American Politics & Pop Culture

The film Talk to Me does a decent job in showing varying degrees, but equally jarring, racial divisions in the 1960’s – 1970’s working world. The people in positions of power in the film are portrayed as the controlling, white, corporate America types, and although Dewey has worked alongside many of these men for some time, he is still considered lower down on the hierarchy and that truly there is “only one boss,” – in this case, the white man. Dewey has had to adapt to their mold to achieve his success. He, unlike Petey, would not have “made it” in “their” world without conforming. Whereas Petey’s marketability was his “blackness,” Dewey’s was his ability to blend in with the world around him. And although they achieved their success through different strategies, one by defying the norm (Petey) and the other playing into it (Dewey), at the end of the day, both men are agents of profitability for the higher-level white men in positions of power. In a sense, Petey’s freedom is still an illusion; he is still a cash cow for those whom he opposes.

Posted by rinas001 at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talk to Me is an important film because it depicts African American disc jockey and their role within society and their power they had over their listeners. Through the real life depiction of Ralph “Petey” Greene, the film managed to capture the socio-economical status of African Americans and the division of integrated black and white American society by economical strata. Petey Green an ex-convict, who knows the hard life and what it’s like to be living in the bottom and seeing drug addicts and hustlers, manages to get a job through Dewey, an African American who has a fairly respectable job in the radio station. Despite Dewey’s economical success relative to other African Americans, he seems to be constantly holding his real self back and trying to blend in with the White folks in the station. He works for a White boss, he watches the Tonight Show to copy the attitude and behavior of a white man. Despite having more economic freedom, he is still much tied down to racial hierarchy. On the opposite, Petey Greene lives free-er, than any other Black characters on the film. He says what he thinks, despite of raging White superior within the station, and through his bravery and stubborn ways to “keep it real” he ultimately gains the respect from Black and White folks alike. In this sense, Dewey looks up to Petey and because unlike him, he is not “afraid to say the things”. Dewey who dress and mannerism emulates White Americans, admires Petey for being able to dress like a Black man, and talk like a Black man, because Dewey too comes from the black neighborhood and roots from there. Petey’s word reflects exactly what society is like from a black man’s stance, and if anyone calls him a racist for saying whatever he did, that person would most likely be not black and is ignorant to racism.
The power of Petey is especially apparent when Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated and Washington D.C. goes up in flame. He understood the emotional status of his listeners, and despite desires to rely on violence and aggression, he is able to calm the mass down and to act in much more peaceful manner because violence would only lead to bad things.

Posted by lungx009 at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talk to Me provides an excellent example of the racial tensions Americans were battling in the 60’s and 70’s, as it was a prevailing theme throughout the film. Although the radio station was targeted primarily for African Americans, the station was largely influenced by white culture and trying to assimilate black culture with white America, being too afraid to step out against the typical social expectations and fully engross their culture. What I think is most important about the film is Dewey’s main point in the beginning of the film—the station was no longer a station “for the people, by the people.” The station’s conforming to the dominant white social norms made them, as Back explains, “a paradox for a scene which prides itself on being socially aware, and open-minded,” (139). Petey became a leader in helping to break those barriers, and he truly representing the majority of black Americans in D.C.; he wasn’t afraid to hold anything back and wasn’t afraid of being beaten down by the establishment. He was inspiring to citizens because he was open about his individuality and he wasn’t afraid to speak up against the unfair social and economic subjugation that so many citizens were fighting for.

Posted by riva0067 at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As film replaces education in the classroom, it is important to keep in mind film ideology must be taken seriously. Guy Debord explains “The spectacle presents itself as something enormously positive, indisputable and inaccessible. It says nothing more than ‘that which appears is good, that which is good appears.’ The attitude which it demands in principle is passive acceptance which in fact it already obtained by its manner of appearing without reply, by its monopoly of acceptance.” Cinematic ideology cannot and should not pass for lived or actual history under any circumstances because it is so unequivocally one-sided. A person who watches a film about history and who believes they know exactly how it was is making a terrible mistake. “Talk to Me” actually reminds me of “Birth of a Nation” by D.W. Griffith in the 1910’s. It was labeled an openly racist film by PC multicultural gospel pushers but it tries to pass itself off as historically accurate. All this is fine and good, but without a debate, spectators will be inclined to believe what they see on screen without critical thinking. Even if they know they are watching something fictional, the first thought that enters their mind when thinking about the history will be the image they saw in the movie. The movie undoubtedly glosses over a lot of ideas from a black perspective as well as other races like whites of the time. But again, all films do that. So with “Talk to Me” it should be clear from the film what exactly the ideology is. White people are evil and are responsible for all the evil in the world and blacks are one-hundred percent victims no matter what and have no choice except to bash whites and take what they want. Does that really sound accurate for educational purposes? Does that really sound well rounded or balanced? One sided?
It is worth mentioning that I am a white man and I am not accountable for killing Martin Luther King. I am also not accountable for colonialism. I’m not the one “that pulled the trigger” as Petey Green was so apt to point out. But yet there is still the race difference. I can always be blamed for countless injustices from PC multicultural gospel preachers and militant feminists regardless if I’ve even heard of them right? If that sounds like it is not very well thought out and rather absurd that’s because it is.
Diversity is not as idealistic as most Americans desperately want to believe. Patrick Buchanan in his latest book cites Robert Putnam “one of the world’s most influential political scientists. His research shows that the more diverse a community is, the less likely its inhabitants are to trust anyone-from their next-door neighbor to the mayor. ‘In the presence of diversity, we hunker down. We act like turtles. The effect of diversity is worse than had been imagined. And it’s not just that we don’t trust people who are not like us. In diverse communities, we don’t trust people who do look like us.’ Prof. Putnam found trust was lowest in Los Angeles, ‘the most diverse human habitation in human history.’” And we may not survive this century and Europe even more so with our existing and continuing diversity as Seymour Lipset points out “The histories of bilingual and bicultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy.”
In this new century of ours attempts to shame us for our culture and history and identity by minorities and non-western people must be deftly ignored. If blacks and other minorities are not going to respect our PC multicultural standard why should whites? Why shouldn’t we also have identity politics too and challenge that which is harmful to us? What is letting others walk all over us but a lack of confidence in ourselves? And for what ideology, to build castles in the sky, who said that is necessary? I have the right to make these claims without being labeled a racist or other cat calls as Rosa Luxemburg points out “Freedom of speech is meaningless unless it means the freedom of the person who thinks differently” just for the record.

