Gerald-- It's a Black Thang Baby

    In the 90s cartoon Hey Arnold!, there are all sorts of characters that many people adore. For those who aren't familiar with the classic, Hey Arnold! surrounds the daily life of a kid named Arnold and his neighborhood friends. In this show, I personally enjoy the character Gerald, although I would like him better if he weren’t a positive stereotype. I believe television shows and films usually have some sort of positive stereotype in order to make the character(s) in the show or movie more digestible to audiences. Gerald is a black kid and the best friend of the protagonist Arnold. He often is left to over-exemplify Black culture, and that leads to his main character trait being Black (check out this video of Gerald's ideas for the name of a community party). Gerald has no other character depth besides him being a so-called cool black kid. Gerald is a good character because he is a great friend to Arnold and other characters, but he’s loved by many of his friends because he is so cool and eclectic. In one instance, Arnold is even officially named the coolest kid by one of his classmates; to be so cool, Gerald doesn't really do much. We don't really know anything about his persona.
    



Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 24, 2022 at 5:02 PM

    Hello! This post was very inciteful and I love how you touched on the concept of tokenism! There definitely is a lot more pressure for the creators to write for a character when they see him as an example of what most people think the Black community is. Do you think the solution would be to add in more POC characters with multiple different traits so we can see more into the diversity of this community? Or how do you think we can have shows with a diversified cast without having POC characters fall into the claws of tokenism? I'm really looking forward to your next post!
    -Nina Lu

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  2. Santana VespeJanuary 24, 2022 at 9:24 PM

    Hi Jadalyn!
    Similar to what Nina said, I immediately found your addition of tokenism in this post to be a really smart and important point to highlight as the basis for your explication of the pressure it places upon Gerald. Also, your personal insights as to how the writers can improve his character are unique and I can't wait to hear more from you in future posts!
    --
    Santana

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  3. TgibbsJanuary 28, 2022 at 10:10 AM

    Hello Jadalyn! This is a common stereotype that I see, especially with black characters in all white casts so that they can claim diversity. But it's so important to address that black people and characters have more complex characteristics and personalities. Thank you for addressing this and I can't wait to read more about your perspective and solution to this stereotype.

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