia, I can definitely understand these criticisms, and see why they would have blocked a large portion of viewers from enjoying the show, or seeing it as a totally positive depiction of blacks in America. Most likely this particular characterization created such divisive responses because Julia was the only black female protagonist on television at the time. As a sole character, Julia can only have so many qualities, and taking into consideration the fact that the show was created during the particularly bloody and violent years of the Civil Rights Movement, show producers probably wanted to have the most innocuous depiction of black people they could have—one that would endear white viewers, not terrify them.
In real life, black people, like all people, are diverse and multi-faceted in their experiences and personalities, and because there was only one depiction of a black woman available at the time, it is understandable, I think, that many found that Julia did not represent their experiences. Perhaps, though, if the program did actually try to address the issue of race instead of taking place in a vacuum where only sexism existed, the program would have been received more positively overall, despite Julia’s character.
At such a critical time for civil rights in the nation’s history, it is understandable that a show like Julia (the only show of its time to feature a female, African American lead) could be interpreted in many different ways by many different people. Fans and critics of the show pointed to several qualities of the show in letters they sent to the producer of the show that they either liked or thought needed to change. Positives usually focused on how the show endeared people to black people through the proxies of Corey and Julia Baker, but several pointed out that the depiction of Julia and Corey was not an accurate portrayal of black people and their experiences in America. Personally, I feel the “problems” people had with the show over the quantity of African American representation on TV. At the time as mentioned before, this was the only show featuring an African American woman lead. For that reason it is the only show that existed for people to make these kinds of commentaries (positive or negative) in reference to. People tried to apply all kinds of their different experiences to this one show and often failed. Unfortunately, one show cannot be all things to all people. For some, the messages resonated with them. For others, they didn’t. It wasn’t necessarily the fault of Julia, it’s just one show cannot bear the burden of a whole society’s expectations.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the episode of “Julia” in the Thursday screening, I was quite surprised at how well the producers casted an African American woman to have the lead role in a new television show. Though the show did bring more attention to minorities, there were many debates about the context and structural characteristics of Julia as an African American. In the 1960’s minorities never had the opportunity to be casted in star roles and after the refute over Amos ‘n’ Andy, there had to be a new hope and show for minorities to enjoy. Julia was middle class, had a son, living in an apartment, and was a nurse looking for employment. In economic standards, that was high considering the norms of other African Americans. Julia spoke softly, was intelligent, and exemplified enriched behavior and poise that critics said mocked a “white woman”. However, there were other individuals who believed . There was much speculation in believing what was the “exact” representation of minorities in the entertainment business. Amos ‘n’ Andy was filled with racial slurs and ignorance, and Julia was mocked as being to “proper and white”. One can’t help but question what was the appropriate role to cast for African Americans and how they would be criticized and reviewed by viewers of the show.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your last statement on questioning what is the appropriate role. It seems as though a character is portrayed as either “too ethnic” or “too white.” I feel like people’s interpretations of different races are personal and it is probably close to impossible to find that happy medium. In Julia, white people may appreciate her character more because she is successful and doesn’t have the mannerisms that Amos N’ Andy had. But then black people see her as too white and not representative of where her skin comes from. It seems like a sad loop that is difficult to get out of. Even today the same situation is brought up, such as with the Fresh Prince of BelAir with Carleton’s character.
DeleteJulia is successful and doesn’t have the mannerisms that, for example, Amos n’ Andy had. Also, compared to Beula, the relationship between a man and a woman is displayed differently. Julia is out to find a job to make up money for her dead husband, but a husband who had died honorably. It is argued that her personality seemed very similar to the white mom’s personality, and less like a “typical black person.” As Bodrghkozy mentions, the show focused a little less on race but instead more on sexism. Julia is an attractive woman who is put through a lot of sexual harassment. You may even say that her son does the same, wanting her to meet the repair man because he wants her to be with a man (although this is seen as his desire to want a daddy). The race was less of a point in this show and more on the prejudice of women.