Posted by dahme012 at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Newman described that African Americans in the disc jockey business were crucial in the marketing strategy of radio stations in the late 60’s/early 70’s, and I agree with this position. Especially during a time when the nation was under high racial tension and conflict, in some ways, a more peaceful environment was kept by having figures of the media that the black community could better relate to. This was best demonstrated in the film “Talk to Me” when the news of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination reached the airwaves in Washington D.C. with the help of Petey Green. We saw how effective Petey was in reaching the hearts of his listeners, African American listeners in particular, in such a shocking time in the history of civil rights. In general, as Sponsor specifically argues in the Newman article, “[S]eldom can a Negro—particularly one who is getting more and more proud of his racial heritage as his status improves—find anything in the ordinary air show sponsored by a national advertiser with which he can identify himself.” In other words, the hiring of black radio disc jockeys was one part in the quest towards equality, and blacks positively acknowledged that.

One part of the film “Talk to Me” that viewers may have found difficult to understand was Petey’s lack of excitement about being on the Tonight Show. Dewey did everything in his power to make this happen, as it was his own dream to do so. This paralleled the conversation between Petey and Dewey in which Dewey expresses that Petey could say the things that Dewey could not say, as it was perhaps an inside hope of Dewey’s that Petey would deliver some monumental speech on the Tonight Show. However, when Petey was finally on stage, he couldn’t seem to muster up any insight for the “bunch of white folks” sitting in front of him. He was simply out of his element, and did not feel comfortable. I believe that his sabotage of this chance was a mixture of Petey “keeping it real” and being a bit self-destructive. He only asked to be on radio, and that’s all he felt right doing.

Posted by joh02361 at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The movie shows the challenges imposed by the racial struggles of the period. Petey and Dewey were in very different positions in corporate America, but the movie shows how they were still not in positions of equality with white America. When Petey walks in and demands to see the boss, the station manager states that he is the only boss there. This emphasizes that even Dewey, who is playing the corporate game and is accused of being “just another white man with a tan,” cannot obtain the same level of power as his boss. Dewey realized that he was not selling out by gaining an education and working hard for himself, but he still understood the repercussions that could develop if he was to say the things that were not in keeping with the comfortable mainstream. This is why he needed Petey to say the things he was afraid to, because he was allowing someone to speak for the people regardless of the corporate consequences. Petey was not looking to be a businessman, only to convey the message of black equality and social injustices, regardless of whether he was getting paid in a radio booth or on a bullhorn in the streets.

Posted by schr0845 at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Les Back raises an interesting point regarding the race relations in London. This same point can be seen in the film, Talk to Me, dealing with the civil rights movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Back states that, "in the everyday lives of white people, infatuation with black music can exist alongside overt racism with a necessary contradiction" (146). While this may have been true in Back's observations of London society, it is also true of the D.C. region and others throughout America during the civil rights era. In the film, WOL's R & B music (a genre born in Motown and typically associated with blacks) was enjoyed by whites and blacks equally. This mutual interest by whites and blacks was exemplified in the film by the president and upper management staff being predominantly white while the D.J. staff that brought the music to the airwaves was predominantly black. This is not to say that the D.C. region and others in the U.S. was not racist. Throughout the film racism is protested by the black community through images such as rallies and the strong political voice of Petey Green. In contrast to Back's observations of the overt racism in London, Talk to Me presents racism in a more subtle manner. It is not until the scene in which MLK Jr. is assassinated that we see the black community take a strong stance against the whites. This, however, does not come across as a war against whites, but a black-on-black fight. Petey pleads with the black community to stop letting the anger consume them and urges them to return to their homes. I thought that this imagery was a little skewed against the blacks. The film was powerful, but lacked a clear lens to be shot through. At times, especially the looting scenes following the death of MLK Jr., the imagery perpetuated stereotypes of blacks--thieves, animals, and miscreants. It is important for the director to show the response of the black community to the death of MLK Jr., but it hindered the progress made by the blacks throughout the film. The subtle racism found in the film, Talk to Me, is diametrically opposed to the overt racism observed by Les Back in London during several eras.

Posted by stap0069 at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Talk to Me" covers the life, or important parts of the life, of black comedian/DJ/Talk show host who was known for his political activism, specifically within the issue of race. One of the prevalent themes throughout the films was the presence of power, and how the accumulation of power and importance changes people. Petey found himself in this position, starting out as an unknown, small-time act who could say what he wanted, and did what he wanted, although he couldn't do much. As he grew in fame and power, it becomes apparent that he is exploiting his own fame for personal gains, be it women, drugs, or other nice things. He also showed his inflated ego in his treatment of Dewey, his manager. Dewey had looked out for him for a long time, but Petey was blinded by the notion that people wanted to see him, wanted to talk to him, and forgot about Dewey. This is never more apparent than when he ruins his appearance in the "Tonight Show." This was something that Dewey had worked very hard to achieve, as appearances by black celebrities was still a rare occurrence during this time. For Petey to act the way he did shows that he had no respect for Dewey, despite what the man had done for him, and this loss of respect is clearly the result of an over-inflated ego due to huge gains in power and popularity.

