Attitudes of Racism- Liz Vieira
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.