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?
In Bodrohkozy’s article, there are very mixed responses to Julia. Whites and blacks both had mixed responses and engaged with the show in different ways. The show caused self-consciousness from the white viewers and the article reiterated that being white was the norm and this show portrayed blacks as “everyone else.” The black cast was noted to have a very white mentality and were referred to as “white Negros.” Some blacks identified with the show while the others did not identify with the show. If they did not identify with the show it was because they felt that Julia was not a realistic portrayal of African American lifestyle. Part of that was the controversy over the fact that there was no strong black male figure in the show. Still, though, the black viewers participated with the show offering up suggestions and help in order to make the show more realistic and successful. Touching race in a very quiet way, some blacks noted integration is not that easy. In the episode we watched in class, race was indirectly addressed with the children’s discussion of Santa Clause’s skin. Dihann Caroll and Hal Kanter wanted a non-stereotypical realistic portrayal of the African American community but just that was up for debate and criticism.
ReplyDeleteLike many of the portrayals of African Americans on television, reactions to the show, Julia, fell into ranging categorizes. Released during a time of major changes in American civil rights, views surrounding race relations and racial tensions were in a state of transformation. White viewers who wrote about their experiences with the show often noted how Julia and her son where just like all families and that this portrayal of a black family was something they could all appreciate and even enjoy. This notion that Julia’s family was just like all the middle class white families was seen positively by the group of viewers who thought that assimilation and taking up a common culture was key to solving the countries race problems and to disregard past opinions about the “otherness” of blacks (Bodrohkozy, 149). Many other viewers, especially those who supported the resurgence around the black identity, did not view this assimilation in a positive light. Many black viewers found great fault in the depiction of Julia as what was referred to as a “white Negro”. The show ignored many issues of race relations and by not addressing the issues; many viewers felt that Julia’s depiction of black life was unrealistic. Still others saw the portrayal of smart and sharp Julia around whites, often depicted as less intelligent. as “reverse discrimination’” (Bodrohkozy, 153). These varying opinions around one television show indicated the changing views of race relations, not only between races but within the races themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe TV show Julia received a great deal of criticism and appraisal for its portrayal of a widowed African-American woman, working as a nurse while raising a child. Many white viewers praised the show, in which some identified themselves as whites. Others saw the show as a means of denying racial difference, meaning that they thought that the show worked to supersede the supposed barriers that our skin pigmentation creates. More often, however, the show faced a variety of opposition. Some critics of the show did not approve of Julia’s living of a comfortable, suburbanized life, when the news of the time showed so many stories of racialized violence and fierce insurrections of African Americans. Many of these African Americans were also living in ghettos, far from what Julia had. Many people also criticized the show for not addressing racial issues, orienting Julia towards a white mindset despite being black. This wasn’t it, the show also dealt with criticism towards occasional sexual depictions of Julia, as well as how the development of black characters in the show was done at the expense of the white ones. As it can be seen, while the show enjoyed high ratings, the producers were unsure how to deal with so much opposition from so many different angles.
ReplyDeleteIt is my belief that the show was interpreted in so many different ways because of the diversity of the viewing audience (as evident by the letters the producers receiver), which only makes it natural to receive a variety of opinions when dealing with a topic that evoked some sensitivity at the time. This show’s audience was compiled of a variety of different demographics: white housewives, lower class African-Americans, etc. Based on what these different groups of people had experienced, what they believed, and the way the lived, all had some sort of an impact on the way the felt about this show. It is only natural for a person to implement his or her own beliefs and experiences into something that provokes his or her emotions. This show was viewed at a time when racial issues were at the forefront of American discussion (not to say that they still are today). So when a show such as Julia came around, these different groups of people did not hesitate to express what they felt.
Historically, the portrayals of Black Americans on television were either in the form of black-face, as servants working for a white man, or in highly segregated communities. Julia was different in that it was a single African-American female who was not a servant but rather a working professional nurse who lived amongst and intermingled with white people. It dealt with normal issues that anyone may deal with irregardless of race.
ReplyDeleteJulia was considered to be a white negro because she didn’t meet the realities of middle class black families. As a nurse in the show she lived a lifestyle that was an unattainable reality for other black nurses of the time. Furthermore, she was surrounded by white people in the show such open mixing of Blacks and Whites were not happening at the time. Julia also spoke very proper therefore being another reason she was viewed as a white Negro.
