Friday, February 12, 2016

What do the two men think of Granny Cain in "Blues Ain't No Mockingbird"?

The two men, who are shooting a film ‘‘about food stamps’’ for the county move away after Granny comes outside, but they continue filming anyway as they have no respect for her wish to be left alone.
As the grandchildren play outside, they notice the filmmakers, who have been moving around and then enter the property of the Cains. After Granny comes outside one of the men asks her if she minds if they "shoot a bit around here?"

"I do indeed," said Granny with no smile. Smilin man was smiling up a storm....But he didn't seem to have another word to say, so he and the camera man backed on out the yard, but you could hear the camera buzzin still. "Suppose you just shut that machine off," said Granny, real low through her teeth, and took a step down the porch....

Then, the man with the camera points the camera directly at her and says, "Now, Aunty...." This use of the term "Aunty" is meant to be a respectful address to an older African-American, but it is still patronizing. Clearly, then, the men are disrespectful to Granny as they pretend to be friendly and polite, but they completely disregard her wishes that they not trespass upon the Cain property and not treat them as objects to be photographed.And, as further evidence of their disrespect, these men sneak behind Granddaddy Cain when he returns from having captured a chicken hawk and "buzz him" with the camera. Finally, it is not until Mr. Cain overpowers them with his threatening size and seizes the camera, breaking it apart and saying, "This is our own place" that the men depart. 

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