Hollywood shows way for first black US president
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — A slew of African-American presidents portrayed in film and television has helped US voters get used to the idea of electing the country's first black commander-in-chief, analysts say.
Whether it's a seven-year-old Sammy Davis Jr in the 1933 comedy "Rufus Jones for President" or Morgan Freeman in 1998's "Deep Impact," Hollywood has been installing blacks in the Oval Office before anyone had heard of Barack Obama.
But academics believe the increasingly frequent portrayal of black presidents in blockbuster films or hit television shows has helped to make the electorate more receptive towards Obama than they otherwise might have been.
John W. Matviko, author of "The American President in Popular Culture," believes that Obama's overwhelming popularity amongst young voters may be partially explained by the Hollywood factor.
"One of the functions of popular culture is that it introduces ideas that are a just a little bit on the edge of what we traditionally find acceptable, so that after a while, it becomes acceptable," Matviko told AFP. "It's a very subtle form of persuasion.
"Part of Obama's popularity amongst the younger demographic might be because there have been some very positive portrayals of black presidents. So the idea of it has become commonplace, and not really an issue anymore," he said.
Since 1972's "The Man," starring James Earl Jones as what is viewed as the first major screen portrayal of a black president, only a handful of films and television series have had similar roles.
Yet actor Dennis Haysbert, who played one of the most high-profile black presidents during two seasons on the hit television show "24" before his character was assassinated, believes they have been influential.
Haysbert told the Los Angeles Times in a recent interview that he was in no doubt his character had helped change mainstream attitudes.
"Frankly and honestly, what my role did and the way I was able to play it and the way the writers wrote it opened the eyes of the American public that a black president was viable and could happen," Haysbert told the paper.
But Todd Boyd, an expert in African American cinema and culture at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, said he was skeptical of the influence Hollywood may have on the 2008 election race.
"I'm a bit hesitant to say that because James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman or Dennis Haysbert played a president on a TV show or in a movie, it means Barack Obama can be president," Boyd told National Public Radio.
"I think that's a bit of a stretch."
However Boyd concedes that the portrayals "may have unconsciously made some things in society seem less troubling."
Robert Thompson, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, echoed Boyd's caution.
While Hollywood had probably played some part in shaping attitudes towards Obama, Thompson said it was more likely that the Illinois senator's popularity was rooted in the civil rights movement and his own personality.
"I certainly don't think we can dismiss it. It's part of the recipe, and fiction often practices things before they become real life," Thompson said.
"However we have to be careful not to over-estimate what is going on here. "To give Morgan Freeman or Dennis Haysbert significant credit for Barack Obama is to truly under-estimate how significant the civil rights movement has been, and how charismatic Barack Obama is."