-Chris Hansen

Posted by hanse978 at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In this week’s film, Talk to Me, a radio station DJ and his manager had an immense impact on the city around it. Petey and Dewey were the perfect combination of voice and influence that was needed to reach the black people of the city. In this time when the black population was still oppressed these two main characters were able to come together to help make a difference. Petey was “of the people” and a “miscreant.” He only ever spoke the truth. He knew what needed to be said and was not afraid to say it. Petey was able to connect with his listeners and bring up important issues in the society. Dewey, on the other hand, was a black character that acted as if he was white. He had grown up in the inner city, but made changes in his life to better himself. He had become the stereotypical “white person” and Petey picked at him for it. He claimed that he had conformed and lost his true identity. Through the movie Petey was able to help Dewey find himself again. The black population needed them, but they needed each other first. Petey was able to say what Dewey could not, and Dewey could do the things Petey was not able to do. Together they help empower the black community. The Black Power movement was in progress with its symbol being the clenched fist held up in the air. Petey and Dewey were a major part of a revolution in the civil rights movement in D.C.

Posted by mcgui149 at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dewey gets Petey the chance of a lifetime that is sure to take him “straight to the top,” and at the same time fulfill a lifelong dream of his own by booking Petey on the Tonight Show. Petey, however, was not thrilled about this because all he wanted to do was be a disc jockey back in Washington D.C. Petey just wanted to educate the people, mostly the blacks, and tell them the truth and how it really is by “keeping it real” and “being real.” Peteys sabotage of his “big chance” was not a purposeful act of self-destruction or self-service but “keeping it real.” Petey spread the truth and said things the way they were even though it might of offended people. The truth is what really mattered to him. If the Tonight Show was aimed at reaching out towards the black audience or hosted by an African American, Petey would have probably acted differently. However, the position he was in, entertaining the white folks, and his genuine character of “keeping it real” would not allow him to do what Dewey wanted him to do. Petey probably thought, how could the white rich people in the audience understand how he felt inside, and the black people he was representing, and the injustice he and his colored brothers suffered and were still suffering? According to Roger Hewitt, “stereotypes of black life fashioned in the minstrelsy period of popular entertainment and coming to form part of the prevailing white construction of ‘the south’ and of the black people” (Hewlett 44). The Tonight Show was geared towards the white audience that had already constructed a stereotype of the black people and “the south.” They truly were not ready for the truth he had to present and therefore not him.

Posted by karp0040 at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In this week’s film we see how opposites attract. Petey and Dewey are friends and partners and have a very interesting relationship. When watching the dialogue between the two it is easy to notice how they meet in the middle of the road of their ever opposing characteristics. Petey and Dewey both benefit from each other and what is not seen at first glance is learned later on. They both come from the same place and have realism in their lives. This trueness that the two both possess binds them, however is the ultimate agent of deterioration of their friendship. Regardless of the bound breaking regression, the inherent and genuine style of Petey is what Dewey admires the most. The way he can communicate and appeal so greatly to his audience through his real attitude is what Dewey loves. Straight laced and uptight, Dewey seemingly wishes he could achieve what the radical Petey does on the radio. He sees how Petey gives his audience sight to a movement and marvels at this ability. As Gerstle writes, “The revolution depended on a resolute civil rights movement…and believed fervently in the American dream, and he (MLK Jr.) insisted that the revolution could be accomplished peacefully and through appeals to Americans’ civic nationalist ideals.” Petey offers this appeal and as Dewey sees this, he becomes more attracted to this notion and change is seen in him.

Posted by luli0004 at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The film Talk to Me illustrates the lives of African American men who were effected by growing racial tensions during the 1960’s and 70’s. Not only was there conflict between African Americans and the dominant white culture, but also between African Americans who saw themselves as activists and those who tried their best to fit into white society. In the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Dewey, an African American businessman who seems well adjusted to life in a dominantly white culture, and Petey, an outspoken ex-convict whose dream it is to work as a D.J. and make his viewpoints on racism and civil rights known. Throughout the film, the struggle between Dewey and Petey causes them to change the way they view their roles as black men. When they first meet, Dewey is disgusted with Petey and tells him that he’s a scoundrel, giving him very little respect. Petey later snaps back by accusing Dewey as being a “tan white-boy” who conforms to white oppression of African Americans. Even though Dewey has achieved some success in his work at a dominantly white-run radio station, when Petey stirs up things at the station, deep inside Dewey agrees with Petey, but he is too afraid to stand up for himself. Petey becomes his voice for equality, and towards the end of the movie, Dewey was expressing his ideas on his own. While Petey’s influence on Dewey has a somewhat positive impact, Dewey’s attempts to draw Petey into popular white culture (The Tonight Show) fail miserably, with Petey refusing to “be changed”. While I do not consider many of the beliefs African Americans had about white people during the Civil Right’s Movement racist, I do feel that the comments that Petey made while on The Tonight Show about white people not caring about what he was saying gave the impression that what negative feelings of racial hatred he had towards white people stemmed from disappointment rather than racism itself.

