Analysis of Demott’s “Put on a Happy Face” Essay Example

fact of the matter is that blacks were slaves at one point and whites are trying to force this relationship because they are guilty of what happened. You can’t simply put everyone “all in the same boat” because everyone is not in the same boat (102). You cannot force a relationship out of guilt because you feel obligated to. DeMott does not want that pity on another race and that be the reason for the relationship. That is not how true friendship works and therefore this relationship will never become a reality.

You cannot just simply rub the “magic lantern” and make everything okay (102). The way the movies were portraying these friendships between blacks and whites was like waving a magic wand and forcing things to change. For DeMott the fact of the matter is that you cannot fix something that is already broken. He uses sarcasm, political figures, movies, articles, and many more to show that this is just a far reached dream that cannot be grasped. All of these different kinds of tactics reached out to a vast amount of people.

It severely bothers Benjamin DeMott that media would outright lie to the public about something that will never happen. Racial differences are not only a barrier but also an extreme interference for friendship or any kind of relationship. There is too much guilt and embedded animosity for one another for anything to be compromised. Works Cited DeMott, Benjamin, “Put on a Happy Face: Masking the Differences Between Blacks and Whites. ” Readings for Analytical Writings. Eds. Christina Farris, et al. Third edition. New York: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2011. 374-384.

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