Abstract

During a time when the word nigger was casually used behind the scenes in Hollywood, the industry was deciding whether or not the term could be used onscreen. The MPPDA’s shifting policy on antiblack epithets was driven less by respectful consideration of Black spectators than by concern about state censors and the specter of Black revolt. It tells us much about how industry self-censors sought to mask American race relations through encoded textual signification. Thus, the industry’s limited conception of Black humanity can be seen not only in its onscreen stereotypes but also in its inconsistent attempts to acknowledge Black spectators’ offense as it did with other groups.

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