Posted by colb0086 at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the film Talk to Me there was little direct coverage of a white audience for soul music. The only prominent white figures were the record executives who seemed to identify with the black community to an extent. There were also white protesters in the earlier scenes, supporting Petey Green’s bid for a job at the station. There was also no discussion of white artists appropriating black style.
What was apparent was the commercialization of music “packaged as racial fetish” (Back 129). Part of Petey and the Night Hawk’s appeal was their stereotypical compliance. They wore the clothes, had the voice and speech patterns and so succeeded in their field. The listeners could tell that they were black and that was part of the appeal. ‘Sunshine’ was too eloquent and soft to stay in his situation, listeners wanted edgier djs and that is what they got. It wasn’t until Dewey shed his ‘white’ exterior and embraced his own version of ‘blackness’ that he was able to get his own successful position.
Again there was not much open discussion of race relations in the film but they were present. When the warden suggests they shoot the man taunting him between the eyes it was humorous but did not really sound like he was joking. Dewey’s own condemnation of his brother for his criminal behavior almost extended to a criticism of the entire race. There was definitely tension between Petey and Dewey towards the beginning which sparked the whole protest. Petey expected solidarity from a black man and was insulted that Dewey would ‘stand up for the man’.
Overall I think the race relations were handled well. There was not a strong focus on it but at the end of the day it was a movie about Petey Green. A more direct treatment would have detracted from the narrative.

Nyssa Shawstad

WORKS CITED
Back, Les. “Voices of Hate, Sounds of Hybridity: Black Music and the Complexities of Racism” Black Music Research Journal Vol. 20, No. 2, European Perspectives on Black Music (Autumn, 2000), pp. 127-149

Posted by shaw0139 at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The most unlikely, but most effective leader is the average joe who comes from the inner-most working of the group. An inmate, who has experienced the life of a black man in and outside of jail sees the world from multiple points of view: as a literal prisoner, and as a figurative prisoner of culture and race. The loudest voice is the one that comes from the bottom. The view of a black man from the bottom relating to one from the top in a struggle against "White supremacy". The point of view of each man helps me to understand the different hardships that the black community had to face and the work that had to be done to create equality.

The power of words was shown to be most affective to urge a crowd forward for action. The message of a death destroyed a city, and the message of peace assuaged a crowd into a more positive approach to change. A voice heard over thousands can move change and create from a group of hate.

Posted by Chris Lewis at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The dynamic between Petey and Dewey that grows from a mutual dislike to a sort of fascination, on Dewey's part, is something that comes out of their respective relationships to "the system," here being the white-owned business setting in which they both operate. Dewey has from the outset been a man who recognizes the limitations of being a white-owned black radio station but realizes that his personal success in this situation depends on him being able to comply with his bosses' agenda. Petey, on the other hand, comes from a world with few rules and a natural resistance to authority. Because of this, he is able to step over what Dewey considers cardinal rules, be himself, and talk about issues in a provocative way that resonates with listeners. In doing so, what had once been iron laws of the workplace and media industry in Dewey's eyes have been shown to be breakable, or at least flexible. Seeing this, Dewey, who had always played the assimilationist role, begins to see that success and also an assertion of a real and black-centric voice is possible by being more willing to break rules, challenging authority, and ultimately "keep it real," as Petey does.

I don't believe Petey, as portrayed in this film, was a racist anymore than the next man. I think much of his appeal was his willingness to speak out, to provide an alternative look at what was going on in the country, which was ultimately in conflict with the "status quo" point of view. The American people, particularly during this time, are never lock-step in their opinions and views on social issues or the state of the nation's affairs. Particularly his black audience, Petey provided an outlet for frustrations and an alternative point of view that wasn't being put out there by white-controlled media. Petey surely made his share of controversial or inflammatory statements during his tenure, which probably rankled white station owners, but his message definitely struck a chord with his listening public. I think the brusqueness with which Petey carries himself and is simply a result of being "down and out" for much of his life, imprisoned, or whatever. Coming from a perspective of having "seen it all," Petey's natural inhibition towards offending people or his skill at holding his tounge simply weren't a factor. The idea of Petey as a racist doesn't really go over well, because despite his recalcitrant nature, his views and greivances certainly are formed from real social issues, inequalities, and from a lifetime of seeing the underside of American life.

Posted by woitx002 at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For having not heard of the movie, "Speak to Me" before class on Wednesday I really enjoyed it. I thought that the character development was phenomenal and that the plot was very well laid out. You couldn’t help but fall in love with Don Cheadle’s character, Petey Greene from the very beginning. When Dewey’s boss comes into the room shouting, “What in blue blazes is going on here?” and instead of giving an answer, Petey asks, “Did he just say ‘blue blazes?’” I was hooked.

I thought the film did a great job of integrating humor into a serious story line. My favorite serious part was probably when Petey is supposed to be on the Late Night Show and he has no desire to do it. He believes that the audience watching the television show is not the audience whom he speaks to. In her article “The Forgotten Fifteen Million: Black Radio, ‘The Negro Market’ and the Civil Rights Movement,” Kathy Newman describes that “most African Americans owned radios rather than owned televisions or subscribed to newspapers and magazines.” I really liked that Petey remained true to himself and his values throughout the film rather than ever cave to what others thought he should be. This was only one instance of that.

Posted by weir0041 at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The movie “Talk to me” very well shows the significance of having a major means of getting message across the society, especially during the 1960s. Undoubtedly, the media played and continues to play to this day, as a major influence in the modern society.

Being that during the 60s, the radio was trusted to be a legitimate source of information streaming, there was not a better time for Dewey and Petey to take advantage of this potential means of making a positive difference in their community.

The people in positions may have regarded Petey and Dewey as just African-Americans working hard to achieve new career heights in the history of African Americans in the media, but that is really not what Dewey and Petey intended. They figured they had some talents that they could utilize to making a better society and were willing to take the shot.

