Organized Sports and the Minstrel Dynamic

Organized team sports in America, particularly football and basketball, undeniably have some sort of minstrel dynamic going on.  Black athletes' physical abilities are being used to make ungodly sums of money for primarily white team owners.  However I think the team vs. fans interaction is even more telling.  Teams are held up as representations of their region.  Now this is generally accepted as irrational, however the fan-base continues to indulge in this concept.  As this attachment continues, the fans form a fraudulent emotional bond to the team.  Suddenly the success of the team and its players reflect the success of the individual, despite the fan likely having no actual relationship with the athletes.  Eventually this concept of "I succeed if you succeed" can lead (not saying this is always the case) the fan to feeling that the team/player owes their loyalty to them; they are the fan's property.   When combined with the long history of slavery and the even longer history of racism in America, this dynamic cannot be overlooked. Like I pointed out in class, this dynamic is what makes Gunnar and Scoby so uncomfortable as basketball stars.  The crowd views them as well-functioning tools, and have no appreciation for them as human beings, and probably not even as skilled basketball players.  They see them merely as some ridiculous manifestation of their success.

However in individual sports, most of these problems are fairly absent.  Take tennis for instance.  Pro tennis used to be similar to the NBA or NFL where players were owned by syndicates that governed the schedule and paychecks of the individual.  Tennis was not especially mainstream during this time period however, so that large-scale dynamic of fans associating themselves with the tennis teams was not present.  But before it could happen, the players rebelled and formed the ATP.  Now players are independent and work with tournament organizers to discuss prize money and season schedule.  This point is pretty tangental, but I wonder what modern day NFL and NBA would be like if the players had rebelled and co-owned their teams.  Would it at least reduce the presence of the minstrel dynamic?

"Gang Life" in White Boy Shuffle

The Gun Totin' Hooligans stands out as being the only environment where Gunnar's full character is acknowledged and valued.  Basketball and poetry are Gunnar's greatest skills, but in the public (and often white) eye, only his basketball skills are appreciated.  However because of the very common stereotype of black excellence in basketball, Gunnar quickly becomes expected to perform on the court.  On the opposite side of the same coin, Gunnar's intellectual skills in poetry are not expected of him by whites, and therefore not appreciated.  Beatty writes a somewhat similar novel to Ellison, where the portrayal of stereotypes and ideals takes precedence over realism, but Beatty goes out of his way to use a heaping amount of humor as well.

To more specifically address the gang, it's made up of a bunch of strange characters, maybe primarily for comic effect, however I think it cements the point that this gang is about the unity of those who are outcast or unable to meld with society.  Gunnar quickly falls into his role as the gang and neighborhood poet.  The less serious nature of the gang also seems to indicate that the dynamic might be more representative of urban African-American culture during this time period rather than an actual gang.  The GTH are not dealing drugs and conducting mass organized crime, but rather enjoying each others company in a way that kind of reminds me of the porch scenes from Their Eyes were Watching God.  I think that respect to family and friends in urban African-American culture may be more important due to the subtle and direct stereotypical restrictions placed on them by whites; again, this is their place of refuge.

As a side note; if the gang is taken to be a literal gang, Beatty may be commenting on the difficulties in extricating oneself from that situation.  It is the only environment where many of these people can be appreciated and successful, but it is not without its dangers as well (Psycho Loco).

Wright's Critique of Hurston

I think that in many ways Wright's critique of Hurston is legitimate.  Their Eyes Were Watching God is not a particularly idealistic novel.  The protagonist is on the whole, not particularly complex either.  As some have pointed out, this novel could be seen as a story of a woman finding her identity, but I really don't feel that's the case.  This analysis is digging at something that isn't there.  Her journey is, at best, a pursuit of her ideals about love and the ideal marriage/relationship.  I prefer to read the novel as an adventure: a story about realistic characters with realistic interactions living eventful lives.  Certainly Janie does find some accomplishment after her journey, but it isn't in an existential sense.  I do think that this novel has merit in its portrayal of southern life, but I agree with Wright that this book should not be that significant or lasting.

I don't believe that Hurston has the obligation to write a novel addressing race relations, but I do believe that a truly great novel has to have some philosophical or political/social relevance.  I used the parallel of music in class; there are plenty of good, catchy, successful songs that have no meaning to speak of, but a truly great song will be both well-constructed and possess some depth.

As for Wright's specific issue with Hurston's "minstrel-esque"portrayal of black southerners, I was at first less inclined to agree.  It seems wrong, especially from a modern perspective, to expect a certain portrayal of a group and especially a race from an author.  However in context, this novel was written during a time where such racist stereotypes were still rampant, and Wright was one of many trying to pave the way for change.  Hurston was naive in her detachment (whether intentional or not) from negative race relations and neglected to factor in the damaging effect her work could have in the hands of a racist demographic.