ReplyDeleteViewer responses towards Julia varied quite a lot, since African-Americans, whites, and critics “all made sense of the program in different ways” (154). The show received criticism for refusing to be topical and dealing with racial issues that were occurring at the time. The main characters, Julia and Corey, did not live in the ghetto, but instead had a luxurious lifestyle that was impossible for a single mother working as a nurse. Other characters were either “demeaning ghetto stereotypes or upper-class “white negroes”” (151). Critics might have referred to Julia as “white” due to her mannerisms, how she conducted herself, and style of speech. She was very different from the way most white people perceived African-Americans at that time. Furthermore, the show attempted to “assuage white consciences” with bad racial representations (154). White people who wrote letters to the producers were raising questions about traditional definitions of racial identity (155). Racial difference was uncertain terrain at the time, and people were afraid to even begin questioning those areas. Other questions came up about the representation of gender and motherhood in Julia (154). Many critics were both denying and grappling with the differences that were coming up in each episode. Julia is a strong, single mother in the show, but people were aware about the housewife and mother position in the social order (154). Finally, white viewers tended to offer criticism about the show, but only African-Americans would give assistance about how to improve it (158). I think the wide range of the type of people who watched the show contributed to different viewpoints coming up. People interpreted Julia’s actions and words in different ways, leading to various criticisms.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your position Mackenzie. In my opinion, the most important aspect of the show is the fact that Julia is a single, African American women, making it on her own and raising a child during this time period. Women, especially African American women, received little media exposure and therefore were underrepresented to the general American public. Her responsible, polite and subdued demeanor made her a class act for not only an African American women at the time, but all individuals. The clear evidence of her education make her an extremely respectable lady and while in the episode she leaves Corey at home alone, she is very ambitious to be going to look for a job and sets a positive example for all viewers to go and make a life for yourself, despite all odds.
DeleteAs noted in Bodrohkozy's article, one of the criticisms of the show was that its portrayal of African Americans and their interactions with whites was "unrealistic" (150). For example, Julia's way of speaking is uninflected and essentially identical to the speaking patterns of white characters on the show, and is one reasons critics referred to her as "white". Also, Julia is pretty affluent and lives in a nice apartment without any culturally relevant artifacts or objects that were often present in the homes of African American characters on other shows, and viewers felt this demonstrated how far Julia is removed from the problems of African American youth and the African American community in general. After viewing the show I understand how there are so many different opinions of it; I definitely felt that based on the characterizations of Julia and Corey the two could have been characters of any race, in comparison to a show such as “Amos ‘n’ Andy” where the characters were so stereotypically depicted. Although both sides have valid points on this issue, I feel that because this is only one show with two main African American characters it is difficult for the characters to be everything at once and to please all critics and viewers at the same time. Especially during this time with civil rights being such an important issue at the time, there was sure to be controversy over a show like this and the way it portrayed African Americans.
ReplyDeleteJulia was seen in many ways by the audience, displayed by the letters received. This show portrayed a black main character and was mainly thought to combat racial injustice and prejudices with a comedy/drama. Many people believed that this show was a very "white" version of a black show. This meant that Julia lived in a nice apartment with very nice things and acted "white". This led to the influx of black viewers seeing the show as wildly inaccurate in portraying a black reality. Apart from these concerns there was another viewpoint that mainly housewives were seeing. They were becoming offended by the "reverse racism" they thought was in place. These women saw the black people on the show as very intelligent and cunning, whereas the whites were exhibited as dumb and not helpful. In the article it is also mentioned that the apartment Julia was living in was not possible for the salary of a nurse. This added to the whole idea of unreliability when it comes to realism in the show. The two examples of the scripts were good examples of how confused the staff was on ral black culture and identity. They could only work with extremes.
ReplyDeleteI thought that Julia did pretty well for a show in such a controversial time period.
ReplyDeleteMy first thoughts of the show after watching the pilot episode were how completely different it had portrayed African Americans in comparison to the other shows of its time such as Amos n’ Andy. Some viewers had issues with this. They believed that the character Julia was not portrayed as being “black”. Her mannerisms and lifestyle depict her as being whitewashed. Viewers criticized that “the show was unrealistic and was not ‘telling it like it is’” (Bodroghkozy, 150). The Time magazine criticized Julia “for not portraying how black people really lived: ‘Julia would not recognize a ghetto if she stumbled into it, and she is, in every respect save color, a figure in a white milieu’” (150). Robert Lewis Shayon from Saturday Review stated that “the world of Julia was a fantasy because it did not focus on the problems on black youth and because it did not take lace in a ghetto environment” (150). All three of these critics believed that Julia was simply an African-American character with “white” aspects. The only thing the show tried to do was to dispel negative stereotypical views of African Americans. Bodroghkozy states that “perhaps these viewers engaged in a denial of the ‘otherness’ of black people in an attempt to reduce white anxiety about racial difference. By affirming that blacks were ‘just people and just like everyone else, these viewers defined ‘everyone else’ as white. White was the norm from which the Other deviated” (149). I understand what the producers were trying to do for the show. It’s just that they made Julia so unrealistic (for instance, Julia living in a luxurious apartment on a nurse’s salary). Though, I do like that the producers created Julia with “white” characteristics, allowing her to break the African American television stereotype. Simply put, Julia’s characteristics as an African American woman brought upon confusion by its viewers, allowing them to have multiple interpretations of her and the show.