Even though Petey was portrayed as a racist at times, there is no reason to doubt that he had a very sharp view of their segregated society. Also supporting the fact that his theme was “tell it like it is”, it is evident that he did not hesitate to take risks to express himself.

It does seem like Dewey had to conform or in other words play like the “white man” in other to get what he wanted. No one really knows what his real intentions were, but it is overall agreeable to say that he had to do what he had to do in other to do what he wanted to do. In this case he had to go by the white man’s game rules in other to learn how to manipulate and make the rules work for modeling a non-segregated society.

Dewey may not have had the audacity to say many things that Petey would have easily said, but overall, they used their talents together to make a strong impact on their society

Posted by onon0006 at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The people in positions of power are portrayed as looking only out for themselves, and as being racists. Dewey was probably afraid because he thought that if he stuck out too much from the norm, and expressed what he really thought about the people who were oppressing minorities. Dewey admires Petey’s honesty, and his ability to cut to the heart of many issues. Petey isn’t a racist at heart he has just gone through a lifetime of being acted against and portrayed as a “certain person” by the people who are in power. The fact that Sponsor thinks that black listeners had more confidence in black disc jockeys really hurts the credibility of black people. The way that this is portrayed in Talk to Me is the fact that Petey has more popularity than other artists at the station because he embodies all of the qualities that Sponsor thinks his listeners are looking for. When MLK is assassinated in the movie, the progress that the black people had been seeing in the community all washed away. Dewey, being Petey’s manager, really lives out his own lifelong dream through Petey. The conflict arises because Petey doesn’t have the ambition or the want to go to the “top”, only to be affective and enjoy his life. Part of his sabotage of the Tonight show is he seeing himself as not ready to be the ultimate comedy act, but the other part of it involves him not really wanting to be the top act and selling himself out for popularity.

Posted by nemme003 at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In "Talk to Me," Dewey Hughes notices a unique gift in the recently released ex-con Petey Greene and gives him a shot to take over the morning DJ role at the radio station where Hughes works. Greene becomes an instant success, and an interesting relationship begins to form between he and Hughes. Dewey admires Petey's ability to make a connection with the listeners by talking about controversial race issues with natural speaking ease. The listeners might not always have agreed with Petey, but they always knew that they would be hearing the truth. He may come off as racist to some, but in reality, he only spoke about the truths of what was happening to African Americans across the country. By referring to many important political figures as pimps, Petey opens the eyes of people who may not have experienced what was going on in the lower income areas of the US.
Dewey decides to try to live out his own dream of being a major entertainer by managing Greene and trying to "take him to the top." Petey agrees, reluctantly. It is very apparent throughout the film that Petey would rather be talking on the radio to people who can relate to him than going on major television shows and having conversations or performing stand up for people who know nothing about who he really is. Petey finally implodes when he is supposed to perform on The Tonight Show, as he walks off stage because he doesn't think the audience can relate to him. Dewey takes this very hard because it was his own dream to one day be on the Tonight Show, but he thought the only way that would be possible was through Petey. Again, I don't see Petey's actions as racist, he just doesn't think there is a bond between himself and the large TV audiences like there is with the radio listeners who grew up under the same conditions as himself. He is a strong believer in this bond and thinks that he is turning his back on his loyal listeners by giving up the DJ role. Sure, he is a drunk, foul mouthed ex-con, but he still has principles and a love for his roots.

Posted by ross0426 at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No at heart I don’t think Petey was a racist. He was playing a part like most radio personalities do. Pandering to his huge base of listeners and telling them what they wanted to hear. But because of the time period in which he lived and worked, he played the part of a leader in a turbulent time. It was the same then as it is today. People listen and watch things that evoke an emotion from within. Hearing someone like Petey saying controversial things attracted people to him and made people admire him, much like Dewey did. Dewey admired him because Petey had the guts to say unpopular things. But he also had the power to heal. As he did in the days following Dr. King’s assassination. He did his best to calm and unite the residents of Washington D.C. after the national tragedy. A true radio personality now would be a breath of fresh air in politically correct times.

Posted by byro0028 at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As the nation takes pause to mark the anniversary of the assassination of one of the founding fathers of the civil rights revolution of the 1960s, we are compelled to reflect on the legacy of the great Martin Luther King Jr. It is in this context that this week’s film was presented to us. Through the relationship of Dewey Hughes and Petey Greene, Kasi Lemmon’s Talk to Me (2007) offers a powerful, insightful look into the dynamics of African American culture both then and now.

The Gerstle reading from this week discusses the civil rights movement that Dr. King led strove to assimilate blacks into mainstream culture. Sacrifice and perseverance paid off with the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Although it was a momentous step forward, the day-to-day socio-economic reality of black America did not significantly change. This incongruity triggered a paradigm shift which favored a more vocal, militant approach. The Black Power movement, built on the beliefs of Malcom X and the Black Panthers, completely rejected the American Creed and strove to assert black culture as a unique and valid alternative to mainstream American culture.

At its most basic read, it is this dialectic was played out in the text of the film. Dewey’s character represents the subset of blacks striving to assimilate into mainstream American culture and Petey’s character represents the other perspective. A deeper reading is possible, though, when considering Newman’s article on the consumer consciousness engendered by the emergence of black radio in the 50s.

It was in this medium (which provided the film’s setting) that created a public space for blacks to “gather their cultural bearings’, and turn race prejudice into race pride” (Newman 123) – it had the “power to unite” (127). The flipside of this phenomenon, however, is the commercialization that inherent in the American experience. Sometimes this can be a good thing, as Newman argues, but sometimes it can have the power to destroy. We see this come to a head in the film when Petey refuses to be a commodity and walks out on his Tonight Show performance, crushing Dewey’s insatiable dreams of mainstream success.

