 "Photo:")
|
"At this point, we have raised a few generations of stupid people," McGruder said of the entertainment on channels like BET, VH1 and the people who watch them. "'I Love New York' didn't make people stupid, people were stupid before 'I Love New York.'"
Before becoming a cartoon show on Adult Swim, "The Boondocks" was a daily comic strip published in 350 papers, causing much controversy. From its political views, social commentary and wry criticism of the black and white races, "The Boondocks" strip was pulled many times and some episodes of the show were not aired.
"'The Boondocks' holds a mirror up and looks face-to-face with the ugliest parts of ourselves," McGruder said. "Some people get it and some people don't."
McGruder visited Ohio State through the support of the Ohio Union Activities Board and the annual African-American Heritage Festival.
Bill Levendusky, collaborative events chairperson for OUAB, said this was McGruder's first time speaking at OSU, and he was excited to be a part of the annual heritage festival.
Rebecca Wanzo, an assistant professor in African-American studies and women's studies joined McGruder on stage. She interviewed McGruder on a number of topics such as influence, politics and culture, but the conversation always went back to "The Boondocks."
McGruder views "The Boondocks," as an uplifting show, even though some feel it is negative or offensive. He said they try to create entertainment that works on different levels, for both children and adults.
He spent much of his time explaining the inspiration behind the characters in his cartoon. McGruder said he got into the field because he wanted a job where he could voice his opinions and not grow up, but cartooning "ended up being a lot more work than what I thought it was going to be."
Lauren Mungin, a freshman in psychology, attended the talk and has been a "Boondocks" fan for the political and cultural satire. She was impressed with McGruder's dedication to his beliefs.
"I can admire the fact that he stands up for what he believes in," Mungin said. "He's not afraid of controversy."
Besides explaining the show and the characters, he also talked about the current political race, which McGruder views as "a boring reality show." The talk of politics gave way to discussions of homosexuality, black entertainment and African-American cultural and social problems.
Even to the end of the talk, McGruder remained completely unabashed about voicing his opinions.
"You just had to get me started on Hillary," McGruder said with a smile to someone who asked him about the current presidential race.
"F*** Hillary."
ShéRon Draper, an OSU alumnus and longtime fan of "The Boondocks," found that McGruder's lecture clarified much of the depth of the show. Draper liked how McGruder addressed the use of the "n-word" and how it has become somewhat of a smokescreen, dodging real cultural and political problems.
While most were able to laugh with McGruder on most of the topics, others were not so pleased with his comments.
Kayla Jackmon, a sophomore in theater, was on the fence about McGruder.
"... I don't know. It was interesting, but I don't really agree with everything he said," Jackmon said.
McGruder offered some insight into the future of the cartoon show now that the comic strip is "dead." He said fans should expect a third season of the show and perhaps a feature film. From there, he is not sure.
"If it continues, great. If not, I'm satisfied," McGruder said.
One of Wanzo's final questions dealt with what McGruder thinks his legacy will be.
"Are cartoonists supposed to have a legacy?" McGruder said laughing. "It's not really up to me."
Angela Henderson contributed to this story.
Chad Rutan can be reached at rutan.22@osu.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!