Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sadia's Punch-Out!!

I think this would be the point in the popular 80's video game
where the announcer comes out and says, "Come on stand up and fight."**


**It's interesting to see how cultural stereotypes are so deeply embedded even in the video gaming culture:

(1) Doc Louis, Little Mac's trainer in "blackface";

(2) Glass Joe, the weakest most defenseless looking opponent from France;

(3) Piston Honda, who wears a head band much like Daniel from The Karate Kid;

(4) Don Flamenco, the effeminate boxer from Spain;

(5) Great Tiger, an Indian turban-wearing Sikh, who brings a tiger with him to the ring; and

(6) Soda Popinski, the Russian boxer, who always took a swig of "pop" from a jug of soda that bore an unmistakable resemblance to a liquor bottle, and who uttered phrases like, "I can't drive, so I'm gonna walk all over you."


As a kid the preponderance of such racially charged caricatures completely escaped me-- or did they?

2 comments:

Brazenlilly said...

Love the video! Carson and I just watched it about 8 times in a row and cracked up each time. (BTW, what an adorable bathrobe she has!)

Dionne Sincire said...

Thanks! I think her robe was a Christmas present, although we have been thinking about trading it in for the silk monogramed styled robe. Something like this one seems more appropriate. :0)

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