Exploring this inner-cultural discourse between “keeping it real” and “selling-out” is one that will be essential to our dialogue on race over the next few weeks, as it is core to the African American identity from its beginnings and is one that continues to divide the culture to this day.

Posted by skog0031 at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The film "Talk to me" has strong themes that consist between race and power, and the struggle of African Americans to succeed and find themselves in "white society". In the film, radio was a way to promote African American culture. According to Newman “Black radio at the time was something that happened overnight. Something that was not really heard of, but something that society was ready for“(pp. 118). Radio was one of the ways for the African American community to say what they thought and become apart of the mainstream life. Petey Green was one of those voices on the radio trying to make a positive impact on the African American community. Petey used his voice on the radio to discuss controversial topics that were brought up in the news and from his past experience. Radio made it possible for Petey to have his thoughts heard. Petey was not a racist, he had some strong views about race, and did not hold back from stating how he felt about race but he didn't take anything from any person no matter what color their skin white or black. He stuck to his own values and went against what his employers believed in, and never ‘sold out’. Petey also did not disrespect anyone and for this reason Petey wasn't racist, he was just trying to help promote African American positions in the white community, and as an African American radio DJ he tried to bring everyone together. Petey gave hopes and dreams to people all over the world through his voice on the radio. For these reasons Petey was not a racist he only used his voice to discuss controversial topics, and enable people to have their voices heard no matter their skin color.

Posted by campb503 at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talk to Me is one of the best movies based out of the 60's that I have had the pleasure of viewing. One of the things I liked about it was how Petey stayed true to himself no matter what. He had a voice, a voice of the people, his people, and no one could change that or take it away from him. His audience hung on to his every word and held a deep respect for Petey Green. In the end Dewey booked a slot on the Tonight Show for Petey, a show directed at a completely different audience then with whom Petey associated with. The people who followed the Tonight Show were typically old, conservative, white folks who Mr. Petey Green had nothing to say to. The moment of truth came when Petey looked around at all the waiting white faces, the live audience, and realized that they were obviously not interested in anything he had to say. He would have had to lie to make them happy. He would have lied to both himself and to everyone else who had admired him before. Petey was a black power activist and was not about to preach to a crowd of sneering white people who were a pretty good representation of the show's national audience.
Petey tried for the sake of Dewey, he really did, but his reputation and respect were at stake and he couldn't throw that away. Dewey worshipped The Tonight Show and never stopped to think what Petey wanted and how the show would affect him. It was obvious that Petey never was excited about the show, only to make Dewey happy. Dewey was an altogether different person then Petey, he greatly associated himself with the white race. He was also was also power hungry, wanting to make Petey bigger and bigger while Petey was happy where he was. "Quite trying to change me Dewey." What Petey meant was to stop trying to change him into a world leader activist. All he wanted after all was to "keep it real" as a local disc Jockey. The voice of Petey was personal, it was something that he did not want to share with Johnny Carson and the like. At one point he said "I don't think the world is ready for a nigga like me." The world was not ready to hear what he had to say, the truth about how unjust our society was. The world could not handle the truth, especially the followers of Johnny Carson's show.

Posted by kolsu002 at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the film Talk to Me the two main characters Petey and Dewy were both social activist, who fight against racism and social injustice but they just had different style. Petey was outspoken and he told the truth, did not really care who he offended. Since he was an ex-con, others did not expect anything-postive for him and that gave him freedom to say everything he wanted. He didn’t expect that much from life as well, he just want to be himself even turned down business opportunities. I didn’t think he was racist; he was not speaking out against white people, but against the system. The fact that MLK was assassinated by a racist system angered him and the fact he grew up poor in the project angered him. His listerns could related to him, he gave the black commuinty vocie. He was able to bring people and conntect their ideas, stuggles and anger through the radio. “Black radio, thought it was part of corportat America’s exploitation of the black consumer had some positive effects within Black culture and the black consciousness.(Newman, 117)The problem with Petey, he talked the talk but wasn’t stable person; he had drinking problem and was an ex-con. He reminded people and himself that he was just an ex-con.
For Dewy fighting racism and social injustice was by becoming financial successful not just by talking about was wrong with American society during that time. He said in the movie he was born in the project but struggled to get out of it. He was financial stable and went on to own the radio station. I did not think he was afraid to say certain things, as portrayed in the movie. He was a man of action, when it really counted he locked up the station manager to get Petey on the air.
I enjoyed this movie; it was funny and educational that same time.

Posted by mula0013 at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The film Talk to Me was a film largely focused on bring attention to what “the majority” wanted to ignore. The film’s main character was Petey Greene, the historically racy radio disc-jockey. The movie shows Petey “spittin’ it how it was”, which is exactly what he’s remembered for and what people of that time period were looking for.


The preceding decades showed massive improvement with regard to the law, but not socially. In specific as stated in Gary Gerstle’s Civil Rights, White Resistence, and Black Nationalism: 1960-1968, “The American legal foundation of racial nationalism had been overturned. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in civil society while the Immigration Act of 1964 dismantled the national origins system that had been in place since 1924.” Even with all the progress within the legal system, the times were still plagued with underlying tones of racism.


Petey Greene’s style, as stated earlier, was to “spit it how it was”. The reception to this style of talk, on the radio in particular, was spectacular! People knew that racism was still a huge problem socially even though it had been addressed in law. It took individuals like Petey to continually shine the lime-light on the subject in order to keep it in the public eye and eventually cause real social change.

