• Watch the show "Running Zach" (S2E13) of the 1990s E/I Saturday morning “classic” Saved By the...

Question

• Watch the show "Running Zach" (S2E13) of the 1990s E/I Saturday morning “classic” Saved
By the Bell. Write an analysis of the show(s) according to concepts developed by this week's
eadings. The focus should be on the ways in which the shows are examples of colonized or
decolonized viewing.
• If you so choose, you may
ing in other representations of indigenous people - TV only - as
another comparative case.
Be thorough, connect to important concepts, and make sure to polish the final product
(spellcheck/proofread/etc.)
“Sitcom na
atives’ deeply rooted stereotypical and misinforming representations of ‘Indians’ act
as daily and nightly televisual reminders of racism, power, and colonization. Over time, these
epresentations contribute to a mainstream televisual landscape that encourages audiences to
engage in colonized viewing: Such viewers simply watch the programming, do not question what
is said or not said, do not situate the representations of redface within their larger historical and
social
contexts, and do not try to interpret or formulate a way of reading the televisual content that can
move them toward decolonizing their minds
decolonization as ‘the intelligent calculated, and active resistance to the forces of colonialism
that perpetuate the subjugation and/or exploitation of our minds, bodies, and lands.’ Located
within this larger project, decolonized viewing is a critical approach of resistance to subjugating
and dehumanizing content found on American television’s channels of colonialism. In line
with poststructuralist thought, it also is a process of respectful intervention into audiences’
ational sense-making practices of television” (Tahmahkera:327, emphasis added).
Decolonization/Decolonized Viewing “Unlike these colonizing approaches to television comedy
that often dismiss sitcoms and other comedic programming as escapist fantasy and mindless
drivel, decolonized viewing holds critics responsible for their ignorance as well as imagemakers
accountable for their (mis)perceptions and (mis)representations of Native Peoples”
(Tahmahkera:327, emphasis added).

document104-l1zoj0yx.pdf

Parul · Accepted Answer

Assignment
Airing an episode, ‘Running Zack,’ of the show ‘Saved By the Bell’ is interesting in regard to both colonized and decolonized viewings of the representation of Indigenous peoples within the mainstream media, and more specifically in sitcom narratives. The series follows the character Zack Morris as he works on a school project regarding his family heritage, which eventually pushes him to learn and explore more about his Native American identity.
Colonized viewing refers to the act of passively consuming media that perpetuates stereotypes and misrepresentations of a group of people without any type of questions or critical engagement with said media. In the context of Indigenous representations, colonized viewing would involve passively accepting and internalizing harmful stereotypes about Native Peoples, whereby the accuracy or impact of these stereotypes is not questioned.
Audiences see both paradigms of the colonized and decolonized viewings in the episode. Something that stuck with me is how the native American background of the lead character displayed limited colonized view-point. As cliché as it may sound, quite the vanilla projections of Zach’s ancestors incorporated them being showcased as ‘fierce fighters as well as courageous hunters’. Somehow, I feel it was very reductive presentation that multiplied series of stereotypes of native group who depicted as the mystical characters or perhaps the noble savages. The belief as well as characters that showcased various native Americans, essentially that of Zack had a deep connect of both being colonized as well as decolonized that considers various paradigms. 
Essentially,

Watch the episode from saved by the bell 1990 tv show

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