Nick writes: . . . One one hand, African-Americans were being picked on, and on the other, their music fills the performances that mock them. White people came to the Cotton Club, which was the hottest nightclub in New York, to watch performers who were always black. White people disliked blacks, yet they liked their music and liked to watch them perform.

Literature also flourished that was written by Black people such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale-Hurston, and Countee Cullen. Their works were enjoyed by whites as well as Blacks. This is where a culture war forms. White people begin to get mixed into Black culture, and Black culture begins to become a part of the white world. We look back now at it, and realize that this is when Black culture finally begins to be respected by others. The people at the time did not even realize this. They went on being nlourished in Black culture, and, on the other hand, they went on mocking them. There was real hypocrisy going on at this time. We have white cartoons, white performances, filled with Black music, while white people become in tune with Black culture, all while disliking Blacks. A real culture war, that is the most I can make out of the situation.

Jessica comments: . . . finally, and most importantly relating to my topic, women and men had distinct, defining features that separated them from each other. In advertisements we saw how the mother was portrayed as the "family doctor," protecting the rest of the family from germs. Also, there was the emergence of the flapper, who was sassy, provocative, bold and out to make a statement. In addition, women were the main consumers of the time. They were supposed to be well-rounded, but able to take care of household needs, often shielding them from the harsh realities of life. These are a few roles women were characterized as illustrating during these times.

These cartoons shed light on some of the religious and ethnic roles that women were said to have during the 20's. In comparison to Betty as a flapper to my topic, which is an influential woman writer, the two mark a turning point for women. Flappers such as Betty made a statement -- both physically and socially. They dressed sexy, wore lots of makeup, and often smoked. They liked to drink alcohol and dance to jazz music. As I previously stated, women were getting more involved. They were taking part in athletic and social activities. However, they were still [supposed to be] home in time to cook dinner. In contrast to this, earlier on, women were simply homemakers. They were sheltered from the outside, basically there to provide comfort and a safe home environment. Men were the ones who had the career and dealt with the harsh realities of life.

But, Betty marks the point of women taking on almost a "rebellious" lifestyle. My topic coincides with this because it displays how women were taking on more inspirational, influential roles. They were not just passive homemakers who were shielded from realities of the world. They were becoming just as important as men as they became career and goal-oriented. In Betty's cartoons, she takes the approach of a sexy, and ever-changing character. Many of the cartoons exhibit racy scenes where Betty loses her clothing, illustrating the provocative side of flappers. During this time, some flappers acted in this way and were often associated with prostitution. However, there were flappers who were simply conforming to the new styles. They were introducing the new style of the 1920's woman. The short haircut, makeup, and provactive, flashy dress was the new image and did not necessarily mean they carried out all the so-called "immoral acts" that people associated with this. They might not have smoked or drank, but just wanted to go out and dance to jazz music and have a good time. Older women were also taking part in this style of dress, which proves it to be somewhat of a style of the times. But, basically this was a way for women "coming out" and becoming active in society.

Betty compares to real flappers in a sense that she shows her daring side and her ability to go beyond normal limits. Real life flappers did this by taking high position roles in society; striving to be heard or noticed. In contrast, they may not have taken on the activities associated with the flapper. Instead, they became voices in society where they could be taken seriously and looked at in the same respect as men.

Finally, women of the 20's and early 30's had gone through stages of their social status and placement in society. From watching these cartoons, one can assess how Americans had begun pushing the limits involving censorship. Also, racial and ethnic characteristics may have influenced how people viewed others of that particular culture. For example, Betty being Jewish may conjure up images to the public of Jewish girls striving for sexual appeal.

I think these cartoons were so popular because audiences were amused at how these stereotypes were conveyed and how we could Americanize these people. . . . They were said to have "unpure" genes which is exemplified during the jazz age. Some actors played roles where they tried to step away from their cultural backgrounds in order to appear "Americanized." Nonetheless, Betty associates with the emergence of the American woman from a positive housewife consumer, to an independant, self-confident character. Betty brought to my attention the real-life attributes women were on the verge of making [a change?]. An aspiring influential women writer of the 20's was trying to make a statement in society just as Betty was. Even though they went about it in opposing ways , their basic intent was the same. Both were intricate parts of making a statement in the cultural aspects of American society.

Carrie makes several similar points: Betty Boop's cartoons broke the silence during the 1920s and 1930s. They addressed a number of issues, such as racism and sex, which were considered highly controversial for that time. Betty Boop assumed different identities throughout her cartoons which included a dog, different races, and a differing body size. She became an icon, a cartoon flapper who was not intimidated [but who] broadcast her sensuality to the public while incorporating controversial issues.

Flappers were martyrs for change. They introduced America to a new sense of style in which dresses revealed their knees and hair was cut to their chin. Flappers were what many parents feared their daughters would become. Their defiance for conventional thought and their adoption of unladylike habits made them [unacceptable?] in the eyes of many. Betty Boop brought many of the flappers' ideals to the big screen. Her appearance exaggerated their appearance. She wore a dress, shorter than the typical above the knee length, and a garter without nylons. Betty Boop's exaggeration of the flapper's appearance advertised how a controversial woman would not be afraid to confront controversial issues.

Those issues were evident in episodes such as "Old Man of the Mountain" and "Minnie the Moocher." In "Old Man of the Mountain," Betty Boop was warned not to visit the man who lives on the mountain. However, she ignored the warnings and proceeded up the mountain. On her way, she encountered a crying hippopotamus who was pushing a baby carriage. The reason the hippo was crying was because there were three crying babies with long beards in the carriage. This implied that they were from the old man on the mountain. Ignoring this, Betty Boop continued to seek out the man on the mountain. She was later chased by the man down the mountain and pops out of her dress. A woman popping out of her dress was not something that would be seen in the movies, especially in a cartoon, of that era.

In "Minnie the Moocher," Betty Boop runs away with her boyfriend, Bimbo the dog. On her journey she encountered a singing walrus whose song inspired a psychedelic fantasy. The song described Minnie as "a red-hot hootchie-cootcher." Other lyrics in the song referred to smoking opium. Sexual and drug related themes were again evident and were very controversial for that time. Betty Boop's cartoons advertised to the nation their existence and that it was okay to laugh at such issues. Lyrics and themes like these were not present in everyday pictures and paralleled the image of flappers. Like flappers, these issues were very controversial and advertised some of the downfalls in society. Betty Boop's cartoons were not merely to entertain, but also a means of surfacing those issues many may consider difficult to discuss. Her image signified the commencement of an era in which the norms of society were challenged.