Posted by John Erck at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember when Don Cheadle was in Boogie Nights? His character’s name was Buck Swope. Seriously. Buck Swope. You can’t ask for a better pornstar name. I used to wait tables at this shitty Thai place and once I had this guy come in and the name on his credit card was “Johnny Surprise.” No fooling. Johnny goddamn Surprise. Naturally I assumed that Mr. Surprise was also a pornstar because Don Cheadle put such a solid character behind the name Buck Swope; good movie characters always get me projecting false personas onto real people. However, Mr. Surprise was most likely, in all reality, probably not a pornstar, only a victim of my skewed perceptions (thankyou Hollywood) and therefore less interesting to me. The point being: the truth hurts, especially when its progressive. In Talk to Me, the civil rights movement of the 60’s and 70’s is dissected through the biopic of a radio DJ, specifically within his relationship with his more outspoken polar opposite. A predominately black radio station begins to cater to a white community, and one character conforms and the other protests, which Back calls “a paradox for a scene which prides itself on being socially aware, and open-minded,”. The character of Petey critiqued this aspect of the Black community, convicting change and progression even though his criticisms could even be seen as racist. I really wanted Johnny Surprise to be a pornstar, but I knew he wasn’t, I knew he was more than just some outlandish profession. And although my fantasy would have been more entertaining to believe, it was more progressive for me to grow up and realize that not everyone can be want I want them to be for the sake of my entertainment, and that making a point through pornography references is the only way to make a point.

Posted by mende058 at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I didn't particularly like this film because I just didn't know what to make of it. I didn't take away any sort of greater understanding or moral lesson, which is not necessary in a film, but it seems like that is what the filmmakers were going for. Usually when a movie ends with a eulogy scene it is a plot device for summing up the accomplishments of the main character. I don't this that Greene's work can really be quantified that way. His accusation of Dewey Greene being a "house slave" AKA an "Uncle Tom" are the same sorts of things that happen in the black community today and I think such a thing is only hurtful. When that sort of infighting happens in minority groups it only serves to divide them more and subjugate Civil Rights aspirations by dividing power. In this respect Petey Greene is no hero. His behavior is not transcendent or useful then or now. But Petey Greene, I believe contributed by speaking his mind frequently. In addition to his asking for cool heads in the aftermath of the King assassination, Petey Greene promoted a dialog among people that historically had disproportionately less access to mass media. That free expression would serve to allow blacks a high-level dialog in order to discuss pressing issues in their community. Petey Greene might very well have made great strides in breaking the silence of the black community. Speaking his mind is what his fans liked about him, and that is what he will be known best for,.

Posted by gonza275 at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Talk to Me" is clearly a movie about race and power during the late 60s and early 70s. It addresses stereotypes that people used to have and still have now for certain groups of race, ethnic, and different back grounds. The movies points out how sometimes people judges others for their past and their race. For example, when Petey comes to the office of WOL for the first time after being released from prison, the lady at the front desk gets scared because he told her he just got out of jail. And again and again, Petey's credibility was questioned by WOL's boss. Then finally he gets to do the morning talk for the first time at WOL. Right before the show, the boss repeatedly tells him to watch his language. I take this as another stereotype pointed out from the movie. Even Petey are warned before, he still says what he wants to say, what he thinks. When Petey says things that he does not supposed to say, he offends the people of higher position than him, and in most cases, they are whites. Also, this is why Dewey was "afraid to say things" that Petey said. Dewey works in an environment where white men are the ones with higher positions and power. Dewey himself is an African- American man, but he acts, speaks, dresses, more like a white man. To me, Dewey doesn't have the courage like Petey to be different, to speak out things that offends people with more power. I think it's courage and self-esteem that Dewey admires from an ex-convict, chain-smoking, womanizing Petey.
In my opinion, Petey himself is a little racist, he just doesn't realize that. He denies to perform in front of an audience full of white people on the Tonight Show. I don't think he would act that way if the Tonight Show were hosted by an African-American and geared to a black audience. He thinks he would be a a clown in front of the white audience and he expects them to discriminate him. He himself puts stereotypes on people on the show. I think that makes him a racist as well.

Posted by truon052 at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is clear throughout the movie that Dewey has some minor struggles when it comes to race and identity. Even if Petey is not the perfect role model for the black community, he lives his life exactly the way he wants to and does not let ANYONE tell him what to do. Unlike Dewey, Petey never stoops to levels to fit in or appear more "white". Despite all his "flaws" regarding alcohol and women, Dewey is impressed by Petey's ability to maintain his "real" personality even if it means he may appear a little over the top. Petey will never mold to society and Dewey recognizes his strong opposition to conformity.
Some may view the way Petey acts as racism towards whites. However, I completely disagree with that claim. Petey, regardless of his color, lives his life exactly how he wants to and does not let anything or anyone get in the way. Obviously based on the sole fact that he got his job by sticking with his strong pursuit to get what he wants shows exactly what type of person he is. The timing of the MLK assassination makes it hard for Petey because while he normally just minds his own business, this pushes him over the top and fuels his anger that some people view as racism. His ability to "stay real" and just live serve as a great qualities for a role-model to the black community in the time of pain and sorrow. He is a black man with a strong will but above all he is a human being who by changing his lives, changed the lives of everyone who knew him.

Posted by cloy0004 at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the film Talk To Me, the relationship between the main characters Dewey and Petey, as well as their white coworkers, exemplifies the race struggles experienced by African Americans during the 1960’s. Authority figures in the movie (such as the station direction, Sheen, the station’s board members, and the prison guards) were strongly represented by white men. In order for Dewey to succeed in these surroundings, he had adopted a lifestyle and behavior very similar to that of white American men. When behaving in this context, he was treated with respect by both his white peers and superiors. However, when Petey became a serious figure in his life, he began to admire the way that Petey didn’t feel the need to conform to white America. Associating himself with Petey was a way for Dewey to act against the oppressive standards of the society he lived and worked in.

