Midterm Primary Source

I will be analyzing a 1984 Saturday Night Live sketch entitled "White Like Me." In it, black comedian Eddie Murphy decides to experience life as a white man by putting on make-up and performing what he perceives to be the physical and character traits of white men. A couple of examples of his experiences as a white man include receiving perks and free items (a free newspaper, a no-questions-asked loan from a bank), as well as seeing how groups of whites change their behavior when they think no black person is around.

The comedic clip brings up many issues relevant to this course. Reminiscent of Ellen and William Craft's escape from slavery, the sketch highlights the idea of race as performance. It discusses white privilege as well as a black person's own imagining of what the white world must be like. I'm still working on my argument/thesis, but it will have something to do with Eddie Murphy using exaggerated comedy to bring attention to real world issues, truths and perceptions about race.

You can see the clip here:

http://vimeo.com/29861855

It's hilarious.