The C.O.W.S. Ernest Tidyman’s SHAFT Part 3 #HomoEroticism

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Thursday, October 21st 8:00PM Eastern/ 5:00PM Pacific

The Context of White Supremacy hosts the third study session on Ernest Tidyman’s 1970 novel, SHAFT. Tidyman is a White man. He forged a distinguished journalism career working for The New York Times and Ohio’s The Plain Dealer. In the midst of the so called Civil Rights Movement and the unrest of the 1960’s, Tidyman decided to concoct a narrative around a black private detective named John SHAFT. This relatively short book sparked a half century of trashy films and a television program, and mightily influenced the thoughts, speech, action, emotions, and wardrobe of generations of black people. Gus has yet to hear of any black people who were aware that the SHAFT franchise is the spawn of a White Man. During the second session, Tidyman introduces Knox Parsons, a black criminal who hopes to hire shaft to find his missing daughter. The film portrays the missing black female as quiet and well-behaved. Tidyman describes her as a promiscuous, street-hustler. We’re also introduced to Ben Buford, a black male “revolutionary,” who seems to be Tidyman’s composite of the many attempted counter-racist groups of the 1960’s. Buford and his group do drugs, have no weapons, and are easily slaughtered by the White thugs who kidnapped Parsons’s daughter. Tidyman includes fascinating commentary on the faithfulness and support of a good “dark woman,” and has SHAFT remark on the so-called blackness of other Victims.

#IsaacHayes