While it was a good way to show integration, it ruffled feathers because it depicted a lifestyle that truly was not real and was far from becoming a reality.
The U.S. has a long history of racism and the fight to break free from racial segregation both seen and unseen. Julia is an example of a tv show that tries to integrate blacks into a predominately white medium. Many viewers expressed their opinions on the show, both negative and positive in terms of how race is depicted in the show. Many white viewers remarked how much they liked the show even though the main character in the show is black. Some even felt that the show did a good job showing a different side of black people and that could help the two races understand and accept each other.
ReplyDeleteThere are some, however, that felt as though Julia did not depict blacks as the way they are. The saw Julia’s character as a “white Negro” and is went against the black reality. They found faults in her lifestyle, such as her being a nurse and living in a luxury apartment. In real life, she would not have been able to afford such accommodations. This led to viewers feeling as though Julia was white-washed to try to bridge the gap between white and black audiences. There were some white viewers who felt as though the white family in the show were shown as stupid and sloppy compared to the sharp and intelligent Julia.
Race is such a complex issue with deep-seated beliefs in the American people that no matter what the creators of Julia did there would be no way to appease all audiences. The varying interpretations of the show are products of the period when Julia was on the air. Though not much has changed since then, Julia and all diverse shows raise very important issues regarding race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. It’s getting people to discuss these issues and casting a light on the different perspectives that teach people to understand and accept one another.
“Julia” elicited a varied response from viewers when it aired from 1968-1971. Much like “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” the African American community debated the merits of “Julia,” in this case for its lack of acknowledgment or inclusion of Black culture within the series. Fans sent many letters in, ranging from praise to criticism regarding “Julia” and its depiction of race. Many white viewers commended the series, calling it “a pleasure to watch” for making it possible to see “contemporary issues treated with honesty, humor, and sensitivity.” I think the show was interpreted in many different ways because it was unlike anything on television at the time. “Amos ‘n’ Andy” and “Julia” were the first series to feature African American leads on television, which for both black and white audiences elicited widely differing responses. Because white audiences were not used to seeing black actors on television and because African American audiences weren’t used to seeing a wholly assimilated depiction of blacks on TV, many viewers reacted differently to “Julia.”
ReplyDeleteJulia’s portrayal of a middle to upper-middle class, integrated black woman living and working in an all white community drew accolades and criticism from all sides. It is interesting to note, as Bodroghkozy does in her article, that commentary the show came in two very different forms that were usually split neatly down racial lines. The white viewers who wrote in to comment on the show seemed pleased to see that television was portraying African Americans as “normal,” functioning members of society. By contrast, many African American viewers who wrote in stated that the show lacked a certain veracity in the lack of any sense of black community in Julia’s life. It is interesting to note that those white viewers, who were so careful in their letters to identify themselves as white as Bodroghkozy reminds us, who so liked the show seemed pleased to note that Julia’s life was normal. Many black viewers watched the same material and felt that it lacked reality due to the fact that Julia no longer felt “black.” As discussed in lecture, representation on television in the 1960s was virtually non-existent for the black community. While Julia did offer a representational character that didn’t rely on the racist stereotypes of characters in shows like Amos ‘n’ Andy, it is important to note the number of African American viewers who felt that Julia was essentially a white woman. That is to say, a number of audience members who felt strongly enough about the show to write in about their opinions felt let down by the show due to how little they felt it had to do with the real black appearance in the United States at the time. Given that, at the time of the broadcast, African Americans were still fighting for their civil rights, these remarks are not to be ignored. Similarly, it is important to realize that those white who wrote in commending the show on its depiction of a “normal” African American lifestyle were almost explicitly comparing it to their own lifestyle of privilege in this country. In short, the show was interpreted in numerous different ways due to the differences in cultural background of the audiences based on race and class and the leftover cultural awareness of shows such as Amos ‘n’ Andy which make nearly every show look tolerant in comparison. The show was an attempt to show an African American woman successfully living and working in a white environment, and it was successful in that regard. It was, however, regarded as lacking veracity due to the many and varied problems with a singular experience being labelled as “the” black experience in America, and the acceptance by many of the public of that label without understanding the problematic nature of the statement in the first place.
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