"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated August 30, 1908:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (OCTOBER 30, 2020):
Another strip tarnished by racial caricature, this one recycling the "savage" for purposes of a really distasteful cultural allegory. - 1/10
The "cannibals" are visited by a missionary who wishes to convert them into "vegetarians"… which is nothing but a thinly veiled depiction of the post-emancipation racist notion that White people had to civilize the now freed Black people of America. - 2/10
We've seen this before and we've discussed the negative influence that it might have had on the youthful readers of McCay's comic… but it's worth noting again. - 3/10
It's rather bothersome to think that many young and impressionable children read this comic and mistook the allegory for truth, thus promoting and perpetuating a set of white supremacist beliefs… - 4/10
As if to top it all off, Impie has an unceremonious return to us! - 5/10
I was SO HAPPY to see him return! A lost friend is back with us… and yet Nemo doesn't even acknowledge him. Damn it, Nemo… why?! - 6/10
I think this strip belongs in the conversation regarding the racism that is found in McCay's work, because it isn't simply racist by default through its use of racial caricature… - 7/10
…, but also because it's message supports the systemic marginalization of Black Americans by presenting them as in need of civilization… - 8/10
All in all a repulsive strip today, but one that can also be leveraged to reveal much about our difficult past, while also ensuring that popular culture has a responsibility to be conscious of it's impact. - 9/10
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #151. What's yours? - 10/10
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