Julia had a unique position as “the first situation comedy to feature an African American in a starring role” since the early fifties (144). The culture in which it existed burdened it with the task of somehow synthesizing, yet not negatively stereotyping, an extremely underrepresented, dynamic racial group simply because of its position as one of the only representations of that racial group, blacks and African Americans.
ReplyDeleteBodrohkozy discusses a wide range of responses from white viewers, each with “unconscious racial notion[s]” or overtly racist messages (150). If a white letter-response writer liked the show, it was because they found it to portray black people just like everyone else, revealing that “white” was synonymous with “normal,” regardless of the shifting cultural understandings of either race. The white-dominated popular press saw the show as unrealistic of the black experience, revealing that they presumed the black experience to be “a ghetto experience” (150). Other white viewers directed their fears about integration, changing racial relations, and the increasing visibility of black people onto the program.
Black viewers, on the other hand, demonstrated a more personal relationship to the program. Black viewers’ critiques of Julia’s realism targeted the important issue of if the show was merely a safe avenue for a white audience as well as its representation of a black family, revealing the complexities behind and differences between perceptions of the white patriarchal structure and the black patriarchal structure and what it meant to be a woman in each.
DeleteFrancesca, this is a very insightful blog post and got me thinking about what it means to be represented on television and if there is really a different between good press and bad press. To me, I think the fact that Julia, a single, African American women, at this time was being portrayed on screen is a huge development for the entire population of women across America as well as the African American population as a whole. While the critiques of Julia simply portraying a “white” women and not really exploring what it means to be an African American on television are valid, I don’t think it really matters. The sheer presence of her on screen is enough to break the barrier in terms of race and gender across the nation and bring a new type of character to the surface for upcoming shows and representations of personalities in the media in the future.
There are many viewer responses to Julia, which made it so controversial in the 1960s. At a time when there was a major clash between the white and black populations, NBC came out with Julia to show they were trying to help incorporate a popular representation of blacks into their television. Hoping that it would die out soon, it came to their surprise when Julia quickly rose to the top of the charts. Some of the responses to Julia were positive such as how Julia was a nice depiction of blacks having them live in a upper-class neighborhood and not in the ghettos like most African-Americans at the time. In addition to this another viewer response was that media was depicting African Americans this way in order to show them that this life is obtainable and they are not stuck in the ghettos forever. Some critics felt as though this depiction was not accurate to what the realities were and they were trying to hide behind the media in order to prove their point. It was going again the depiction of blacks represented in the news, which is another reason this show was so controversial and created a lot of different viewer reactions. Viewers would see the character of Julia as white because of the place she lived the way she spoke and the light the show showed her in. For example, after her husband died she was able to be a successful widow and raise a nice boy. In any other representation of blacks she probably would have just been getting by just trying to make sure her son could eat. The world was so split that creating a character in a different element than what many people are used to can confuse people and have them react in different ways.
ReplyDeleteThe television show Julia was interpreted in many different ways by its viewers due to the period in which the show came out. The 1960s were a time when African Americans were still not accepted as equals by a good portion of the country and having an African American character, let alone a female African American, was enough for some people to become visibly angry at the show’s existence. However, there were several supporters of having African Americans on television who were also upset with Julia because they felt that she was not depicted as a strong individual Black woman, but instead had many “white” characteristics that made her appeal to a more general audience.
ReplyDeleteSome viewers were also angered by Julia’s overreliance on men. Julia first has to impress a man in her interview to receive a job, but does not initially because the man does not want an African American working in the office. Then, her son is constantly trying to find her a male partner to take care of their family. These decisions by the show angered some of the audience who felt that Julia should be depicted as a strong independent woman who does not need to rely upon men.
Finally, there were simply those fans that enjoyed the fact that there was a television show that had African American actors and did not care how they were perceived on screen as long as they remained for their viewing pleasure. And of course, there were also those who enjoyed the show as simple entertainment that they could rely on being available once a week for their viewing pleasure.