There’s no doubt that Petey’s behavior has racist qualities, possessing a general distrust and contempt for white people. However, this sentiment is not completely unwarranted, and I see it as more akin to jadedness than true racism. In a state of continual repression, violence, and hatred shown by many white Americans toward blacks, it’s understandable how someone could develop this attitude. It was crucial for society at the time that black Americans attain positions of mass influence, such as disc jockeys, within the media infrastructure. Although one may think it would only further separate the cultures that many African Americans would identify only with black disc jockeys, it helped the situation much more than it hurt, as many of the black dj’s worked within programs built and run by white Americans, which in many instances helped the two work toward a common goal. One instance of this shown in the film was the sequences following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. With his broadcast, Petey Green almost single-handedly stopped the riots in the streets of Washington, D.C.

Posted by dunh0037 at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The film "Talk to Me" was made during a time when Africa Americans were trying to achieve equality. Petey is the main character in the film and he is very outspoken and is not afraid to voice his opinion when necessary. Petey gets the opportunity to be on the Tonight Show but is not happy by it because he wants to be taken seriously and he thinks that this show is just for entertainment. I think that Petey did the right thing in staying true to himself and not getting up there and just telling jokes and entertaining the crowd. He wanted to stand up for his beliefs and for the black community as a whole. Newman mentions that "black listeners had more confidence in disc jockeys they could tell were black" (124). Petey believed this and he got up there and told his audience exactly how he felt even if it was controversial. Petey's audience was mainly white and even though sometimes his opinion seemed very biased, it never was and he only told the facts. I definitely agree that the emergence of black radio had many positive effects for the black culture. As Kathy Newman writes in “The Forgotten Fifteen Million: Black Radio, the ‘Negro Market’, and the Civil Rights Movement”, “By 1957, ...there were more than six hundred radio stations targeting 30-100 percent of their programming to African Americans in cities all over the country and national advertisers were beginning to take black consumers more seriously- at least the ones they could reach via the airwaves.” (115-116). This just shows how important the emergence of blacks in the media was to their way of evolving out of this terribly segregated and racist time period. The evolution of Petey from convict to radio star effects all the people around him and had an extremely positive effect on the African American society. With the increasing involvement of the black community in the media, this helped to lay the foundation for the African American culture to become increasingly involved in the everyday aspects of life with the whites and other races.

Posted by kapla137 at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The film Talk to Me was about the racism in the time of the 60s and 70s and was mainly shown through the disc Jokey, Petey. It was of a time when African Americans were trying to strive for equality in the community. Petey is a DJ and an American American. Petey used the power of "black radio to unite and unify the black community," (Newman 127). Newman also mentions that "black listeners had more confidence in disc jockeys they could tell were black" (124). Even though a lot of similar d j's were becoming decreasingly popular Petey kept increasing his popularity due to his way of telling it the way he saw it. he did not put any kind of spin on it, he sees and tells the exact same way.
When Peter got his opportunity to be on the tonight show, it showed that he had made a stance in the community because to get on that show is a great accomplishment in itself. However, Petey didn't see it like that because he viewed the show as entertainment and he didn't want to be viewed in that light. He thought that being on the tonight show would mean that people would be laughing along or even at him, resulting in him not being able to get across his message of equality among the different races, especially between the black people and the white people.

Posted by culve018 at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More time in the film was spent examining the racial tensions between Petey and Dewey than racial tension between whites and blacks. The two men represent opposite ends of the spectrum of blacks in the era, although there were many more like Petey than Dewey. The tension between them centered on what it meant to be a black man in that era. Petey's accusation that Dewey is "acting white" reifies the message that whites are businessmen and black men are laborers; in Petey's mind (and others in the black community), Dewey cannot be both "successful" and "black" yet such attitudes force blacks into less powerful positions.

The black male aesthetic is present in the physical fight between Dewey and Petey. The two men have a brutal fist fight in the middle of the office over a disagreement about the content of the show. When this scene is contrasted with Dewey's subtle subordination of his boss rather than overt violence, the film seems to promote both the idea that blacks are "violent" and that blacks should show more respect to whites than they do eachother. Both instances show an employee disagreeing with his boss, but the physical fight resembles a "lower-class" approach to solutions while Dewey's insubordination to his white boss is cerebral and crafty.

Posted by vieir013 at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The film "Talk to Me" was made during a time when Africa Americans were trying to achieve equality. Petey is the main character in the film and he is very outspoken and is not afraid to voice his opinion when necessary. Petey gets the opportunity to be on the Tonight Show but is not happy by it because he wants to be taken seriously and he thinks that this show is just for entertainment. I think that Petey did the right thing in staying true to himself and not getting up there and just telling jokes and entertaining the crowd. He wanted to stand up for his beliefs and for the black community as a whole. Newman mentions that "black listeners had more confidence in disc jockeys they could tell were black" (124). Petey believed this and he got up there and told his audience exactly how he felt even if it was controversial. Petey's audience was mainly white and even though sometimes his opinion seemed very biased, it never was and he only told the facts. I definitely agree that the emergence of black radio had many positive effects for the black culture. As Kathy Newman writes in “The Forgotten Fifteen Million: Black Radio, the ‘Negro Market’, and the Civil Rights Movement”, “By 1957, ...there were more than six hundred radio stations targeting 30-100 percent of their programming to African Americans in cities all over the country and national advertisers were beginning to take black consumers more seriously- at least the ones they could reach via the airwaves.” (115-116). This just shows how important the emergence of blacks in the media was to their way of evolvin