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before collapsing on top of her, dead.
First, the blackface isnt blackface at all.
This is mud on our faces, Rose yells embarrassed.
Were not really Black!
I was totally unconscious.
When I came to, there was Stan carving a notch into his dashboard.
I never bought that unconscious story, Sophia says to her daughter.
I swear, he must have slipped me something, Dorothy says.
Sophia retorts, to roars from the audience.
Dorothy said clearly that Standrugged and raped her while unconscious, and the studio audience laughed uproariously.
Herb Edelman has a guest role as Stan26 times, and the rape is never acknowledged.
Or when Sophia did a Black voice (Thems just the appetizers!)
while dressed as a mammy in the1991 series finale?
Or Paula Kelly playing the Black, mysterious, and lazy voodoohousekeeperMarguerite?
Or when Chick Vennera played both a Cuban boxer Sophia bought on the streetnamedKid Pepe(Kill Gonsales!)
and later played Latin TV reporterEnrique Mas?
Or when Keone Young played both Dorothys Japanese student Mr. Tanaka (Joe Mama!)
in one episode and Dorothys Chinese physicianDr.
Changin another (enduring endless racist jokes about Chinese food from Sophia)?
From thepilotepisode onward, Sophia was always putting downCubans,Puerto Ricans, andMiddle Easterners.
All four of the girls were racist.
Given all of this, do I still likeThe Golden Girls?
I am conflicted to admit that I do.
I am a homosexual born in 1977.
So do I make peace with its racial and sexual politics?
First, Idontmake peace with them; I wrestle with them all the time.
Second, I dont watch the most racist episodes, and I generally avoid the episodes with Stan.
When I moved from watchingThe Golden Girlson DVD to iTunes, I only bought the least offensive episodes.
For some, the rape of Dorothy Zbornak may be reason to avoid the series altogether.
For others, it may be something in between.
The only possible freedom from this is to make new work.
Twitter:@thrasherxy
